Couplet 1

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare

Meaning of words
Full of care – Full of anxieties/ worries/ tension
Stare – to look at something for a long time

Paraphrasing
In these lines the poet bewails our rushed life. The poet says that we cannot call this life a
pure life, if it is full of worries and anxiety. We have no time to stand at a certain place and
look carefully at nature and admire it.

Figurative Language
Alliteration – stand and stare

Couplet 2
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

Meaning of words
Beneath – Under
Boughs – branches of a tree

Paraphrasing
Even we cannot spare a few moments to stand under the branches of green trees and enjoy
the beautiful and restful shades of the trees. The common animals like sheep and cows are
better than us in enjoying life. They keep on looking at one or the other point and,
according to the poet , they are actually admiring nature. We have committed ourselves
with worldly affairs unnecessarily and cannot enjoy nature and the natural beauty spread
all around us

Figurative Language
Alliteration – Beneath the boughs
Simile – stare as long as sheep and cows

Couplet 3
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

Meaning of words
Woods _ forest
Paraphrasing
In these lines the poet tells us, when we pass through some forest, we do not have time to
stop for some moments to look at the trees tall and short, and enjoy their natural beauty.
The dark green trees provide a soothing effect, but we are always in a hurry and cannot
enjoy at least the simple beauty. Also, we cannot look at the small animals like squirrels
concealing their food-grain in the grass for the winter. This minor scene can also give us
relief, but we do not have time.

Figurative Language
Alliteration - when woods we

Couplet 4

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

Meaning of words

Streams – Rivers
Streams full of stars – Rivers full of shining bubbles

Paraphrasing
In these lines the poet says that human beings cannot see the beauty that is hidden in the
streams. During daytime, when the rays of the sun fall upon the clear water of the streams,
the water reflects and shines like stars in the sky during night. Sometimes water of streams,
because of its clearness seems so beautiful that even stones beneath the water can be
observed, which look like stars in the clear blue water. This scene also resembles the stars
shining in the sky at night

Figurative Language
Alliteration – Streams, stars, skies
.
Couplet 5

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

Meaning of the words

Beauty’s glance _ a brief look at Beauty ( A name is given to nature, so is written with a
capital letter)

Paraphrasing
Beauty is neither a thing nor a person but is an idea. The poet, however, presents it as a
person, who has eyes, feet and lips and can smile and dance. Beauty begins smiling through
her charming eyes and then it gracefully run towards her lips.
The poet uses personification, a poetic device to explain the natural beauty scattered all
around us. The poet personifies nature as a young, beautiful dancing girl having a smiling
face. He says that nature is like a beautiful dancer. A dancer moves her parts of the body
when she dances to show different steps. In the same way, nature also changes its parts of
the body ( summer, winter, autumn, spring)to show its beauty, but we are so much
engrossed in our daily routine that we cannot spare a few moments to stop and gaze at the
beauty of the beautiful nature.

Figurative Language
Alliteration – time, turn
Personification – Beauty’s glance, watch her feet, they can dance

Couplet 6

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

Meaning of words
Enrich – to make something richer, to enhance, to spread out

Paraphrasing
Busy people do not have time to stand and admire the changes in nature. It’s like beautiful
smile which starts from the eyes and spreads all around her mouth. Nature blooms slowly
and gradually, but we people do not have time to admire these wonderful changes. The
whole process of transformation is so beautiful, but we are simply occupied by our worries
and apprehensions.

Figurative Language
Alliteration – time, till
Personification – smile her eyes began

Couplet 7

A poor life this is if full of care

We have no time to stand and stare

Meaning of words
Poor life- sad life, useless life

Paraphrasing
In these concluding lines the poet regrets to say that our life is a poor life. In a way, it
cannot be called a life if it is full of care and worries. Unluckily, we have no time to stand at
a place and look carefully at nature that can refresh us. We should take some moments out
of our busy schedule and look at the natural beauty spread around us.

Figurative language
Metaphor – A poor life
Alliteration – stand and stare