Leisure Poem Summary|Questions|Theme|PDF Notes|Text

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• Leisure poem questions and answers
• Leisure poem theme
• Leisure poem summary in Urdu
• Leisure poem figures of speech
• Leisure poem in English
• Leisure poem pdf
• Leisure poem critical appreciation
• Leisure poem explanation line by line
• Leisure poem meaning
• Leisure poem text
• Leisure poem words
• Leisure poem activities
• Leisure poem poetic devices

1. LEISURE by William Henry Davies

Leisure Poem Text | Leisure Poem Words | Content

WHAT is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and 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 skies 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 can

Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare

Leisure Poem Text | Leisure Poem Words | Content

Leisure Poem Explanation Line by Line | Leisure Poem Explanation With Quotes

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Lines 1-2

In these lines, the poet says that our life has become full of worries and cares in the contemporary age. And the situation has become poorer by the fact that we have no spare time in our daily schedule to stand for a while and see all around us the stretched loveliness of scenery. 

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

Lines 3-4

In these lines, the poet says that modern man has no time to sit under the green shady trees. He does not look at the branches covered with blooming flowers as much as sheep or cows look at them. In this regard, man is below than animals.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

Lines 5-6

In these lines, the poet says that man is unable to watch the innocent game of innocent squirrels as they hide their nuts in the grass and go far away to forget them (nuts) and then search for it with full seriousness. Man always remains in a hurry even in the woods during his trip. As Helen Keller says “the seeing see little”. 

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

Lines 7-8

In these lines, the poet says that in the daylight, man has no time to look into the streams that shine glow with this sunshine. The streams look full of stars like a star-faced sky at night. 

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

Lines 9-10 

In these lines, the poet has personified beauty. The metaphor of “beauty” means a handsome beautiful girl. We are too busy to respond to a beautiful girl when she makes focus on us. Our vision is too much momentary that we cannot enjoy her art of dancing especially her teet’s steps.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile, her eyes began.

Lines 11-12

In these lines, the poet says that we are too much busy to wait for a moment till a smile descends upon a teenager’s lips, the smile which was started from her eyes. (Smile starts from eyes first then reaches to lips and this process takes a moment. Alas! We have not this moment.) 

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Lines 13-14

In these lines poet as that man’s life is full of worries and troubles. He has no time to see the grace of the universe. Therefore, he is leading a pitiable poor life.

Comments:

The theme of the poem is very serious and it has been expressed in a very sentimental straightforward manner as Helen Keller says “the seeing see little”.

Leisure Poem Reference to the Context with Explanation

Reference: 

These lines have been taken from the poem “Leisure” written by “William Davies”. 

Context:

Today, man is leading a busy life. He has no time to sit under the shady trees, to see the dancing feet, to see the starry streams, and to see the smiling lips. His worries de not allow him to enjoy the beauties of nature around him. He is passing his life under the tension of material pursuits. 

Explanation:  

Note: The lines in brackets could be added to the beginning of the explanation of every stanza.

(This is a reaction to the mechanical schedule of life. Hurry and worry are the two diseases of modern life. The result is that we have been deprived of many joys of life. Life offers us much richness and variety but we do not have the leisure to accept these gifts.) 

Leisure Poem Summary, Theme & Critical Appreciation

1. Critically evaluate the poem ‘Leisure?
2. William Davies in his poem “Leisure” emphatically points out that in this rush of life we do not have time to appreciate the beauty of life and nature. Discuss.
3. What is the tragedy of man in modern life?
4. Why cannot we enjoy the beauty of natural sights?
5. Why has man become indifferent to nature? Note.

Multi-Answer For All The Above Questions

Note: You can write this answer for any question related to the poem Leisure!

“Davies” poems often focus on the natural world. “Leisure is also a thought-provoking poem. Today man is leading a busy life. He is devoid of human feelings. He is utterly bound to follow the close-fisted ideas. He has lost the literary idealistic aptitude. He has no time to sit under the Shady tries, to see the dancing feet, to see the Starry streams, and to see the smiling lips. His worries do not allow him to enjoy the beauties of nature around him. He is passing his life under the tension of material pursuits. Thus, he can’t identify the Originator and His creativity nor can appreciate it. As a result, this life of man is a big trouble for him. 

The theme of the poem is very serious and it has been expressed in a very sentimental and straightforward manner as Helen Keller says “the seeing see little”. Man may be having collected a lot of material wealth, yet he is mentally and spiritually very poor. So This poem is a lamentation on the mechanical schedule of life. The suggestion is that life must be enjoyed in a leisurely way,

 “We are closer to the ants than to the butterflies. 

Very few people can endure much leisure.”

“Brenan”

Leisure Poem Explanation With Quotes

Leisure Poem Important Questions and Answers

These are some other questions that may be important according the examination.

Don’t worry because you can easily solve them by preparing only Multi-Answer that you already have learned as in this post Leisure Poem Summary|Questions|Theme|PDF Notes|Text.

However, you have to add some more lines in multi-answer. Because it will make your answer more accurate to the asked question. And you can get good marks easily.

What are some of the simple delights we miss because of our busy life? Elaborate

 1st Para of Multi Answer

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We miss many simple delights in this mechanical age. There are many beautiful plants and trees around us but we have no time to stand among them. We miss the playful activities of small animals like squirrels. We cannot see shining streams which shine in the daylight as beautifully as the sky at night. We miss dance parties, musical shows, comedy programs, and even our favorite ones. We have forgotten, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”

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 2nd Para of Multi Answer

What are some of the things you miss because of lack of time?

 1st Para of Multi Answer

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We also miss many things in our life as the peeping of birds, the dance of boughs, the shade of trees, perfume and smiles of flowers, starry nights, dancing waves of the streams with their cool blue water, buds of roses, beaches of sea, the great height of mountains, tomfooleries of animals and so many things.

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 2nd Para of Multi Answer

What is personification? The poet has used a personification. Can you point it out?

 1st Para of Multi Answer

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Personification is a poetic device came in which human qualities are given to a thing or an idea. For example in “Fog” by Carl Sandburg, fog is presented as a person. In the poem, Leisure, ‘Beauty’ has been personified. Here ‘Beauty’ stands for two things; 1. Nature and 2. Charming Woman who can enchant the heart of young men.

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 2nd Para of Multi Answer

Why did W.H. Davies use the imagery in Leisure?

 1st Para of Multi Answer

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 The imagery of nature general has been used to make the theme more clear to us. The grass, the squirrels, the nuts, the stream, the daylight, the stars, the sky, and the beauty supply rich imagery to the poem. 

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 2nd Para of Multi Answer

Watch This Video lecture to understand easily and nicely!

Leisure Poem Summary in Urdu

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