The Lake Isle of Innisfree
By 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 grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
William Butler Yeats wrote “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” one of his most famous and widely-anthologized works, in 1888. The poem gets its title from a very small, uninhabited island that sits in Lough Gill, a lake in Yeats’s home county of Sligo, Ireland. The speaker of this pastoral poem longs to build a simple life on Innisfree, finding peace through communion with nature. However, it becomes clear that ties to city life prevent the speaker from realizing this dream. The young poet’s fixation on questions of spirituality and Irish identity is felt in this poem, which also contains the sort of archaic language that he would later abandon and decry. Following an ABAB rhyme scheme and loosely iambic meter, the poem’s seemingly neat, concise structure belies its complex networks of rhythm and sound, which are responsible for much of its visceral impact and enduring popularity.
Summary
The speaker expresses an intention to get up and go to a small island in Ireland called Innisfree. On the island, the speaker wishes to build a modest cabin out of clay and bundled twigs. The speaker hopes to plant nine rows of beans in a clearing, which will buzz with the sound of honeybees tending to a nearby hive.
The speaker believes that this setting promises peace, which will emerge slowly as the hazy mist of the morning falls to the earth, where crickets chirp. On the island, light flickers beautifully in the middle of the night and glows with a purple hue at midday, while little birds flutter about in the evenings.
The speaker reiterates an intent to get up and go to Innisfree, explaining that all day and all night, the speaker imagines hearing the lake's waves breaking on the island's shore. As the speaker stands on roads or other paved places, that imagined lake sound resonates deep within the speaker's heart.
Themes
Nature and Spirituality
The poem's speaker fantasizes about building a solitary, peaceful life on Innisfree, an uninhabited island in Ireland. While providing a dreamy, picturesque view of the island, the speaker also emphasizes the incompatibility of its virtues with modern life. In doing so, the speaker suggests that a return to nature offers unique spiritual rewards.
When describing Innisfree, the speaker uses mystical language, praising the natural world as a strong spiritual force. The poem opens with the phrase “I will arise and go,” which appears word-for-word twice in the King James Version of the Bible (Yeats, born into a Protestant family, likely used this text for worship). This allusion to the Bible at the poem’s very outset establishes that the speaker’s concerns—and especially the fixation on Innisfree—are spiritual in nature.
Subtle references to religious tradition continue, such as “the veils of morning”—a metaphor that likens early morning weather, such as fog and dew, to head coverings often worn for religious purposes. Plus, phrases like “purple glow” and “midnight’s all a glimmer” build a dreamy, supernatural atmosphere. Moreover, the speaker clearly feels a deep, personal connection to Innisfree, claiming that it calls out “always night and day,” relentlessly summoning the speaker. The two share a spiritual kinship, as nature lives within the speaker, who hears it “in the deep heart’s core.” The speaker believes that heeding its calls will bring “some peace.” Thus, the speaker champions nature as a profound divine force that can bring about inner serenity.
At the same time, the speaker emphasizes that communion with nature is the only path to attaining such spiritual rewards. In other words, modern society interferes with the pursuit of peace and truth. The speaker repeats the phrase “I will arise and go” as well as “and go.” As such, the speaker expresses a deep, persistent desire to get up and leave the city.
When describing an ideal life on the island, the speaker also notably refers to Innisfree four times as “there.” In doing so, the speaker stresses that fulfillment cannot be achieved “here”—that is, in the present, urban setting. In lines 4-5, the speaker implies that spiritual awakenings occur only outside of advanced societies and large communities, and instead when individuals are in tune with nature. In particular, the speaker expresses an intent to “live alone” on Innisfree, right before declaring “I shall have some peace there.”
Finally, in the poem’s penultimate line, the sound of splashing water entrances the speaker, who “stand[s] on the roadway, or on the pavements grey.” The inversion at the end of this line calls attention to the descriptor “grey,” playing up the bleak austerity of city life as a critical barrier to spiritual pursuits.
