Poem – LeisureBy: William Henry Davies

William Henry Davies• Born in Wales in 1871• A poor man• Wrote poems based on

his experience as a tramp.

• Died in 1940

What is this life if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughsAnd 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 canEnrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare

Couplet 1

Couplet 2

Couplet 3

Couplet 4

Couplet 5

Couplet 6

Couplet 7

What is the poem about?

• Reminds us to take time to appreciate the beauty of nature & be thankful to God for all His creations.

• HOWEVER, if we are too busy with our daily life & worry too much, WE FORGET to watch & admire nature’s beauty.

• It is a sad life if we can’t find time to relax and appreciate the nature around us.

BUSY LIFE

The meaning of the poem

Couplet 1

What is this life if, What is the purpose of life iffull of care,full of worry (because too busy with work & problems)We have no time to stand and stare.We do not have time to pause and admire the nature around us.

..stand and stare

Couplet 2

No time to stand beneath the boughs, Busy people do not have time to stand under the treesAnd stare as long as sheep or cowsJust like sheep and cows which graze in the fields. They just stand and stare at their surrounding.

..stand beneath the boughs

..stare as long as sheep or cows

Couplet 3

No time to see, when woods we pass,Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.Busy people do not see squirrels hide their nuts in grass when they pass through the forests.

..woods we pass

..squirrels hide their nuts in grass

Couplet 4

No time to see, in broad daylight,Streams full of stars, like stars at night.Rivers sparkle in the sunlight. In the day, the rivers look like stars at night. But, busy people do not have time to see this.

Streams full of stars Like stars at night

Couplet 5No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,And watch her feet, how they can dance.Nature is personified as a beautiful woman who is glancing and dancing. When a woman glance or dance, she will move parts of her body. When nature changes, it is like a beautiful dancer. Busy people do not have time to admire the changes (movement) of nature.

Couplet 6

No time to wait till her mouth canEnrich that smile her eyes began.Busy people do not have time to watch the changes in nature. When nature changes, it is like a smile that starts from the eyes and spreads slowly to the mouth.

When nature changes, it is like a woman’s smile. The smile starts from the eyes and spreads slowly to the mouth.

Couplet 7

A poor life this if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.It is a sad life if we do not have leisure time.

POETIC DEVICES

1. Rhyme

• The repetition of the same sound at the end of a line in poem.

2. Imagery• The mental picture that attracts the senses

IMAGERY

..streams… ..they can dance ….smile her eyes..

IMAGERY

Streams full of stars – the use of imagery creates a picture of stream sparkling in the sunlight.

IMAGERY

And watch her feet, how they can dance – a life-like image of a graceful woman dancing

IMAGERY

Enrich that smile her eyes began – we can image someone giving a bright smile that begins with the eyes and progress to the mouth.

3. Alliteration

• The repetition of consonant sounds in the first syllables of a series of words

stand and stare

beneath the boughs

when wood we pass

Streams full of stars

The poem is written in a straightforward manner and is easy to understand. The poem starts with a rhetorical question and the whole poem is the answer to that question.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

MOOD AND TONEGenerally

the mood and tone of the poem

are serious and thoughtful.

The persona is very sincere as he reflects on our busy lives which prevents us from

enjoying the beauty of nature and life.

4. Rhetorical question

• A question which is asked, but not expected to get an answer.

5. Repetition

• The repetition of words or lines in a poem

No time to

This phrase is repeated seven times to show what a busy and frantic life man leads nowadays.

1

5. Repetition

• The repetition of words or lines in a poem

full of care

Emphasises how our lives are burdened with worries

2

5. Repetition

• The repetition of words or lines in a poem

We have no time to stand and stare

This stresses that we are so busy that we do not have any time for leisure

3

6. Metaphor

• A comparison between 2 different things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’

7. Simile

• A comparison between 2 different things which uses ‘like’ or ‘as’

people who stand underneath the trees to stare at their surrounding are like the sheep or cows that

stand and graze the whole day in the fields

‘Stare as long as sheep or cows’

7. Simile

• A comparison between 2 different things which uses ‘like’ or ‘as’

The reflection of the sunlight on the streams are like the stars that twinkle in the sky at night

‘streams full of stars, like stars at night’

8. Personification

• Non-living things are given human qualities.

‘Beauty’s glance , / And watch her feet, how they can dance’

Nature is personified as a beautiful woman who can dance and has a mesmerising smile

Can you get the personification?

Let’s watch this video