Pages

14 November 2007

In a Bee-Loud Glade

The problem with living in the city, amongst all of the hectic busy-ness of contemporary life, is that we do not live in a bee-loud glade.

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 honey-bee;
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 evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear 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.

Hear here: Yeats' own recording of his poem.

Take a minute, take an hour: Hear the song in your deep heart's
core and you'll understand that there is no reason for a in-depth
reading of Yeats' poem

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Cam. Thank you SO MUCH for that - you have no idea how I needed it. Yeats is my favorite poet, and if I had to choose a favorite poem, this would be it. Thank you.

Anne Camille said...

Hi Courtney. Glad that you liked it. I hadn't read this poem in years, and, although I've heard recordings of Yeats reading some of his other works, I don't recall hearing this one before. I loved the cadence and timbre of his voice reading this poem.

Anonymous said...

I love this. Yeats has remained my favourite poet for twenty seven years now! "Byzantium" is the one I keep coming back to. Or "The Tower" volume as a whole. Must follow that link as soon as I've got dudelet through his bath...