Text C 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 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.

1.Complete the summary below with one word for each blank.

The poet remembers Innisfree as a utopiathat would supply all his needs.He declares that he will 1) and go to Innisfree, where he will build a small 2)“of clay and wattles made”.There, he will have nine bean-rows and a beehive, and live alone in the glade loud with the sound of bees (“the bee-loud glade”).He says that he will have 3) there, for peace drops from “the veils of morning to where the cricket sings”. 4) there is a glimmer, and noon is a purple 5) , and evening is full of linnet’s wings.He declares again that he will arise and go, for always, night and day, he hears the 6) water lapping “with low sounds by the 7) ”.While he stands “on the roadway, or on the grey 8) ”,he hears the sound 9) himself, “in the deep heart’s 10) ”.

2.Answer the following questions.

1)What are the form and the style of the poem?

2)What kind of life does the poet long to lead?

3)What fantasy does the poet lull the readers into?

4)Which line drags the readers back to reality?

5)What is the best remedy for the emptiness of the poet’s age?

3.Writing activity: Please write a short poem or essay to express your ideas on an ideal place to live.

Proper Names

Utopia 乌托邦

Innisfree 茵尼斯弗利岛

CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE 中央伦敦孵化与调节中心

Bokanovsky’s Process 波坎诺夫斯基程序

Notes

1. Humanism:It is the term generally applied to the predominant social philosophy and intellectual and literary currents of the period from 1400 to 1650.The return to favor of the pagan classics stimulated the philosophy of secularism, the appreciation of worldly pleasures, and above all intensified the assertion of personal independence and individual expression.Almost everywhere, humanism began as a rather pious, timid, and conservative drift away from medieval Christianity and ended in bold independence of medieval tradition.In England, John Colet (c.1467-1519) and Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) were early or conservative humanists, while Francis Bacon (1561-1626) represented later or agnostic and skeptical humanism.

2. syphogrant:It is a term invented by Thomas More as the title for a magistrate of a lower rank in his Utopia, who is chosen from every thirty households each year.

3. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963):He was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family.Best known for his novels including Brave New Worldand a wide-ranging output of essays.Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel writing, film stories and scripts.Huxley spent the later part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death.Aldous Huxley was a humanist, pacifist, and satirist, and he was latterly interested in spiritual subjects such as parapsychology and philosophical mysticism.He is also well known for advocating and taking psychedelics.By the end of his life Huxley was widely recognized to be one of the pre-eminent intellectuals of his time and respected as an important researcher into visual communication and sight-related theories as well.

4. Bokanovsky’s Process:Huxley’s phrase.A method for producing many identical eggs from a single egg.It is the basis for producing identical human beings.

5. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon:These are the names of the castes of the dystopia.They are the first five letters of the Greek alphabet, used most commonly in British schools and universities as grades, equivalent to A, B, C, D and E.

6. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939):He was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature.A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, Yeats was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival.In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as the first Irishman so honoured for what the Nobel Committee described as “inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation”.His greatest works include The Tower(1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems(1929).Yeats was a very good friend of Indian Bengali poet Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

7. Iambic pentameter:It is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama.The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line.That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called “feet”.The word “iambic”describes the type of foot that is used (in English, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable).The word “pentameter”indicates that a line has five of these “feet”.

For Fun

Works to Read

1. Lost Horizon(1933):This is a novel written by English writer James Hilton, and best

remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamasery high in the mountains of Tibet.Hugh Conway, a veteran member of the British diplomatic service, finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La, whose inhabitants enjoy unheard-of longevity.

2. The New Atlantis(1627):This is a utopian work, written by Francis Bacon.In it, Bacon outlines an ideal state which is dominated by scientists and guided by science.In Bacon’s New Atlantis, science conquers chance and determines change thus creats a regime permanently pleasant.Bensalem, meaning “perfect son”in Hebrew, has shunned the misfortunes of time, vice and decay.Bensalem seems to combine the blessedness of Jerusalem and the pleasures and conveniences of Babylon.

Movies to See

1. Lord of the Flies (1990):This is an American thriller film adapted from the classic novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding.It is the second film adaptation of the book, the first being the 1963 film Lord of the Flies.As with Golding’s book, the pessimistic theme of the film is that fear, hate and violence are inherent in the human condition—even when innocent children are placed in seemingly idyllic isolation.

2. Seven Days in Utopia(2011):This religious drama sport film starring Robert Duvall and Lucas Black, is based on the book Golf’s Sacred Journeyby Dr.David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D.in Sport and Performance Psychology.The movie follows the story of Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black), a talented young golfer set on making the pro tour.

Song to Enjoy

The Star of My Utopia

by Brendan Perry

I feel greater than the sum of all my parts

A domestic beast with a hairy heart

Trapped within a walled suburbia

I’ve found my tastes are somewhat underground

Between the shadows and the cracks

I am building my utopia

I need to break free from all that binds

That makes me old before my time

In this world of dystopia

My love is like a bright guiding light

Shining in the darkness of the night

The star of my utopia

In the motion of the sea

In the air that we breathe

Can you feel me?

In the stars and in the trees

In the song of the bees

Can you hear me?

Caged golden memories

Time has come to show your true feelings

I know it’s the only way to be

When the same old feelings come over me

I feel greater than the sum of all my parts

A space jockey from a distant star

Marooned upon dystopia

I’ve found my tastes are somewhat underground

Between the shadows and the cracks

I am building my utopia

In the motion of the sea

In the air that we breathe

Can you feel me?

In the stars and in the trees

In the song of the bees

Can you hear me?

In our utopia

You will be queen

And I will be king

In our utopia

You will be free

To be whoever you want to be