Literary Devices in The Lake Isle of Innisfree

The alliteration of the soft “L” sound in “lapping” and “low” is followed by the alliteration of the soft, sibilant “S” sound in “sounds” and “shore.” Through the alliteration in this auditory image, the speaker again expresses the peace he associates with Innisfree.

The repetition of the beginning of the first stanza places the speaker back in his present life. It also draws renewed attention to the passage, which alludes to several verses in the King James Bible, bringing an element of spirituality into the poem that is revisited in the concluding line.

Linnets are small birds of the finch family. In context, “the linnet’s” refers to the type of bird rather than a single bird. An evening’s being “full of the linnet’s wings” is an auditory image suggesting the soft sound of their wings as they move about. It may also be interpreted as a visual image.

The morning / night imagery of the previous line is further developed with descriptions of midnight, noon, and evening, suggesting Innisfree is beautiful at every hour. The alliteration or repetition of the initial “G” sound in “glimmer” and “glow” unites the words in the line, emphasizing the imagery of softness and light.

“The veils of the morning” is an indirect metaphor, a figure of speech that describes one thing by saying or implying that it is something else. In context, “veils” describes the mist or fog of early morning on the lake, while the phrase “where the cricket sings” refers to night, the time when crickets, nocturnal insects, are most frequently heard. Also “sings” has connotations of harmony in keeping with the mood of the stanza.

The repetition of “dropping” emphasizes the nature of finding peace on Innisfree as referenced in the previous line.

A “glade” is an open space in a forest or woods. “Bee-loud” brings auditory imagery into the poem, the sound of honey bees buzzing about the hive.