NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem))
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem)) Poem – 4 The Lake Isle of Innisfree has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Poem – 4 (The Lake Isle of Innisfree)
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
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 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 the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evenings full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the 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
Thinking about the Poem
I. 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
(iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).
Answer – Innisfree is a beautiful place where poet has spent a lot of time as a boy.
(i)
(a) The poet wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
(b) He wants to plant nine rows of beans.
(c) He wants to keep honey bees hive.
(ii)
(a) He hears the cricket’s song.
(b) He holds linnets flying in the sky.
(c) He sees glimmering midnight and glowing rooms.
(iii) When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his “heart’s core”.
2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III.)
Answer – The poet contrasts the natural beauty of Innisfree with the roadways and grey pavements of the city he now lives in. “Grey” pavements show the lack of colours and liveliness of the place.
3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?
Answer – I think that it is a state of mind.It is an representative of what the poet considers an ideal place to live. Yes, he misses the place of his boyhood days and recalls the sound of the lake washing its shore in his heart’s core.
II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree
(i) bee-loud glade
(ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings
(iii) lake water lapping with low sounds
What pictures do these words create in your mind?
Answer –
(i) bee-loud glade – creates a picture of a place in a forest that is filled with the soft buzzing sound of honeybees.
(ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings – creates an image of a red-orange sky that is full of linnets. Linnets are beautiful birds that add up to the scenic beauty of a place when they flutter their wings and fly.
(iii) lake water lapping with low sounds – lets us take a dive into the peaceful scenario where the water of the lake is flowing and producing soothing sound.
2. Look at these words;
… peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings
What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?
Answer – The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be slowly acquired from the natural surroundings.
It is peace that “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”.
The phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the vibrant sounds of nature− sounds such as the songs of the crickets at the time of dawn.
