William Henry Davies
William Henry Davies
Synopsis
The poem Leisure by William Henry Davies is about life. Life can be _____________
sometimes. However, we must make __________ to enjoy life. Slowing down to __________
nature is a way to live life __________. Leisure, or free time, is time spent away
from business, work, and domestic __________. It is also the periods of time before or after
necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and education.
Couplet 1:
stand worry lack questioning watch
The poet, W. H. Davies, begins by __________ the purpose of a life which is so full of
__________ that it does not allow us any time to simply __________ still and
__________ the world go by.
In the next few couplets, he describes the various things that people are not able to do due
to __________ of leisure.
Couplet 2:
busy branches staring distance fields
Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open __________and staring into
a __________. People living a __________life would not possess the leisure to stand
under the __________of trees and keep __________into space.
Couplet 3:
notice natural grass forest hurry
W. H. Davies further adds that when such people pass a __________or a woodland, they
would be in too much of a __________to notice the nooks and crannies in the __________where
squirrels conceal their nuts. They would not possess the leisure to __________the various
aspects of the __________world around them.
Couplet 4:
missed sunshine anxiety stars sparkling
Couplets 5 and 6:
nature rush fascinated admire turn
The poet states that the __________of life provides people with no leisure to
__________at the glance and __________the beauty of __________. They are unable to
leisurely be __________by the wonders she can offer every day.
Couplet 7:
miserable poor bogged down relax worry
In the final couplet states that a life which is so __________ by __________that it allows
one no time for leisure is indeed a __________life. It means that we have a
__________life if we have no time to __________physically or mentally.
Summary
Life should not be about working so much that we have no time Eg: work
work routine and mundane schedule that we do not know how to break 2._____________
7.______________
going on. We are not alert of our surroundings. We focus so much on
8.______________
the things that bring us trouble and not enough time on what makes us
happy. Life becomes meaningless if we do not learn to set aside time 9.______________
10._____________
for ourselves and our families.
Setting
Set in the countryside
Persona wonders why man is so busy that he lets life to pass him by and does not
make any attempt to appreciate nature.
Imagery
Stream full of stars gives the picture of a stream shimmering under the sun.
Beauty has feet, how they can dance and enrich that smile gives the picture of a
beautiful, graceful woman.
Simile
And stare as long as sheep or cows
Like stars at night
Themes
We should take time off from our daily work to enjoy nature.
Nature has many beautiful things that we can appreciate if we take the trouble and
time.
Learn to relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of life.
Learn to observe the little and beautiful things around us.
Enrich and expand our minds with the beauty of nature.
Moral values
We need to take advantage of our free time to live a better lifestyle.
We should use leisure creatively to strengthen our minds and hearts.
We should take note of the beautiful things around us.
Enrich and expand our minds with the beauty of nature.
Practice 1
1.Who is the persona in the poem?
2. What does he think of life today as is mentioned in the first stanza?
Practice 2
1. Explain the phrase stand and stare.
2. Why is the phrase stand and stare repeated in the first and last stanza?
Practice 3
1. In the second stanza, what do we fail to do?
2. Explain the imagery of streams full of stars.
Practice 4
1. What do we fail to see when we pass the woods?
2. Why do you think the persona mentions sheep or cows?
Practice 5
1. How is Beauty personified?
2. Why do you think the persona describes life today as poor?
Practice 6
1. List three examples of nature dancing
2. List three examples of nature smiling