Leisure Nagkalan Amritsar

Class +2  Subject General English  Topic {Leisure (Poem)} 

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 About The Poet :-

William Henry Davies (1871-1940)  William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Monmouth shire, Wales, the son of a publican. After an apprenticeship as a picture-frame maker and a series of laboring jobs, he travelled to America, first to New York and then to the Klondike.  He returned to England after having lost a foot jumping a train in Canada, where he led a penurious life in London lodging houses and as a pedlar in the country. He married in 1923, Emma, who was much younger than he. His first poems were published when he was 34.  Most of his poetry is on the subject of nature or life on the road and exhibits a natural simple, earthy style. He also wrote two novels and autobiographical works, his best known being Autobiography of a Super-Tramp.

There are so many poems written by W.H.Davies :Leisure (What is this life if, full of care) Money (When I had money, money, O ) Night Wanderers (They hear the bell of midnight toll) Rich or Poor (With thy true love I have more wealth) The Kingfisher (It was the Rainbow gave thee birth)

Leisure (WHAT is this life) if, full of (care), We have no time to stand and (stare)(1),  No time to stand (beneath) the (boughs),

And stare as long as sheep and cows,(2)

Word Notes- 1)

What is the life – This life is meaningless. This life is not worth living. 2) care – worries,anxities; if we have too many worries in our life. 3) Stare – look fixedly; gaze. 4) Beneath – under. 5) Boughs – Branches of

worries and do not have any time to feast our eyes on the beauties of nature…The sheeps and cows are in no hurry it means the human beings should have sufficient leisure. They should also be able to idle away some of their time. They should not be too busy…… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No time to see, when (woods) we pass, (Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass):(3) No time to see, in broad daylight, (Streams full of stars), like skies at night:(4) Word Notes: 1)

Woods – Forest. When woods we pass – when we are passing through a forest. 2) Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass – squirrels jumps about, hiding nuts in the grass. 3) Streams full of stars - Streams full of bright flowers which look as bright as stars shining in the sky at night .

sun is shining brightly, the streams with flowers growing in them look just like the sky with stars shining in it. If we have no leisure to sting and look at those beautiful streams, our life is surely worthless. Life has some meaning only if we can enjoy the beauties of nature. If we keep our eyes shut towards these beauties, we are worth than animals………. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No time (to turn at Beauty's glance), And watch her feet, how they can dance,(5)  No time to wait till her mouth can (Enrich that smile) (her eyes began),(6)  A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.(7)

To turn at Beauty's glanceit is a pity if we have no time to catch or meet the glance of beautiful women. It usually gives us great joy if our eyes meet the eyes of a beautiful women. But if we have no time to look at us, our life is really worthless. 2) Enrich that smile – extend that smile; expand that smile. 3) her eyes

Words Notes-

Meaning :- Suppose there is a beautiful women

before us. A smile may light up her eyes. Perhaps there are the faint signs of a smile in her eyes. Now this smile will surely expand till it brightens up the whole face. The full smile will beautify the women’s face still further. A beautiful women looks still more beautiful when she smiles. But suppose we have no time to wait till the faint smile develops into the full smile. How useless is our life in that case ! What is the use of our life if we are so busy that we can’t even enjoy a beautiful women’s smile? Our life is vain

enough time to stand under trees and stare like sheeps or cows. It is interesting to watch squirrels hiding their nuts in grass. The sight of streams with flowers growing in them and looking like the starry sky is beautiful. But if we have no leisure to enjoy such sights, our life is of no use. It is very pleasure to see rhythmic and graceful movements of a beautiful women’s feet and to watch a smile brightening her face. But if we have too many cares and if we are too busy in work, our life is not worth living….. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bibliography  Supplementary English Reader.  Internet Web Search 1) www.englishverse.com/poems/leisure 2) www.freepages.books.rootsweb.com/~alwyn/ Supertramp/leisure.html 3) www.poemhunter.com/william-henry-davies 4) www.all-creatures.org/poetry/leisure.html  Life (Poems of W.H. Davies).

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