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 stars at night.
No time to turn at Beauty; 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.
W.H. Davies
This stirring poem by Welsh poet W.H. Davies was first published in 1911 yet its message, I believe, is still just as important today. I have talked about past-times on the blog before but having read Sense and Sensibility last month, I wanted to look in a bit more detail at some of the leisure activities that these early Victorian women got up to. The reason for doing so, is because most of them are free and easy to achieve yet can produce the most rewarding benefits.
Walking
Both Elinor and Marianne (noted in the book for being remarkably different in both temperament and attitude) enjoyed walking. Even barely-mentioned Margaret enjoys walking.
"The whole country about them abounded in beautiful walks. The high downs which invited them from almost every window of the cottage to seek the exquisite enjoyment of air on their summits, were a happy alternative when the dirt of the valleys beneath shut up their superior beauties...They gaily descended the downs, rejoicing in their own penetration at every glimpse of blue sky; and when they caught in their faces the animating gales of a high south-westerly wind, they pitied the fears which had prevented their mother and Elinor from sharing such delightful sensations."
Drawing
Drawing was more Elinor's thing, as we there are several occasions when it is remarked that her work adorned the house and comments were made on her talent.
"Elinor sat down to her drawing-table as soon as he was out of the house, busily employed herself the whole day..."
"Mrs Palmer's eye was now caught by the drawings which hung around the room. She got up to examine them.
'Oh! dear, how beautiful these are! Well! how delightful! Do but look, mamma, how sweet!' "
"He [Sir John] was a blessing to all the juvenile part of the neighbourhood, for in summer he was for ever forming parties to eat cold ham and chicken out of doors..."
"The private balls at the Park then began; and parties on the water were made and accomplished as often as a showery October would allow."
"They contained a noble piece of water; a sail on which was to form a great part of the morning's amusement; cold provisions were to be taken, open carriages only to be employed, and every thing conducted in the usual style of a complete party of pleasure"
Music-making, instrument playing and dancing
Where Elinor was the artist, Marianne was the musician. "In the evening, as Marianne was discovered to be musical, she was invited to play."
"They speedily discovered that their enjoyment of dancing and music was mutual, and that it arose from a general conformity of judgement in all that related to either."
When John Willoughby (Marianne's supposed beau) first leaves Devonshire for London, Marianne is heartbroken. She turns to two of her favourite past-times to cope with the loss: playing the piano and walking. "She spent whole hours at the pianoforte alternately singing and crying; her voice often totally suspended by her tears." Even reading, another favourite leisure activity, was affected: "She read nothing but what they had been used to read together."
These are just a few of the past-times mentioned in Sense and Sensibility. All of them come naturally to the characters, none of them are forced or contrived. They enjoy in times of joy and seek solace from them in times of pain. Think of your own past-times...what brings you comfort and joy? How can you incorporate that into your life more? As W.H. Davies says,
We have no time to stand and stare.
I hope you all take the time to stand and stare, and more than that, to enjoy.
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