Line 1

In this line Yeats establishes the opening tone as well as the refrain of the poem. The poem focuses on Innisfree as a place of escape for the speaker.

Lines 2-4

Here the speaker describes Innisfree as a simple, natural environment where he will build a cabin and live alone. Note the rich description in these lines. The language is specific. The speaker does not merely mention that he will build a cabin, but also that it will be made of "clay and wattles." The speaker also specifies that he will have "nine bean-rows," instead of simply a "garden." These are images that conjure up in the mind of the reader concrete visual features of Yeats's poetic fantasy. Notice also the particularly interesting image of the "bee-loud glade." This image invests Innisfree with a magical air.

Lines 5-6

In these lines Yeats introduces the connection between peace...