by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940)
Language: English
Our translations: GER
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 stars 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.
Composition:
- Set to music by Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "Leisure", 1923, published 1923, rev. 1972 [ voice and piano ], from Three songs, no. 3
Text Authorship:
- by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940), "Leisure", appears in Songs of Joy and Others, first published 1911
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Muße", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 107