Leisure summary

Leisure 

 - William Davies

 William Davies an American poet and singer by the means of his poem explains the biggest problem of today’s life. Each and every individual is so occupied and busy with their day to day work, to achieve the larger objectives in life that they forget to notice the smaller things in life and the happiness they can derive out of these smaller things.

The beauty of nature for example is essential to be noticed. But today nobody has the time to stop for a minute also and observe the extraordinary pleasure in ordinary things such as standing under the trees and witnessing its beauty just like the cows and sheep do. When we get up in the morning, we fail to notice that a new beautiful day is waiting for us. All we are interested in is conducting our daily jobs and work.

Human beings in fact today are similar to a machine. They get up at a fixed alarm time, reach their schools, colleges and offices on time, have their lunch, breakfast and dinner on time and today people also have separate time allotted only for their family. Can you call such an individual a human? No you cannot. That individual is obviously a machine programmed to carry out work on the allotted time

Davies strongly believes that life must be lived in a casual and leisurely manner. It is extremely essential to enjoy our free time and the little breaks we get from our work to enjoy the beauty of nature. It is essential to understand the love nature has bestowed upon us. If we are passing through the woods or trees we must notice the squirrels who are trying to hide their nuts.

We should also notice the shimmering and glittering light that is reflected in the streams at night. We should take time to notice the beautiful glance of a maiden and admire her dancing skills and the smile of her lips. If we admire the minute details and beauty of nature, we can fill our lives with joy and happiness. As a result, we will also get rid of the emptiness that has essentially become a part of our lives as a result of our fast lives.

The poet is very disheartened by the fact that today human beings are deprived of the common pleasures which are accessible to all. As a matter of fact, God has bestowed all of us with the blessing of enjoying the serene beauty of nature. We run for the whole of our lives to gain material pleasure but we should remember that we need to stop for a few moments every now and then to enjoy these material pleasures we have earned for ourselves.

Lines 1 – 2:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

In these lines, the poet poses a rhetorical question to his readers. That is, the poet asks a question to which he does not expect anyone to reply since the answer to it is very obvious. He asks whether life has any value if man cannot find the time to take a break from his hectic schedule and stare at nature.

Lines 3 – 4:

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

In these lines, the poet starts to enumerate the aspects of nature that should capture man’s gaze while he’s taking a break from the humdrum routine he follows every single day. The poet says that man should stand beneath the shade of trees and stare at his surroundings in the same manner and for the same amount of time that farm animals like the sheep or the cow stare at theirs. In saying so, he implies that man generally has no regard for his surroundings, and does not notice it on a day to day basis.

Lines 5 – 6:

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

In these lines, the poet shows how different man is from the other creatures that god has put on the face of the earth. He says that man has no time to locate the various places in the grassy lands where squirrels hide the nuts that they like to eat at intervals while man is walking by the forests inhabited by these squirrels.

Lines 7 – 8:

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

In these lines, the poet mentions some other things that man does not have the time to indulge in. In the process of doing so, the poet remarks on how the night and the day are equally beautiful in this world. He says that the way the sunlight shines on the surface of the waves of water is similar to the way in which the stars light up the sky in the night time. However, man does not have the time to observe, either of these times.

Lines 9 – 10:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

In these lines, the poet imagines the figure of a woman and sees her as the Beauty. However, even when this woman glances at man for a split second, man does not have the time to return the gaze. Therefore, he misses out on the opportunity to watch the woman’s feet move gracefully as she dances.

Lines 11 – 12:

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

In these lines, the poet continues to describe all the things that the woman mentioned in the previous couplet does that man does not have the leisure to look at. He says that man can at the most catch a hint of a smile as it begins to appear at the corners of her mouth. However, one is reminded at this time of a popular saying that the sincere smile is one that spreads upwards from the mouth and reaches the eyes in order to light them up. Even this momentary process is too long for man to have the patience to watch in full. Hence, he does not stop to see the smile on the woman’s lips reaching her eyes and thereby enhancing the intensity of it.

Lines 13 – 14:

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

In these lines, the pet echoes the opening couplet of the poem. He says that life is rather diminished in its quality if man cannot afford to devote some of his valuable time in simply standing still and staring at the wondrous sights of nature