NCERT Solutions: Poem - The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Thinking about the Poem
I.
Q1: What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
Ans:
He wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles; plant nine rows of beans; and keep a hive for honeybees.

(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
Ans: 
He hears the cricket's song and the linnets in the evening sky, and he sees the glimmering midnight and the dim, glowing rooms; these sounds and sights soothe him and fill him with a deep sense of peace and longing for Innisfree.

(iii) what he hears in his "heart's core" even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).
Ans: When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears, in his heart's core, the sound of the lake water washing the shore; this gentle, recurring sound stays with him and brings comfort and calm even when he is removed from the place itself.

Q2: 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).
Ans: The poet contrasts Innisfree's natural beauty and quiet with the dull, lifeless roads and grey pavements of the town where he now stands. The word "grey" suggests a lack of colour and vitality, emphasising how the city's atmosphere is cold and mechanical compared with the warm, living calm of Innisfree.

Q3: Do you think Innisfree is only a place or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?
Ans:  Innisfree functions both as a real place and as a state of mind for the poet. It stands for his childhood memories and an ideal of peaceful living. He clearly longs for that tranquillity and carries its memory within him; even when he is physically distant, the sounds and images of Innisfree remain in his mind and comfort him.

II.
Q1: 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?
Ans:
"Bee-loud glade" evokes a sunlit clearing alive with the steady, pleasant buzzing of bees, giving a sense of busy but gentle nature; "Evenings full of the linnet's wings" suggests skies at dusk filled with small birds fluttering and calling, adding movement and song to the scene; "Lake water lapping with low sounds" brings to mind a calm shore where soft, repetitive waves make a soothing background noise, completing an image of quiet, natural peace.

Q2: 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?
Ans: These lines mean that peace arrives gently and gradually, like dew or mist that falls with the early morning light. The phrase "comes dropping slow...from the veils of the morning" suggests that calmness descends softly at dawn. "To where the cricket sings" points to a quiet, rural spot where one can hear crickets at dawn or dusk - a symbol of natural tranquillity and stillness.