Poem
-2
LEISURE (MEMORIZATION)
W.H.
Davies
What is this life if, full of care, 1
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows. 4
No time to see when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night. 8
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. 12
A poor life this is, if, full of care
We have not time to stand and stare. 14
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in a
sentence each:
1) What do squirrels hide in grass?
Ans: Nuts do
squirrels hide in grass.
2) What are we missing in broad daylight?
Ans: We are missing
streams full of stars, like skies at night in broad daylight.
3) How long do we stare?
Ans: We have no
time to stare.
4) What do Beauty’s feet do?
Ans: Beauty’s feet
usually dance.
5) What are the night skies compared to?
Ans: To streams
with sparkling water are the night skies compared.
II. Answer the following questions in
four-six sentences each:
1) How have we made our life “poor”,
according to the poet?
Ans: Many of them
have forgotten to admire the beauty of nature. Every individual is so much busy
even he doesn’t have single minute to spare for other things. The real
happiness is found in the beauty of nature, everyone has to find leisure to
enjoy and admire midst of nature. According to the poet we made our life poor
due to such busy schedule, we must think once and find free time for our real
happiness.
2) Write the substance of the poem “Leisure.”
Ans: Everyone needs
break in life. As life is full of obstacles and totally busy and everyone think
to sustain according to situation and forget about leisure. Life would be
meaningless if we do not give time to ourselves. We are having a regular
schedule and working according to it but over load and stress will break nerve
of every person. It is better to find free time or leisure to keep ourselves to
attach to this nature. Everyone has to enjoy the beauty of nature, we should
see our surrounding and learn the things and admire the beauty and find time
for ourselves. We should not only focus on our work but also on our happiness.
Leisure is much needed in such busy life and enjoy beauty of nature.
III. Appreciation:
Answer the following questions in three or four
sentences each:
1) What do you see in a garden?
Ans: We usually see
so many things in a garden such as beautiful flowers, plants, trees. Variety of
birds will be chirping all around the garden, green grass all over ground and
many more things which will fill lot of happiness in everyone’s life.
2) The poet has used the words “no time” in
each line. The title of the poem is “Leisure”. Is the title appropriate?
Comment on the title of the poem.
Ans: Yes, “Leisure”
is the appropriate title. The poet has used the words “no time” in each line,
those words represents human being’s predicament. The poet is highlight
importance of free time and he wants everyone has to spare time for to enjoy
the beauty of nature but practically many of ignore the word leisure in their
lives. Peace of mind is very important everyone’s life and it would be gain by
having leisure in their busy schedule.
3) Pick out the rhyming words from the poem
and supply another rhyming word of your own for each.
Ans: care – stare – dare
Boughs – cows – ploughs
Pass – grass – mass
Daylight – night – right
Glance – dance – prance
Can – began – ban
4) How is our life today very different from
the life visualized in the poem? What must we do to get more free time for
ourselves?
Ans: Today everyone’s life is so much complicated.
We are tensed about our work and always will be strain, drained, aggravated and
exhaust by the end of the day. We must keep away all tension and stress and
spare our time happily and think only positive and relax and enjoy our day in
the midst of nature.
5) “No time to turn at Beauty’s glance”. What
do you think “Beauty” means here?
Ans: Nature is the
most beautiful in this world but many of them don’t admire it. Here poet has
used word “Beauty” to describe nature’s beauty. As it is said beauty lies in
the eyes of beholder. Similarly everyone has to keep their eyes open and enjoy
the beauty. The beauty would be find in the flowers, trees, grass, insects,
animals , birds and flowing of water, everywhere beauty lies, only thing is to
find it.
6) How have we failed to appreciate the
beauty of nature?
Ans: Present people
only give importance to materialistic things rather than natural things. We
have already decided to spend our precious time to gain temporary happiness in
artificial things. Because of such things we have forgotten to appreciate the
true beauty that is beauty of nature.
7) There is more in life than rushing and
working. Do you agree with the statement? If yes, explain.
Ans: Yes, there is
more in life than rushing and working. I strongly agree with the statement.
Life has been ruined due strain, workload, frustration, and everyone has
forgotten about themselves. Every individual think earning too much money and
having property and bank balance is happiness but it is not true. We should
think about the happiness which lies in nature. Its better keep all rubbish
things away from mind and think to lead life with lot of happiness in arms of
beauty of nature.
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