Poem Leisure

By: William Henry

Davies

William Henry Davies

Born in Wales in
1871
A poor man
Wrote poems
based on his
experience as a
tramp.
Died in 1940

What is thislifeif, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Couplet 1

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

Couplet 2

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

Couplet 3

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like stars at night.

Couplet 4

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can
dance.

Couplet 5

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

Couplet 6

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare

Couplet 7

What is the poem about?

Reminds us to take time to
appreciate the beauty of nature & be
thankful to God for all His creations.
HOWEVER, if we are too busy with
our daily life & worry too much, WE
FORGET to watch & admire natures
beauty.
It is a sad life if we cant find time
to relax and appreciate the nature
around us.

BUSY LIFE

The meaning of the poem

Couplet 1
What is this life if,
What is the purpose of life if
full of care,
full of worry (because too busy with
work & problems)
We have no time to stand and
stare.
We do not have time to pause and
admire the nature around us.

..stand and stare

Couplet 2
No time to stand beneath the
boughs,
Busy people do not have time to
stand under the trees
And stare as long as sheep or cows
Just like sheep and cows which
graze in the fields. They just stand
and stare at their surrounding.

..stand
beneath the
boughs

..stare as long as sheep or cows

Couplet 3
No time to see, when woods we
pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts
in grass.
Busy people do not see squirrels
hide their nuts in grass when
they pass through the forests.

..woods we pass

..squirrels hide their nuts in grass

Couplet 4
No time to see, in broad
daylight,
Streams full of stars, like stars
at night.
Rivers sparkle in the sunlight. In
the day, the rivers look like stars
at night. But, busy people do not
have time to see this.

Streams full of stars

Like stars at night

Couplet 5
No time to turn at
Beautys glance,
And watch her feet, how
they can dance.
Nature is personified as
a beautiful woman who
is glancing and dancing.
When a woman glance or
dance, she will move
parts of her body. When
nature changes, it is like
a beautiful dancer. Busy
people do not have time
to admire the changes
(movement) of nature.

Couplet 6
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
Busy people do not have time to
watch the changes in nature.
When nature changes, it is like a
smile that starts from the eyes
and spreads slowly to the mouth.

When nature changes, it is like a

womans smile. The smile starts
from the eyes and spreads slowly

Couplet 7
A poor life this
if, full of care,
We have no
time to stand
and stare.
It is a sad life
if we do not
have leisure
time.

POETIC
DEVICES

1. Rhyme
The repetition of the same sound at
the end of a line in poem.

2. Imagery
The mental picture that attracts the
senses

IMAGERY

..streams

..they can
dance

.smile
her eyes..

IMAGERY

Streams full of
stars the use
of imagery
creates a picture
of stream
sparkling in the
sunlight.

IMAGERY

And watch her

feet, how they
can dance a
life-like image of
a graceful woman
dancing

IMAGERY

Enrich that
smile her
eyes began
we can image
someone
giving a bright
smile that
begins with the

3. Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds in
the first syllables of a series of words

stand and stare

beneath the boughs
when wood we
pass
Streams full of stars

LANGUAGE AND
STYLE

The poem is written in a

straightforward manner and is easy
to understand. The poem starts
with a rhetorical question and the
whole poem is the answer to that
question.

MOOD AND TONE

Generally
the mood and tone
of the poem
are serious and thoughtful.
The persona is very sincere as
he reflects on our busy lives
which prevents us from enjoying
the beauty of nature and life.

4. Rhetorical question
A question which is asked, but not
expected to get an answer.

5. Repetition
The repetition of words or lines in a
poem

1 No time

to

This phrase is repeated

seven times to show what
a busy and frantic life
man leads nowadays.

5. Repetition
The repetition of words or lines in a
poem

2 full of

care

Emphasises how our lives

are burdened with
worries

5. Repetition
The repetition of words or lines in a
poem
We have no

time to
stand and
stare

This stresses that we are

so busy that we do not
have any time for leisure

6. Metaphor
A comparison between 2 different
things without using like or as

7. Simile
A comparison between 2 different
things which uses like or as

Stare as long as sheep or

cows
people who stand underneath the
trees to stare at their surrounding
are like the sheep or cows that
stand and graze the whole day in

7. Simile
A comparison between 2 different
things which uses like or as

streams full of stars, like

stars at night

The reflection of the sunlight on the

streams are like the stars that
twinkle in the sky at night

8. Personification
Non-living things are given human
qualities.

Beautys glance , / And watch

her feet, how they can dance

Nature is personified as a
beautiful woman who can
dance and has a