NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poem Chapter 4 The Lake Isle Of Innisfree

Thinking about the poem
(Page 54)

I.
Question 1.
What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:

  1. the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
  2. what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
  3. 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 nature is in its frill swing.

  1. The poet wants to build a small hut of clay and wattles. He will have a nine bean-rows and a hive for the honeybees.
  2. The poet hears the cricket’s song. He sees midnight shine and a purple glow at noon. Evenings are full of linnet wings. All this makes him feel joyous and gives him peace of mind.
  3. The poet hears the lake water lapping the shore with low sounds.

Question 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 roads and the dull, grey pavements of the city.

Question 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:
The natural beauty of Innisfree is not the creation of the poet’s fancy. It is a real place that gives solace to the frustrated souls. The poet longs to live at such a beautiful and peaceful place. He misses it a lot.

II.
Question 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 

Answer:

(i) These words create an image of buzzing bees in the glade.
(ii) These words create an image of linnets flying across an evening sky.
(iii) These words not only create a blissful picture in our minds but also evoke the soft sound of a lake’s water washing the shore.

Question 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:

These words mean that peace surrounds that area at dawn. The pleasing and melodious sound of cricket greets the morning. It adds sweetness to the serenity of the place.