Classic English Literature Notes

Leisure……Critical Appreciation Of The Poem

Introduction

 It is a beautiful lyrical poem. The poet has given his impressions of life in a sentimental manner. He has emphasized the importance of leisure in human life. The poet belongs to the modern age which is characterized by industrial progress and material prosperity. He is deeply conscious of the painful fact that people of his age remain busy day and night like a machine to earn money to improve their standard of living. Their minds are all the time preoccupied with worries and responsibilities of day-today life. Therefore, they have no time or attention to spare for the beautiful scenes of nature which area gift of God for the amusement of mankind such awfully busy people do not bother to get pleasure from the charming things of life. In this age of material advancement, time is considered wealth. People feel envious of those who struggle hard to raise high in life and remain busy all the time. The poet deprecates this materialistic attitude of life. He has highlighted the need of pleasure, leisure and contemplation in human life. Life is not meant for the sole aim of amassing wealth. Life must also be enjoyed with all of its charms and pleasures. If a man becomes self-centered and limited in awareness, it amounts to wasting the opportunity of life.

Summary

 The poet questions what is the benefit of life if it has nothing for man except worries and responsibilities. We are all time in such a great hurry that we do not take a notice of the things around us. We have no time to stop and stare at the charming sights and feel delighted. Would that we had enough leisure to stand under some shady tree like sheep and cows and could stare at the beautiful scenes of nature as long as we liked. There is a pleasure in feeling free and being wonder-struck, and it is also worthy of earning besides money. The poet believes that the whole world is full of pleasing sights and enchanting beauties of nature which must be relished. He regrets that the modern an does not benefit from these gifts of God. For instance, when we pass through a cluster of trees, it is pleasurable to see the squirrels hiding nuts in the grass. Similarly, it is no less delightful to see the streams presenting the scene of starry night in broad day-light. Sometimes, we are in such hurry that we cannot turn to look at a beautiful girl who glances at us lovingly.  We cannot afford time to stop there and see her feet breaking into a dance. It is impossible for us to wait till the sweet smile generated by her eyes spreads on her face and makes her more enchanting. The poet regrets that due to being too busy in the worldly affairs, we deprive ourselves of such precious treasures of joy and wonder. If man’s life is really as sordid as pointed out, then it has nothing enviable in it. Nothing can be more unfortunate for a man than to be deeply engrossed in his cares and worries of life, and to get no time to feel free and be lost in the feelings of pleasure and wonder.

Critical comments

The poet has expressed his ideas and feelings in simple but telling words. Simplicity and spontaneity are the remarkable features of his poetic style. There is a clear rhyme scheme, ending the second line with some sounding word of the first line. This artistic use of words creates a delicate music which affects the heart of the reader. Thus the poet has taken care to select words not only for their meanings but also for their sounds.