It's National Poetry Day, dear reader.
In recognition of that fact, here is one of my favourites - Leisure by the Welsh poet W.H. Davies, read by the mellifluous Sir John Gielgud:
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 and 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.
William Henry Davies (3rd July 1871 – 26th September 1940)
Gielgud did, indeed, have such a voice. Not a word one hears often these days.
ReplyDeleteI love the English language. It's a shame so few English-speaking people actually use it. Jx
DeleteI was stared at by the cows today. They can outstare most humans.
ReplyDeleteSx
I can't imagine that they have many distractions passing through their minds. Jx
DeleteThank you for this. I have always loved and related to this poem but to hear it spoken so beautifully by Gielgud and then be able to follow the written word as he spoke was a joy.
ReplyDeleteI also thank you for the Wiki link to W. H. Davies. I knew nothing about him and now I do.
We knew about him from a very young age, because he was from Newport ("New-putt") - and this poem remains one of my favourites. Jx
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