Leisure by William Henry Davies
A poem that is an antidote for the fast pace of a busy life. I have often found myself running from A to B and missing everything in between. This is not just call to slow down, but to stop.
About the Poet
William Henry Davies (1871-1940) was a Welsh poet who started out as a rounder but ended up a respected poet. Raised by grandparents after his father died and his mother remarried, William was inclined toward a life of adventure; he traveled by boat to North America repeatedly before losing a leg in attempting to jump a train. He eventually returned to England, wrote a book about his wandering years, paid and starved his way into becoming a published poet and, eventually, gained equal standing with such contemporaries as Yeats and Ezra Pound.
Comment
I first came across this poem while attending a meditation class in the 90's. The first two lines became a mantra as I flew about like a blue arse blow fly trying to meet customers expectations. One day while walking through the Wellington Botanical Gardens, I heard these two lines and stopped to stare at bed of blooming tulips. I have never seen such wonderful colour.
Leisure
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
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.
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.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
This poem is in the public domain.