Summary + Reference To The Context + Explanation: Leisure by William Davies

LEISURE
By William Davies
Summary + Reference To The Context + Explanation
Summary
The poem starts with a question about the life, which is full of worries and cares and has
deprived the modern man of leisure to enjoy the beauty and charms of nature. The poet
depicts that we are absorbed so much in the problems of the world that we have no time
to stand and see the beauties of this world. We are so busy in our daily routine that we
have no time to watch what nature has got to show us. It seems that cattle are better
than we are as they have the leisure to stand under the branches of trees and enjoy the
blessings of nature. Similarly we pass through jungle like a blind man who does not see
the beautiful creatures of the wood.
We have no time to stand and watch the habits of the little squirrel that is hiding the nuts
in the grass for the rainy season. We have no eyes for the beauties of nature. The
streams appear so beautiful in daylight, the rays of the sunshine like stars in the water
and remind us of a starry night. So with the help of beautiful simile, the poet compares
the shining water of the stream to a starlet night but also we have not got the time to
appreciate its beauty because we are busy in our own petty problems. Then the poet
personifies beauty as living being and regrets that in our rushed life we have no time to
appreciate the joys that “Beauty” can give us, as Keats also points out.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.
But we have no eyes to see this superb blessing of God. Beauty has feet and it dances
well. Beauty is an abstract quality but the poet personifies it and in this way makes it a
living thing that can move, dance and smile. She smiles with her eyes and that smile
slowly conquers her whole face but we cannot relish that delight, as we have no spare
time. As Thomas fuller says,
“The poor is not he who hath not much but he who craves much.”
So the poet comes to the conclusion that we are spending a dull life. Our life is full of
tension and worries. This life is not worth living in only because of our busy routine. The
so-called mechanical revolution has made man a machine also. He works like a
computer and acts like robot. Time has become very precious for him. He thinks about
time in terms of money, so he cannot waste time for himself. Our busy life has taken us
away from the beauties of nature. Wordsworth presents the same idea when he says,
“The world is too much with us
late and soon. Getting and spending, We lay waste our powers.
Little we see in nature that is ours”
The poet feels that life must be relished in a leisurely manner. The repetition of the line
“We have no time to stand and stare.” emphasizes the poet's basic idea.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem “Leisure” written by William Davies.
Context:
This poem is a protest against the unnecessary commitment of man with worldly affairs.
We are always in a hurry and have no leisure time to look at the beauty spread all
around us. Man‟s miserable life brings him nothing but sadness and worries.
Explanation: (Lines 1 – 4)
In these lines the poet bewails our rushed life. The poet says that we cannot call this life
a pure life, if it is full of worries and anxiety. We have no time to stand at a certain place
and look carefully at nature. Even we cannot spare a few moments to stand under the
branches of green trees and enjoy the beautiful and restful shades of the trees. The
common animals like sheep and cows are better than us in enjoying life. We cannot
look at the common animals like sheep and cows grazing in the pastures. We have
committed ourselves with worldly affairs unnecessarily and cannot enjoy nature and the
natural beauty spread all around us.
(Lines 5 – 6)
In these lines the poet tells us, when we pass through some forest, we do not have time
to stop for some moments to look at the trees tall and short, and enjoy their natural
beauty. The dark green trees provide a soothing effect but we are always sick-hurried
and cannot enjoy at least the simple beauty. Also we cannot look at the small animals
like squirrels concealing their food-grain in the grass for the winter. This minor scene
can also give us relief.
(Lines 7 – 8)
In these lines the poet says that human beings cannot see the beauty that is hidden in
the streams. During daytime, when the rays of the sun fall upon the clear water of the
brooks, the water reflects and shines like stars in the sky during night. Sometimes water
of streams, because of its clearness seems so beautiful that even stones beneath the
water can be observed, which look like stars in the clear blue water. This scene also
resembles the stars shining in the sky at night.
(Lines 9 – 10) & (11 – 12)
The poet says we are so hard luck that we cannot watch a girl or a woman who dances
in the field. The feet of the dancing girl are very attractive and bewitching but we cannot
spare time to look at these feet as how they dance. This dancing girl can also amuse us
with her performance. The poet also mourns that we have no time to wait for the words,
the mouth of the dancing girl has to utter. As a sort of smile has appeared in her eyes
but we cannot wait for such time as the words from her eyes are transferred to her lips.
Those words can amuse us. In fact the poet uses personification, a poetic device to
explain the natural beauty scattered all around us. The poet personifies beauty as a
young beautiful dancing girl having a smiling face.
(Lines 13 – 14)
In these concluding lines the poet regrets to say that ours is a poor life. In a way it
cannot be life if it is full of cares and worries. Unluckily, we have no time to stand at a
place and look carefully at nature that can refresh us. As such our life is nothing but
lamentation through and through. As human beings we should spare some moments
and look at nature and natural beauty spread around us and enjoy life.

Summary + Reference To The Context + Explanation: Leisure by William Davies

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Summary + Reference To The Context + Explanation: Leisure by William Davies

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LEISURE

Summary + Reference To The Context + Explanation

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.

“The world is too much with us

Little we see in nature that is ours”

(Lines 9 – 10) & (11 – 12)

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