William Henry Davies (1871-1940) was a poet who in his time was ranked alongside W B Yeats and Ezra Pound. His mentor Edward Thomas even compared him with Wordsworth. Davies lived a life as a supertramp, losing a leg when trying to jump on a train in the US. But he returned to Wales and was celebrated there with honorary degrees. It seems to me, however, that his star has fallen far. Indeed, I think that he may be remembered for this one poem, even for the first two lines of the poem. Those lines “What is this life if, full of care,/We have no time to stand and stare” stuck in my mind the first time I heard them and have been there ever since. As my life has proceeded there has been ever less time to “stand and stare,” which is partly a function of me and more a function of the times. We are now bombarded with images and messages from multiple sources. Those first two lines capture something, but the rest of the simple poem is not strong.

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.