The speaker thus presents nature as a profound spiritual force that contains essential truths—a wellspring of wisdom that can only be accessed via a total renunciation of modern society. However, the speaker remains embedded within an urban landscape, despite nature calling “always night and day.” By revealing the chasm between the speaker’s daydream and reality, the poem implicitly questions the attainability of a meaningful connection with nature in modern civilization.
Labor and Fulfillment
While highlighting the spiritual fulfillment that nature promises, the speaker also points out specific tasks that must be undertaken and exacting circumstances that must be endured to attain this fulfillment. In this way, the speaker champions quiet, meditative labor as the means to realizing the spiritual bounty of the natural world.
The poem’s first stanza details the various ways in which the speaker must cultivate the land in order to live in harmony with nature on Innisfree. First, the speaker has to get to Innisfree, which is a task in and of itself. Indeed, the speaker has been stuck in the city for some time, yearning “always night and day” to connect with nature but struggling to break away.
Upon arriving at Innisfree, the speaker would then have to make a clearing or “glade.” From there, the speaker would have to build a shelter using crude raw materials—weaving twigs and branches to create a cabin’s frame and then packing it with clay. Next, the speaker would move on to cultivate a sustainable source of food, such as “Nine bean-rows.” This would entail creating a garden bed, working the soil, sowing seeds, and tending to plants. The speaker thus lays out several prolonged, laborious projects that one must embark on in order to live cooperatively with nature.
To the same end, the speaker contends that one must adapt to a broader set of challenging conditions that goes beyond methodically nurturing the land. The speaker expresses an intent to “live alone” on the island, emphasizing that living in harmony with nature requires solitude. But as the speaker demonstrates, ties to modern society hold back even those most desirous of a profound connection with nature. As such, one must exercise great strength and resolve to break with the conveniences that communities and modern technologies provide.
What’s more, complying with all of the above does not result in immediate gratification, as “peace comes dropping slow.” The speaker thus advocates for an appreciation of labor for its own sake—not expecting any grand reward for individual accomplishments. In this way, the speaker indicates that one must complete certain tasks and adapt one’s outlook in patient pursuit of a larger purpose. It is such meditative contentment with one’s labor that will ultimately bring about spiritual fulfillment.
이니스프리 호수 섬
- 윌리엄 버틀러 예이츠 -
나 이제 일어나 가리, 이니스프리로 가리라,
거기 욋가지와 진흙으로 작은 오두막집을 짓고
아홉 이랑 콩밭 일구며 꿀벌 통 하나 두고
벌떼 윙윙대는 숲에서 혼자 살리라.
거기서 서서히 들려오는 작은 평화를 누리리라,
안개 피는 아침부터, 귀뚜라미 우는 저녁까지,
한밤은 온통 가물거리는 불빛, 한낮은 타오르는 자주빛,
저녁은 홍방울새 날개짓 가득한 곳.
나 이제 일어나 가리. 밤이나 낮이나 항상
호숫가의 잔물결 씻겨지는 소리 들리는곳에
한길가 잿빛 포도에 서 있노라면
영혼속 깊은 곳에서 그소리 들리네.
이 시는 너무도 많은 시전집에 실려서 읽히는 작품이다.
상당히 몽상적인 요소가 있긴 하지만 현실세계를 벗어나서 Innisfree의 湖島의 자연속에 파뭍힌 삶을 찾겠다는
Escapist(도피주의적인)한 요소가 있으면서도 상당히 절제가 잘 되어 있다.
Innisfree는 아일랜드 켈트족의 언어로 "heather island" 라는 뜻이며, "heather"는 자주빛 꽃으로 그것이 정오에
호수에 비쳐서 온통 자주빛으로 타오르는 것처럼 보인다고 시인은 읊고 있다.
Innisfree는 아일랜드 서부 Sligo근처의 Gill湖에 있는 작은섬이다.
이 시는 낭만적 요소가 매우 짙은 시 이다.
예이츠의 다른 시들과 마찬가지로 "Innisfree"와 "bee", "made"와 "glade" 등 각운(脚韻)의 음악적인 효과가 깔려 있다.
이니스프리의 호수 섬(The Lake Isle of Innisfree)은 1923년 노벨문학상을 수상한 아일랜드의 시인·극작가 윌리엄 버틀러 예이츠(William Butler Yeats, 1865~1939)가 1888년에 창작해서 오랫동안 가다듬는 퇴고(推敲)를 거쳐 1893년에 발표한 예이츠의 대표적 명시 중 하나
이 시는 3연(stanza, 각 연 4행 ), 총 12행(line)으로 구성되어 있으며, 시인은 현재 살고 있는 도시를 떠나 이니스프리(Innisfree) 호수 섬의 자연 속에서 평화로운 시간을 갖기를 갈망하고 있으며, ‘build there’, ‘have there’, ‘peace there’처럼 반복되는 단어·어구·리듬을 사용하여 오르락내리락하는 파도 소리를 연상시키는 운율을 만들어내고 있다.
이니스프리의 호수 섬(The Lake Isle of Innisfree)의 1연 “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.(나 지금 일어나 가리라, 이니스프리로 가리라. 그리고 거기 진흙과 욋가지로 만든 작은 오두막 짓고; 나 아홉 이랑 콩밭을 거기 가지리, 꿀벌 위한 벌집도, 그리고 나 홀로 살리라 벌들 소리 요란한 숲속 빈터에서.)”의 1행과 2행에서 시인은 이니스프리로 가서 작은 오두막을 짓고 홀로 살겠다는 자신의 강한 의지와 결심을 노래
세 번째 행과 마지막 행에서는 작은 오두막에 홀로 살며 아홉 이랑 콩밭과 꿀벌을 위한 벌집을 갖겠다는 시인의 의지와 자신의 소박한 꿈을 노래
2연 “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.(나 그리고 거기서 평화를 가지리, 평화는 천천히 드리우기에, 아침의 장막으로부터 귀뚜라미가 노래하는 곳으로 드리우는; 거기 한밤중은 온통 희미한 빛, 한낮은 작열하는 보랏빛, 그리고 저녁은 홍방울새 날갯소리 가득하리.)”에서 시인은 이니스프리(Innisfree)로 가서 자연 속에서 평화를 찾겠다는 자신의 욕망의 근거를 감각적으로 형상화(形象化, imagery)
첫 행에서 시인은 평화가 ‘천천히 드리우는(dropping slow)’ 것으로 형상화하며, 두 번째 행에서는 평화가 아침의 장막으로부터 귀뚜라미가 노래하는 곳으로 드리운다고 형상화하며, 세 번째 행에서는 희미한 빛과 작열하는 보랏빛, 네 번째 행에서 홍방울새 날갯소리를 활용하여 시각·청각적으로 형상화(形象化, imagery)
3연 “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 grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.(나 일어나 지금 가리라, 밤에 또 낮에 언제나 나 물가에서 호숫물이 낮은 소리로 찰랑댐을 들으리니; 나 길에 또는 회색 포장도로에 서 있는 동안에도, 나 깊은 마음 한가운데서 그 소리를 듣노라.)”의 첫 행은 1연을 강조하며 1연의 내용(I will arise and go now 나 일어나 지금 가리라)을 반복하여 현실 세계로 돌아오며, 두 번째 행에서 낮게 호숫물이 찰랑거리는 소리를 밤낮으로 듣는다고 말함으로써 이니스프리로 가겠다는 생각이 강박관념처럼 붙어 떼어낼 수 없음을 강조
세 번째 행에서 시인은 현실 세계를 벗어나 자연 속에서의 평화와 행복, 목가적인 삶으로 돌아가고 싶은 소망을 갖고 있지만, 마지막 행에서 낮은 소리로 찰랑대는 호숫물 소리를 자신의 마음 한가운데서 듣는다고 말함으로써 목가적인 삶으로 돌아가는 꿈은 현실적으로 실현될 수 없으며 단지 마음 깊숙이 품고 있는 내면의 동경·갈망임을 암시