W. H. Davies

William Henry Davies or WH Davies (20 April 1871 - September 26, 1940), was a Welsh poet and writer.

The People's Poet

He spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time. The theme of his works mainly relate to the marvels of nature, observations about life's hardships, his tramping adventures and characters he met.

Early Life in Monmouthshire

The son of an iron-moulder, Davies was born in Portland Street in the Pillgwenlly district of Newport, then in Monmouthshire, in south east Wales and a busy port. His father died when he was just two years old. His mother then abandoned him and his siblings when she remarried, leaving them to be brought up by their paternal grandparents who ran the nearby Church House Inn. He was related to the famous British actor Sir Henry Irving (referred to as cousin Brodribb by the family).

Delinquent to Supertramp

As a young man Davies became an apprentice to a picture-framer in his home town, but never settled into regular work in this craft. He was a difficult and somewhat delinquent young man, and made repeated requests to his grandmother to lend him the money to sail to America. When these were all refused, he eventually took casual work and started to travel. The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (1908) covers his life until that point in time including many adventures and characters in the USA 1893 - '99, where he lived as a tramp. During this period he crosssed the Atlantic several times working on cattle ships. Back in the USA he lost a leg while jumping a freight train in Canada, and wore a wooden leg thereafter.

"The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp" drew the attention of George Bernard Shaw, who wrote a preface. The 1970's pop group 'Supertramp' took its name from this book.

Later Days (1925) is the sequel which describes the beginnings of his career as a writer and his acquaintance with Hillaire Belloc, Bernard Shaw, and others.

Published Poet

He returned to England, living a rough life in London in particular. His first book of poetry, in 1905, was the beginning of success and a growing reputation; he drew extensively on his experiences with the seamier side for material. By the time of his prominent place in the Edward Marsh Georgian poetry series, he was an established figure. He is generally best known for two lines from his poem, Leisure:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

In 1919 Davies was awarded a Civil List Pension.

Later Life

He married in 1923 Helen Payne, his junior by three decades. Young Emma was his frank and often disturbing account of his life before and after picking her up in the street as a prostitute in the Edgware Road near Marble Arch. It was only published in 1980 after her death in 1979. They lived quietly and happily, first in Sussex and then later at the small cottage "Glendower" in the hamlet of Watledge near Nailsworth in Gloucestershire.

Davies returned to his native Newport in September 1938 for the unveiling of a plaque in his honour at the Church House Inn with an address given by the Poet Laureate John Masefield. He was unwell, however, and this proved to be his last public appearance. His health deteriorated, not helped by the weight of his wooden leg, and he died in September 1940 at the age of 69. He was buried at Watledge.

A statue inspired by Davies' most famous poem "Leisure" may be seen in Commercial Street in Newport.

Works

• The Soul's Destroyer (1905) (poems)
• The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (1908) (autobiographical)
• Beggars (1909) (autobiographical)
• New Poems (1907)
• Nature Poems (1908)
• Farewell to Poesy (1910)
• Songs of Joy (1911)
• The True Traveller (1912) (autogiographical)
• Foliage (1913)
• The Bird of Paradise (1914)
• Raptures (1918) (poems)
• Shorter Lyrics 1900-1922 (1922, Bodley Head anthology) (editor)
• True Travellers. A Tramps Opera in Three Acts (1923) (illustrated by Sir William Nicholson)
• Secrets (1924) (poems)
• Later Days (1925) (autobiographical)
• The Adventues of Johnny Walker, Tramp (1926) (autogiographical)
• The Collected Poems of W. H. Davies (1928)
• The Loneliest Mountain (1939) (poems)
• Complete Poems (1963)
• Young Emma (1980) (autobiographical)

External links

• Works by W. H. Davies at Project Gutenberg
• BBC South East Wales Arts report
• A collection of items relating to W. H. Davies
• Article in the Literary Encyclopedia
• WH at 100 Welsh Heroes
• Davies' well-known work 'Leisure' and description

References

Normand, L. (2003), W. H. Davies, Bridgend: Poetry Wales Press Ltd, ISBN 1-85411-260-0