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Leisure………Explanation of Important Stanzas

 

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 or cows.

Reference to the context

This stanza has been taken from the poem, Leisure, written by William Davies. In this poem, the poet has condemned the materialistic attitude of man which keeps him busy all the time physically as well as mentally. He never feels free and gets no time to enjoy the beautiful scene of nature. Man’s life becomes really miserable if he aims at earning money alone without caring for enjoyment or pleasure.

Explanation

 In these lines the poet has expressed his dissatisfaction with human life as it is in the modern age. Due to love of wealth, people get more cares and responsibilities of life than it are necessary. They remain hurried and worried all the time. They get no time to feel free and look at the attractive things around them. Therefore, there is no use of human life if it has nothing to give us but care and worries. The poet thinks that life should be enjoyed in serene and peaceful mood. He feels envious of the sheep and the cows that keep standing under shady trees and continue enjoying the beauties of nature. Man should also have free time at his disposal to feed his sense of wonder and pleasure by staring at the charming sights.

 

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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.

Reference to the context

In this thought-provoking poem, the poet deplores the sad facts of life of the modern man that he has got no time to stand for a while and enjoy the beauty of nature which is present everywhere all around him. The poem deals with the beauty of Nature that is spread all around us. The modern man is so busy in his material pursuits that he is unable to enjoy the dance of the beauty incarnate that is present there all the time in his neighborhood, so he may  be having collected a lot of material wealth, yet he is mentally and spiritually very poor.

Explanation

In these lines, the poet points out another beautiful scene of nature that can be a source of pleasure for man in his daily life. Modern man is in such great hurry to reach his destination that he ignores every charming sight around him. A beautiful girl may be looking at him with loving but he has no time to pay attention to her and respond to her glance of love. He cannot stop to see how her feet break into dance under the inspiration of love. Nor can he wait till the sweet smile started by her eyes spreads over her face and makes her more beautiful and attractive.

 

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