"Leisure" first appeared in W. H. Davies's 1911 collection, Songs of Joy and Others. The speaker argues that a life without leisure is really no life at all. Excessive "care" (anxiety, worries, and general busyness) threatens to distract people from the beauty of the world, and the poem encourages readers to slow down and appreciate the natural wonders that exist all around them. With its steady iambic meter and use of rhyming couplets, "Leisure" has a sweet, lighthearted music that makes its message all the more memorable.
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The Full Text of “Leisure”
1What is this life if, full of care,
2We have no time to stand and stare.
3No time to stand beneath the boughs
4And stare as long as sheep and cows.
5No time to see, when woods we pass,
6Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
7No time to see, in broad daylight,
8Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
9No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
10And watch her feet, how they can dance.
11No time to wait till her mouth can
12Enrich that smile her eyes began.
13A poor life this if, full of care,
14We have no time to stand and stare.
The Full Text of “Leisure”
1What is this life if, full of care,
2We have no time to stand and stare.
3No time to stand beneath the boughs
4And stare as long as sheep and cows.
5No time to see, when woods we pass,
6Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
7No time to see, in broad daylight,
8Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
9No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
10And watch her feet, how they can dance.
11No time to wait till her mouth can
12Enrich that smile her eyes began.
13A poor life this if, full of care,
14We have no time to stand and stare.
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“Leisure” Summary
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“Leisure” Themes
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The Importance of Leisure
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The Beauty and Wisdom of Nature
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Leisure”
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Lines 1-2
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare
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Lines 3-4
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep and cows. -
Lines 5-6
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. -
Lines 7-8
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night. -
Lines 9-12
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. -
Lines 13-14
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
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“Leisure” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Anaphora
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Metaphor
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Personification
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Rhetorical Question
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“Leisure” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Care
- Broad
- Enrich
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Leisure”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Leisure” Speaker
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“Leisure” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Leisure”
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More “Leisure” Resources
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External Resources
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More of Davies's Poems — Dive into the poet's collected works.
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The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp — Learn more about the poet's early life, in his own words.
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Davies's Life and Work — Check out an in-depth study of Davies, written by biographer Richard Stonesifier.
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The Georgian Poets — Take a look at portraits of Davies and other so-called "Georgian Poets."
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