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.
1.Complete the summary below with one word for each blank.
The poet remembers Innisfree as a utopiathat would supply all his needs.He declares that he will 1) and go to Innisfree, where he will build a small 2)“of clay and wattles made”.There, he will have nine bean-rows and a beehive, and live alone in the glade loud with the sound of bees (“the bee-loud glade”).He says that he will have 3) there, for peace drops from “the veils of morning to where the cricket sings”. 4) there is a glimmer, and noon is a purple 5) , and evening is full of linnet’s wings.He declares again that he will arise and go, for always, night and day, he hears the 6) water lapping “with low sounds by the 7) ”.While he stands “on the roadway, or on the grey 8) ”,he hears the sound 9) himself, “in the deep heart’s 10) ”.
2.Answer the following questions.
1)What are the form and the style of the poem?
2)What kind of life does the poet long to lead?
3)What fantasy does the poet lull the readers into?
4)Which line drags the readers back to reality?
5)What is the best remedy for the emptiness of the poet’s age?
3.Writing activity: Please write a short poem or essay to express your ideas on an ideal place to live.