W. H. Davies

W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet and writer active in the early twentieth century. His poetry is known for its direct observation of nature and celebration of simple pleasures, often contrasting with his earlier life as a tramp. Biography ↓More ↓

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W. H. Davies

The Helpless

Those poor, heartbroken wretches, doomed To hear at night the clocks' hard tones; They have no beds to warm their limbs, But with those limbs must warm cold stones; Those poor weak men, whose coughs and ailings Force them to tear at iron railings. Those helpless men that starve, my pity; Whose waking day is never done; Who, save for their own shadows, are Doomed night and day to walk alone: They know no bright face but the sun's, So cold and dark are human ones.

W. H. Davies

Night Wanderers

They hear the bell of midnight toll, And shiver in their flesh and soul; They lie on hard, cold wood or stone, Iron, and ache in every bone; They hate the night: they see no eyes Of loved ones in the starlit skies. They see the cold, dark water near; They dare not take long looks for fear They'll fall like those poor birds that see A snake's eyes staring at their tree. Some of them laugh, half-mad; and some All through the chilly night are dumb; Like poor, weak infants some converse, And cough like giants, deep and hoarse.

Biography

W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet born in 1871 and died in 1940. He spent several years as a tramp in the United States and Britain, an experience he later recorded in "The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp". His poetry often focuses on the natural world, rural scenes, and the value of leisure and observation. The style is characterized by simple language and regular rhythms, avoiding modernist experimentation. Much of his work reflects a direct, unadorned response to everyday sights and sounds. Davies is associated with the Georgian poetry movement of the early twentieth century. One of his best-known poems is "Leisure", which questions the hurried pace of modern life. His collections include "The Soul's Destroyer" and "Songs of Joy". Davies's work has been noted for its accessible quality and its consistent celebration of ordinary experience.

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