It was said in 1896 about this poem that it "reaches the ear and holds it, and through it touches the heart. About the author Yeats it was said: "There is no younger poet of our time in whose future fame one may feel a stronger faith."
The poet found inspiration in Thoreau’s life, particularly his solitary experience at Walden Pond. Just imagining that isolation helped the poet escape his homesickness and transported him to a more comforting and pleasant state of mind.
