Leisure, thou goddess of a bygone age,
When hours were long and days sufficed to hold
Wide-eyed delights and pleasures uncontrolled
By shortening moments, when no gaunt presage
Of undone duties, modern heritage,
Haunted our happy minds; must thou withhold
Thy presence from this over-busy world,
And bearing silence with thee disengage
Our twined fortunes? Deeps of unhewn woods
Alone can cherish thee, alone possess
Thy quiet, teeming vigor. This our crime:
Not to have worshipped, marred by alien moods
That sole condition of all loveliness,
The dreaming lapse of slow, unmeasured time.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Amy Lowell's poem Leisure

6 Comments

  1. Lily says:

    What themes and imagery is she creating in this poem?

  2. Mr. Mcjagger says:

    Ms. Lowell’s poem is very intriguing to me in this modern age. We all are seeking for the leisure in our lives but it is only when we work that we may be able to achieve it. Seeking for leisure is an ill-fated ideal as once one finds it, it leaves us in the midst of our own minds thinking of what else we may be doing with our time.

    • American Poems says:

      Interesting take. I sometimes think about leisure in conjunction with all of our tech gadgets of the modern age – cell phones, tablets, streaming televisions shows. It’s difficult to completely unwind and focus on simple things like reading a book, because the back of my mind keeps pulling me in another direction.

  3. janie says:

    WOw! what an amazing poem by such an inspiring author!

  4. Rao says:

    Delightful poem indeed. Thank you.

  5. hannah says:

    Leisure is a beutiful poem by a very pronound author. I enjoyed this poem very much and plan to use it for my project. so thankyou to this website and to Amy Lowell.

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