1. LEISURE BY WILLIAM DAVIES
REFERENCE: These lines have been taken from “Leisure”written by “William Davies.”
CONTEXT: In this poem, the poet condemns the life of a modern man who is too busy to enjoy the beauty around him. The poet says that the life of the modern man is worse than that of animals. He advises that the modern man should find some leisure to enjoy the beauty of nature.
EXPLANATION: Actually, this poem is a bitter criticism on time worship. The modern man has become money-oriented. He has only one thinking and that is money, money and only money. He is working like a blind horse to accumulate wealth. In the given lines, the poet is going to give us the same message that the modern man is so preoccupied in this hurly burly age that he ignores the beautiful squirrels hiding their nuts in the grass, the streams full of stars in day light as the sky is full of stars at night and the beautiful and charming smile of a girl who can impress us with her dance. All these things can refresh his mind but the modern man is unfortunate because he is too busy to enjoy the beauty of nature around him. In this way, his life is poorer and worse than that of animals. He must find some time to enjoy nature as sheep or cows. It is the only way which can refresh his tired soul and exhausted mind. Wordsworth too believes: “Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”