To an Isle in the Water
To an Isle in the Water - fact Summary
Inspired by Maud Gonne
This short lyric idealizes a shy, domestic woman through repeating images of firelight, dishes, candles and curtained rooms. The speaker admires her modesty and expresses a simple, recurring longing to escape with her "to an isle in the water," linking domestic care with romantic refuge. The poem is often read as Yeats projecting affectionate yearning onto a beloved figure, shaping intimate everyday detail into a sustained romantic wish.
Read Complete AnalysesShy one, shy one, Shy one of my heart, She moves in the firelight pensively apart. She carries in the dishes, And lays them in a row. To an isle in the water With her would I go. With catries in the candles, And lights the curtained room, Shy in the doorway And shy in the gloom; And shy as a rabbit, Helpful and shy. To an isle in the water With her would I fly.
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