BSc BA ADP English Notes Poem Leisure (William Henry Davies) Important Questions

To view other ADP & BA English Poem notes. Please Click Here.

To view Complete ADP & BA English Notes. Please Click Here.

Question No 1. "William Davies laments the hurried manner in which we spend our lives depriving ourselves of savouring the richness and diversity that life offers" - Discuss with reference to his poem "Leisure".

Ans. William Davies laments in his poem "Leisure" about the hurried manner in which we spend our lives depriving ourselves savouring the richness and diversity that life has to offer. He is sorry for the modern man who is so much absorbed in his material pursuits that he hardly finds any time to see the colors and hear the sounds of life. Nature and manifestations of nature are lying bare and open for us everywhere but we have closed our eyes for these. These are trees and plants. There are squirrels in the woods. There are brightly shinning waves in the stream. There are twinkling stars in the sky. Beauty "itself" is present. It is looking at us with its sweet glance. Its eyes are smiling and its lips are also going to smile. Its feet are going to dance. But we are so strange persons that we do not have any leisure or spare time to see the "beauty incarnate" and enjoy seeing it!

We are passing a very poor life because we may have collected a lot wealth, still we lack the appreciation of beauty that lies bare for us everywhere in the world. We are always busy in getting and spending money and do not look at (and enjoy) nature which is "ours" as Wordsworth has put it in one of sonnets. According to Davies, life is nothing but a constant care and worry if we are unable to find leisure for standing and staring at nature and its manifestations like simpleton. Life must be enjoyed and relished and appreciated in a leisurely manner.

Question No 2. Bring out the hidden qualities of the poem "Leisure" by, William Davies. Or Critical Appreciation of the Poem.

Ans. The poem "Leisure" is a thought provoking poem. It deals with the beauty of nature that is spread all around us. The poet deplores the sad fact of the 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. He is so busy in his material pursuits that he is unable to enjoy the smile and dance of 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.

The theme of the poem is very serious and is has been expressed in a very sentimental and straightforward manner. The poet is very sincere in his appeal and the appeal at once influences our inner-self. The imagery of the nature in general has been used to make the theme more clear to us. The grass, the forest, the squirrel, the nuts, the stream, the daylight, the stars, the sky - the beauty incarnate - supply a rich imagery to the poem "Beauty" has been personified and different details have been sweetly and influentially added to the metaphor. Feet, lips, smile, dance - all make the beauty fully embodied.

It is short lyric that gives expression to the personal and serious but tender ideas of the poet. The meter of poem is fully suited to the ideas. Both have a natural flow. The poem has been written in iambic tetrameter. Each line consists of eight syllabus, i.e., four feet and most of the lines are end-stopped, without enjambment. Every odd and even lines are rhymed (like a heroic couplet). Most of the words used in the poem are monosyllabic, such as each word of the first and the last couplet:

What is this life of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

and A poor life this, if full of acre,

We have no time to stand and stare.

The basic vocabulary of the poem is simple and most of the words have taken from the common world of nature that surrounds us at all times of our life. The poem may be compared to a sonnet or William Wordsworth entitled "The World is Too Much With Us."

Question No 3. What are some of the simple delights we miss in our rushed life?

Ans. There are many simple delights that we miss in our rushed modern life. We do not enjoy the colorful birds, fish, cows, sheep, goats, buffaloes and other animals. We do not enjoy seeing beautiful butterflies. We miss the sweet green tress. We miss the sun, the stars, the moon. We miss the sweet songs of the bird. We miss the blue sky and the green forest. We miss so much in our life which we may enjoy if we keep our eyes open and get spare time for that. There is the universe with all its beauties. There are the changing seasons. There are the colors and smells of the flowers. There are the tastes and colors of the fruit. There is the whole animal and plant world. There are so many things that we miss!

Question No 4. What are some of the things you miss because of lack of time?

Ans. As I am student and have no responsibility at my shoulders, so I do not miss much because of lack to time. On the other hand, I enjoy every sweetness of nature. I drink water and relish every draught. I eat dinner and relish morsel. I eat fruit and enjoy the separate taste of every fruit. I enjoy the sweet smell and color of every flower. I enjoy even the color and sharp design of every blade of grass made by Allah, the Almighty. I enjoy the sweet innocent face of every baby that makes me remember the Great Power of Creativity of Allah, the Kind and Merciful! I enjoy the chirping of birds. I enjoy the mewing of cats.

Still I miss the rural scene as I live in a city. I miss the green rice fields and yellow ripe wheat and mustard fields. I miss the hills and streams. I miss all those natural beauties that are not available in a big city. Sometimes I miss these things because of lack of time. I miss these because I live in a city!

Question No 5. The poet has used a personification: Can you point it out?

Ans. Yes, I can point it out. The poet has personified "beauty" and has talked about its glance, dance, feet, mouth, eyes and smile.

Question No 6. How would you define a personification?

Ans. Personification is "the impersonation or embodiment of some quality or abstraction: the attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects".