The Lake Isle of

Innisfree

Lyrics by W. B. Yeats

(1865-1939)

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made.

Nine bean rows will I have there, and a hive for the honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of morning to where the cricket sings;

The midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made.

Nine bean rows will I have there, and a hive for the honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

Background

The poem gets its title from a very small, uninhabited island that sits in Lough Gill, a lake in Yeats’ home county of Sligo, Ireland. The poem expresses the idea that nature is essentially restorative, a place to which human beings can go to escape the chaos and corrupting influences of civilization. The poet dreams of escaping from the busy streets of London.

Set to music many times, this rendition of the famous poem with music by Don Stewart and delivered in a hauntingly beautiful soprano by Gemma Belfrage is included in an album titled “Shoot the Sky” by Celtic band Aniar.