outside my kitchen door, 6/24/09, 8 p.m.
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,
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;
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 gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
--W.B. Yeats
33 comments:
Gorgeous photo... wish I was there!
Snap! I have that poem framed in my sun room - brought back from Innisfree by a friend years ago.
Alas I don't have the view.
A wonderful view. I remember learning that poem when I was at school and being inspired to read more poetry. "For peace comes dropping slow" is brilliant.
I need a bee-loud glade to visit! This sounds so restful.
such peace and wonderful memories come from these lines and the pics. i hope to one day retire to a cabin in the mountains to piddle out my remaining days listening to the trees.
Such a gorgeous poem. It made me think... During a time when progress was full steam ahead, it occurs to me that our poets seemed to be still fully conscious of the beauty of nature, while the captains of industry were hell bent on erasing it. So this was good to read.
Glad you are having a good and peaceful time away. Drink it in. It will stay with you during the hustle and bustle of the city in the months to come.
And I really love your post!
Wow, great photo!
Is that a hand coming out of the water?
Another resort to be developed.
Fitting poem and one heck of a view!
Bob--I think it's the perfect place to hold our "family reunion"!
Pat--I love that you have that poem in your house! I often wondered about Innisfree, the actual place versus Innisfree the concept.
Nick--I memorized that poem in school too, and remember it to this day. It's a favorite.
JGH--I must admit, the glad here is rather more mosquito-loud, but it's still good!
Karen--that's an interesting point--and we can still turn to these poems when the bustle and pollution of industry gets to be too much--
Candie--thank you! I took a series of photos of light through the trees outside my house--maybe I'll post some more.
Fox--thank you, I have a really not-so-awesome digital camera, but somehow the Adirondack beauty allowed itself to be photographed in all its loveliness.
MJ--I have long hoped that our lake was populated by monsters, so a hand would be a start!
mago--the Adirondacks encompass 1 million acres of untouchable wildlife preserve, so I think it would be pretty hard to fully develop anything around here. Some developers tried to buy up a large tract of land on our lake two years ago, and they met with such fierce resistance that they gave up. Score one big point against the developers.
sub--the view is really beautiful, very primeval, very changeable. When it storms, it's especially dramatic and wonderful.
Brian--my husband and I plan on retiring here someday. It's incredibly silent and unpeopled during the fall and winter.
I'm down with that Leah... tell me where to fly into!
Lovely! happy theme thursday!
Except for the bees (I'm phobic) I have always loved this - especially the linnet's wings. Lovely choice, Leah.
Kat
Very nice. :)
Wonderful view. Very envious. I have an office block in London and someone else's garden at home. Big sighs all round
Can I come too . .what a gorgeous view. All I've got is a grey cubicle and the muddy Parramatta rive and bums well, bumming.
With a view like that, who would need pictures on the wall? Your poem and photo melded so well. Beautiful!
Does Adirondack Light taste anything like Bud Light?
A great setting for Bob and Megan's wedding too.
The poem really does instill peace and tranquility.
I SO need to get away....
Bob--Albany, NY, then you need to rent a car to come the rest of the way into the North Country! And Adirondack Light is like Bud Light but let's be honest, tastier...
Betsy--happy TT to you too!
Kat--I love Yeats in general, this poem has always reminded me of our lake house--but I admit, when I first read it, I had no clue what linnets were!
Wings--thanks!
Mme DeF--in Brooklyn, all we've got is a fire escape--but I did put some plants out there and now the birds have begun to visit!
Baino--yes please, do come along to the Family Reunion! As for those Brooklyn bums, I must say I don't miss them up here...
Ronda--I do like to gaze out the window every chance I get--or just go outside--there's almost no separation between indoor and outdoor in the Adirondacks, at least during the summer. I'm one with nature!!
Cece--I was reminded of your new property, which also struck me as so lovely and peaceful.
Maria--NYC will be just the thing! And if you need some green and peace, you can just go on over to Prospect or Central Park, or the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (I highly recommend a visit there, by the way, and bonus--it's right next door to the Brooklyn Museum if you feel museumish).
perfect poem and lovely photo.
It also applies to my weekend country home...i feel exactly the same when i'm there and when i'm on gray pavements in the city thinking about that piece of heaven.
Dear Leah,
Beautiful picture and poem!!!
hope you had a great day..
love & ((hugs))
bindi
That is a most gorgeous view that you have there. I would love to see it someday. Trees are so beautiful and the lake looks so peaceful. Do you get to swim it? That would be so much fun for all of you. And it truly will be a great place to retire to.
The poem goes so well with the picture. Thank you for sharing them both with us.
God bless.
Innisfree is a natural haven for beauty and talent. I truly hope you get to see it one day Leah.
If you like W.B, have a gander at 'The Wanderings of Oisin'
Hi! Leah,
The lake outside your back door is very beautiful! and "scenic."
and the W.B. Yeats
poem is too!...beautiful, that is... how very apropos!
Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D
La-di-da quoting Yeats are we?
Well then..
"But Nature is so uncomfortable. Grass is hard and lumpy and damp, and full of dreadful black insects.
What Art really reveals to us is Nature's lack of design, her curious crudities, her extraordinary monotony, her absolutely unfinished condition.
What Art really reveals to us is Nature's lack of design, her curious crudities, her extraordinary monotony, her absolutely unfinished condition.
Nature has good intentions, of course, but, as Aristotle once said, she cannot carry them out. When I look at a landscape I cannot help seeing all its defects.
If Nature had been comfortable, mankind would never have invented architecture, and I prefer houses to the open air.
In a house we all feel of the proper proportions. Everything is subordinated to us, fashioned for our use and our pleasure. Egotism itself, which is so necessary to a proper sense of human dignity, is entirely the result of indoor life.
Out of doors one becomes abstract and impersonal.
One's individuality absolutely leaves one.
Nothing is more evident than that Nature hates Mind."
Oscar Wilde
California Girl--thanks!
Mrsupole--we do swim in it nearly every day, though it is quite chilly until the summer really heats up!
Jimmy--I have unearthed a copy of "The Wanderings of Oisin" (we seem to have an oddly limitless library here at the lake house, cultivated for four generations by my family, of peculiarly far-ranging tastes) and will read it, thank you.
DeeDee--I thought it was a propos--glad you liked it!
Donn!--you gave me my first smile of the day this morning. How I love that snarky bon mot-ster Oscar, he is the perfect antidote to all things fatuous (myself included!). Have you seen "Velvet Goldmine" (my all-time favorite movie) in which he was quoted to very great effect?
"peace comes dropping slow" - isn't that just perfect?
a beautiful photo too
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