[rmullen]

In Yeats' "The Lake Isle of Innisfree", can anyone explain why the speaker describes "nine bean rows". Why "nine"? Does the number have some special significance?
Thanks for your help...

[joypulv]

Many a writer has had a good laugh over others' interpretations of his writings. It's quite possible that Yeats just decided on a one syllable number greater than too few and less than too many, a number that went well with a small cabin and tended by only one person. And that wouldn't twist your tongue too much, like six and twelve. And didn't sound too neat and ordinary, like ten, or possibly any even number.

If it has something to do with Irish politics of the day or some old folklore, my apologies. I looked around online and didn't see anything.

[Wondergirl]

Joy is right on the money.

From a college professor's lesson plan found on english-12-03.forestpark.groupfusion.net/... /get_group_file.phtml? (a Doc file) --

"Yeats's profession of love for nature is one of his most famous and beautiful poems. It is unusual in this collection as it contains no references to the Irish nationalist movement, to Maude Gonne, or to ancient Irish mythology. Yeats first wrote the poem in London, in 1890, where he was feeling intensely homesick."

"a) Nine bean rows will I have there (The unusual front of the noun in the beginning is to emphasize what the poet has. It may be small but important to him.)
b) And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made (The ungrammatical division of the adjective clause is to impress the readers with the picture, where there is no other building except the small cabin.)"