Leisure by William Henry Davies
What is this 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 stars 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 is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
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 stars 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 is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Meaning of stanzas:
Stanza 1:
The poet asks of how this life would mean if we have the time to take a rest and feel the beauty of life.
Stanza 2:
Working people nowadays have no time to rest and have some leisure time as they are too busy earning money for living.
Stanza 3:
We have no time to experience the fresh air and the excitement of spending time in the jungle watching how the nature of the Earth works as we are too busy working in the town.
Stanza 4:
Since nowadays people work very hard in the daylight, they turn to be tired at night. As a result, they have no time to enjoy the beauty of the night seeing that they need to sleep for their body need to rest to start working early in the morning the next day.
Stanza 5:
We have no time to care about our mothers; how they take care of us and doing the house chores in order to raise us and to make us live in a happy and comfortable environment.
Stanza 6:
We have no time to even take a look at our mothers to curve a smile again and the eyes that hide all the pain and suffer in raising us.
Stanza 7:
The poet feels that a life without appreciating the nature is seen as a lifeless life because we don’t have the time for our self to care of the beauty of nature.
Persona:
The persona could be the poet himself. In the poem, the persona thinks and wonders about life. He believes that life should be enjoyed at a slower pace. he loves outdoor and nature and he wants everybody to think about their life too.
Setting:
The poem is set in the countryside as the persona wonders why man is not taking time off or leisure to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Themes:
Lack of recreational activities in life
The poem highlights that in today's world we have forgotten to put time aside for recreational activities. The poet draws our attention to the fact that life has no meaning if we only concentrate on our work and we have "no time to sand", "no time to see", "no time to turn" and "no time to wait". We have to give meaning to our life by putting aside some time for leisure and to observe the simple things around us - like watching "squirrels hide their nuts in grass", see "streams full of stars" and see nature and people dance.
Enjoy nature
The poem draws our attention to the beauty of life around us. We have to take time to look around us and take in simple pleasures given to us by nature. For instance we have "to stand beneath the boughs" and take in the beauty of nature as it unfolds before us.
Moral Values:
Lead a balanced life
We must make sure we maintain a balance. We must ensure time is set aside for leisure so that we become more balanced and harmonious individuals.
Appreciate nature
We must ensure we put aside sufficient time to enjoy what God has given us - the beauty of nature around us. Life has no meaning if we do not enjoy and appreciate the beauty around us.
Stanza 1:
The poet asks of how this life would mean if we have the time to take a rest and feel the beauty of life.
Stanza 2:
Working people nowadays have no time to rest and have some leisure time as they are too busy earning money for living.
Stanza 3:
We have no time to experience the fresh air and the excitement of spending time in the jungle watching how the nature of the Earth works as we are too busy working in the town.
Stanza 4:
Since nowadays people work very hard in the daylight, they turn to be tired at night. As a result, they have no time to enjoy the beauty of the night seeing that they need to sleep for their body need to rest to start working early in the morning the next day.
Stanza 5:
We have no time to care about our mothers; how they take care of us and doing the house chores in order to raise us and to make us live in a happy and comfortable environment.
Stanza 6:
We have no time to even take a look at our mothers to curve a smile again and the eyes that hide all the pain and suffer in raising us.
Stanza 7:
The poet feels that a life without appreciating the nature is seen as a lifeless life because we don’t have the time for our self to care of the beauty of nature.
Persona:
The persona could be the poet himself. In the poem, the persona thinks and wonders about life. He believes that life should be enjoyed at a slower pace. he loves outdoor and nature and he wants everybody to think about their life too.
Setting:
The poem is set in the countryside as the persona wonders why man is not taking time off or leisure to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Themes:
Lack of recreational activities in life
The poem highlights that in today's world we have forgotten to put time aside for recreational activities. The poet draws our attention to the fact that life has no meaning if we only concentrate on our work and we have "no time to sand", "no time to see", "no time to turn" and "no time to wait". We have to give meaning to our life by putting aside some time for leisure and to observe the simple things around us - like watching "squirrels hide their nuts in grass", see "streams full of stars" and see nature and people dance.
Enjoy nature
The poem draws our attention to the beauty of life around us. We have to take time to look around us and take in simple pleasures given to us by nature. For instance we have "to stand beneath the boughs" and take in the beauty of nature as it unfolds before us.
Moral Values:
Lead a balanced life
We must make sure we maintain a balance. We must ensure time is set aside for leisure so that we become more balanced and harmonious individuals.
Appreciate nature
We must ensure we put aside sufficient time to enjoy what God has given us - the beauty of nature around us. Life has no meaning if we do not enjoy and appreciate the beauty around us.