In his poem “Lake Isle of Innisfree,” W.B. Yeats writes “a small cabin build there, of clay / and wattles made: / Nine bean-rows will I have there” (lines 2-3). When I read this poem again for class, I couldn’t help thinking of the similarities between these lines and Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, where Thoreau builds a small cabin in the Concord woods. Like Yeats’ “bean-rows,” Thoreau details his attempts to grow and harvest beans in “Bean-fields.” I was curious to the connection between Yeats’ poem and Thoreau’s Walden.

When I explored the Yeats exhibit at the National Library, I found Yeats’ copy of Walden in a display case. Although I was annoyed that the exhibit spelled Thoreau’s name “Henri,” I will thrilled to see this copy not only because it relates to my academic interests, but it also enlightened me of the place connection between the two writers. It was a serendipitous moment for me to stumble upon a piece of Thoreau in a Yeats exhibit in Dublin (especially considering some of his negative depictions of Irish immigrants).

Both Thoreau and Yeats portray an idealized place-a secluded house surrounded by nature and simplicity. Where Yeats’ place exists in his “heart’s core,” Thoreau experienced this place first hand. However, it is interesting that both works have similar images of a place. How do two different writers share a place or the idea of a place? We have discussed this notion of shared places in class, but I’m also interested in the shared places of Yeats and Thoreau. It seems like Yeats’ image of the cabin and beans directly references Thoreau’s Walden and his project to “live deliberately;” but why? I’m looking forward to further exploring Yeats, Thoreau, and their shared place.