Question

In the poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree', what does the poet find so attractive about The Lake Isle of Innisfree'.

Answer 1

Hint: William Butler Yeats wrote "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," a twelve-line poem with three quatrains, in 1888 and it was first published in the National Observer in 1890. In 1892, it was reprinted as Countess Kathleen and Other Legends and Lyrics.

Complete answer:
Innisfree represents tranquillity and simple life, which is preferable to the chaos of society. Innisfree is the name of a place. Here, the poet wishes to rise and travel to Innisfree in order to live his life away from the drone of man, in the beauty of nature. The poet considers Lake Isle of Innisfree appealing because of its pledge of harmony.

The poet, then, yearns for this place that provides a sense of contentment and peace away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. The slow and constant meter of the poem contributes to the languid, dreamy effect.

As the final stanza makes clear, there is also a vivid impressionistic depiction of the colours and beauties of this area, as well as the calming stir of nature, which is so different from the loud and harsh noise of the city where the poet actually is.

The things that the poet found attractive at ‘lake isle of Innisfree’ were the lake water lapping low sounds by the shore, the ‘purple glow’ of heather at noon, sounds of birds’ wings and the sound of bees. The poet, then, longs for this place which affords a sense of contentment and relaxation far from the busy modem life. The poem’s slow and regular meter helps to convey this languid, dreamy effect. The thing that the poet finds so attractive about Lake Isle of Innisfree is its promise of peace.

Note: When the poet pays a visit to the peaceful Lake Isle of Innisfree, he is reminded of his childhood. He wants to go there and says he will live alone there. He wants to build a small cabin out of clay and wattles. He'd grow beans and get a honeybee hive to live on honey.