Self-reliance
The speaker dreams of making his own way in Innisfree. He wants to build a “small cabin” made of “clay” and “wattles” (twisted sticks). Rather than importing materials, he dreams of using what is available naturally to build his dwelling in the “glade” (clearing). He also plans to plant “nine bean-rows” and beehives to produce honey. This theme of self-reliance draws on the American writer Henry David Thoreau, who wrote about living alone in the woods in his famous work Walden.
Nature and Renewal
The speaker describes Innisfree as a place of self-renewal. Living in harmony with nature will allow him to find “peace.” This approach to nature was dominant among many Romantic poets. For example, the poet William Wordsworth found peace in the English countryside. Yeats’s poem shows that the Irish countryside is also a place where people can renew themselves and discover peace of mind.
Rural versus Urban
The poem contrasts the rural landscapes of the countryside with the urban landscapes of the city. The speaker is living in the city, “stand[ing] on the roadway, or on the pavements grey.” The city is a cold and loud place, full of automobiles and concrete. By contrast, the countryside is so quiet that one can hear only the bees and the flapping of birds’ wings. While one is alienated and alone in the city, in the countryside one can find peace of mind through connection with plants and animals.
Memory and Nostalgia
The speaker is nostalgic for the island of Innisfree. The poem makes it clear that he is not currently in the Irish countryside. Rather, he remembers it from his past or childhood. Even while in the city, he can “hear lake water lapping with low sounds.” While standing on a highway, he can hear the sounds of Innisfree “in the deep heart’s core.” This shows the power of memory to keep a place alive. Though he is distant, he maintains his relationship with Innisfree. There he imagines a simpler life in which people can live off the land.
The Beauty of Ireland
The poem uses Romantic themes of nature’s peace and beauty but ties it to the specific landscapes of Ireland. When this poem was written, the western countryside of Ireland was seen as primitive and backward. Ireland was still an English colony at this time. In describing the beauty of the rugged Irish countryside, Yeats was making an argument that Ireland has its own beauty and is therefore valuable. It is not primitive, but peaceful. This claiming of Ireland’s beauty and value overlaps with the themes of the Irish Literary Renaissance, of which Yeats was a part.
