A poem that speaks to me

I was looking for a quote about lakes to use as a sig line on another website that I belong to, and I ran across this poem. I've never read this one before, but it immediately stood out to me. In it, the speaker has determined that he will leave his urban home and move to a lake island. He looks forward to building his cabin and living in harmony with nature. One of the reasons he chooses to leave his home for this lake island is because deep in his heart, he constantly hears the lapping waters of the lake along the shore.

WOW! If I were able to put my feelings about being at the lake into words, this is exactly what I would have said. My favorite times are early in the morning and late in the evening when the only sounds one hears are the birds, the crickets, and the water. I love sitting out on the porch early in the morning with a good cup of coffee and just "being." I love the end of the day when all the boaters have gone home and the lake is smooth as glass. I long for the day when John and I build our cabin and life is simple and peaceful.


The Lake Isle of Innisfree
William Butler Yeats

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 day and night
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.