Read the following passage and answer the questions.
What is the 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 the 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 skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's 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.
Explain 'turn at beauty's glance'.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → to behold a thing of beauty
In the line "No time to turn at Beauty's glance", Beauty is personified as a woman who glances at us. To turn at her glance is to turn and look at the beauty around us; to behold means to see or look at. Our busy lives leave no time for it.
Example: The sunset over the sea was a sight to behold.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: to turn a blind eye at beauty — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: to turn a blind eye is to pretend not to notice something; the poet wants us to notice beauty, not ignore it.
Example: The guard turned a blind eye to the late arrivals.
Option 2: A thing of beauty is a joy forever — Incorrect. Wrong link: this is the opening line of a different poem, by Keats; it is not a meaning of the phrase.
Option 4: to turn the tables at beauty — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: to turn the tables is to reverse a situation and gain the upper hand over someone; it has nothing to do with looking at beauty.
Example: Losing at half-time, the team turned the tables on their rivals in the second half.