Leisure Poem
William Henry Davies
What is the life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass;
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance,
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940) was born in Newport, UK. At school, he discovered a liking for poetry. He became an apprentice picture framer, but he gave this up and went to try his luck in America.
There he became a traveler, riding freight cars, working in the fruit fields, and narrowly escaping with his life after an attack of malaria and an assault by armed robbers!
He wrote many enjoyable poems. 'Leisure' is probably the best remembered.
In this poem, William Henry Davies talks about the importance of being close to nature. The poem begins with some examples of what one can do to exhale the stress out of one’s body. If one only cares about the body forgetting about how beautiful and soothing nature is, it will lead that person to spiritual poverty. Moreover, the poet makes use of imagery to portray the beauty of nature. All one has to do is to “stand and stare” at the simple activities of different creatures living close to nature.
The poet highlights the importance of leisure in one’s life. Thereafter, another important theme of the poem, modernity, gets fused into the body implicitly. Here, the poet expresses how modernity keeps modern people separated from nature. Apart from that, this poem is a celebration of simplicity and simple activities that keep one’s spirit alive. Such simple activities lead one to the path to spirituality.
Q/A
1. What is the poet asking us to do?
2. What are some of the things we might not have time to see?
3. What do you think the poet means by 'streams full of stars'? Are there really stars there?
4. In what way might our lives be 'poor'?
Reference to context:
Read these lines from the poem, then answer the questions.a
1. No time to see, when woods we pass,.......
a. What might be seen in the woods?
b. What is the poet telling us to do and why?
2. No time to turn at Beauty's glance,.......
a. Why is 'Beauty' written with a capital letter?
b. What are the images of Beauty that the poet illustrates?
c. What lesson about life does the poet want us to learn?
C. Words and meaning
1. Can you find these words in the poem?
a. to look directly at somebody or something
b. in, at, or to a lower position than something else
c. forested areas
d. large main branches
e. bright bodies in space
f. to improve the quality of something
2. Can you find the silent letters in the following?
a. boughs
b. where
c. daylight
d. watch
e. knuckle
f. comb
D. Discuss and write
1. Their poem is an easy one to learn by heart. Why don't you try to learn it?
2. Look through the poems and stories you have read so far, and find all the examples of characters working and not working. Do you agree with the ideas of the poet that we should take some time to enjoy life?