Leisure Poem Summary Analysis Questions Answers

Introduction:

The poem, “Leisure” written by W. H. Davies is about the importance of leisure in life and the glorification of enjoying nature and life's basic pleasures. The poem gives a valuable suggestion to the readers to take their time and savour the beauty of nature all around. The poem points out that being so much busy with our hectic lives, we often fail to appreciate the beauty of nature. The poem implores the reader to pause and live with the beauty of nature as well as to savour the peaceful times. In the end, the poem “Leisure” serves the message that life is short and such life is marked as “poor” which is not relished by the beauty of nature.

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Summary of the poem Leisure line by line:

1 “What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.”

Explanation: The poet clearly opines through the lines that the life is valueless if we have no time to stop and observe the beauty of nature. The opening lines of the poem Leisure is a rhetorical interrogation that emphasizes life’s activities and concerns. The poet raises the question about the worth of life, which is constantly dominated by business and worries. At the same time, through these lines, the poet advocates the need to take a pause and cherish the nature’s beauty.

2 “No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows”.

Explanation: Here the poet makes a sharp contrast between the fast-paced human life and the leisurely approach of animals. What the poet actually wants to convey is that there is not enough time to linger beneath the branches of the trees and watch sheep and cows. By referring “sheep and cows”, the poet conjures up the images of slowness of the animals that leisurely graze and take in their surroundings.

3 “No time to see, when words we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.”

Explanation: In the above lines, the poet brings out hurriedness of human life when we pass through the woodland and have even no time to see the squirrels burying the nuts in the grass. The example of squirrels burying the nuts in the grass in woodland highlights how little time we have to appreciate the natural beauty. The poet emphasizes that these are the wonders of nature which are often missed out by the worldly business.

4 “No time to see, broad daylight.

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.”

Explanation: The poet here is showing regret not having enough time to take in the beautiful vistas that are frequently missed out by the passers-by. The image of “streams full of stars” alludes to the way sunlight glimmers off on water as the stars does in tge night sky.

5 “No time to turn at Beauty’s glance.

And watch her feet, how they can dance.”

Explanation: The poet here implies the scarcity of time of human beings in the modern era where there is not enough time to turn around when Beauty looks at you and observe her dancing feet. Here the word “Beauty “ signifies the nature’s bounty and the metaphor “Beauty’s glance” highlights the fleeting nature of these beautiful experiences that are frequently missed out.

6 “No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.”

Explanation: The poet here continues to site examples one after another to show how the experiencing of nature’s beauty is missed out. The phrase “Enrich that smile” implies that taking time to appreciate a moment can lead to deeper and more meaningful experiences.

7 “A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.”

Explanation: The poet here marks the life as poor or unfortunate as it is spent in business deprived of the experiences of nature’s beauty. The poem concludes with the repeated assertion to establish its main idea that a life spent only in business is a poor life. At the same time, the concluding lines of the poem, “Leisure” encourages the readers to pause for few moments of their life in order to appreciate the nature’s beauty and bounty.

Analysis of the poem Leisure:

The poem, “Leisure” by W. H. Davies explores the theme of serenity and peacefulness of nature’s beauty which is often missed out by fast-paced human life. We often forget to pause to appreciate the beauty of natural world. It is introspective and thought-provoking. The poem is a wake up call to those who may neglect to savour the nature’s beauty and this turn their lives into a “poor” one.

The tone of lamentations of the poet is clearly visible in the poem. The poet laments over the life which is deprived of the simplicity and serenity of nature’s beauty due to the hectic schedules.

W. H. Davies sharply makes a contrast between the hectic life of modern era and the natural element. The contrast is made vivid with the references of “sheep and cows”, “squirrel” which have peaceful rhythm of life and activity and flourish in tranquil seclusion, free from the limitations of human life.

Thus, the poem stresses the need of a healthy balance of work and leisure. The poet strongly advocates the importance of leisure that can be spent in close contact with nature. Then life will be more meaningful, more fuller, and more satisfying.

The poem brings a message to take inspiration from nature’s leisurely peace and savour the beauty and bounty of nature. This message is timeless and encourages the reader to find time for leisure in the midst of life’s business in order to discover peace and serenity of life.

Leisure Poem Questions Answers:

1 What does the word "Leisure" mean?

Ans: The word "Leisure" means the use of free time for enjoyment. Here in the poem, "Leisure" the word leisure indicates the time to savour the beauty of nature.

2 Who are "we" in the poem "Leisure"?

Ans: The word "we" in the poem refers to the people who have no time to enjoy the beauty of nature.

3 Why does the poet call our life "poor"?

Ans: The poet marks the life as "poor" because we are so busy that we have no time to stare and enjoy the beauty of nature. Such life is poor, which is full of worries and cares.

4 How can we live a better life?

Ans: We can live better life by using our leisure time creatively to strengthen our mental ability and admiring the beautiful things in nature.

5 "And watch her feet, how they can dance" - Who is referred to as 'her'?

Ans: Beauty is referred to as 'her' in the poem. Here the poet personified the nature whose beauty can provide an aesthetic pleasure like the art form of dance.

6 What does the poet lament for?

Ans: The poet in the poem, "Leisure" laments that we do not spare any leisure time to watch Beauty’s dance and watch her smile.

7 What are the animals mentioned in the poem?

Ans: The animals like - sheep, cows and squirrels are mentioned in the poem.

8 How do the streams look in broad daylight?

Ans: The streams glimmer in broad daylight resembling the night skies with full of stars.

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