The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Author: William Butler Yeats

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, a hive for the honey bee,
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 the morning to where the cricket sings;
There 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.

If you ever thought poetry was unreal, then I must set the record right... a few years ago, I was camping with some friends in tents by the side of a lake and this poem was brought to life for me. At sunset, as we sat by the side of the lake, I realised the water was lapping against the side of the shore and quite spontaneously began to recite the poem, or as much of it as I could remember. A friend took up the narration and we both completed the poem filled with a sense of wonder. Even now, I can picture that scene in my 'deep heart's core'.