The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary in English and Hindi Pdf. The Voice of The Rain is written by Walt Whitman.
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The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary in English by Walt Whitman
About the Poet Walt Whitman
| Name | Walt Whitman |
| Born | 31 May 1819, West Hills, New York, United States |
| Died | 26 March 1892, Camden, New Jersey, United States |
| Poems | Leaves of Grass, Song of Myself, O Captain! My Captain! |
| Awards | Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration |
The Voice of The Rain Central Idea of the Poem
The poem The Voice of the Rain’ by Walt Whitman signifies the eternal role that the rain plays in nurturing, quenching and purifying the various elements of Earth. The rain returns the favour to its place of origin from where it rises unseen from the depths of the water and from the land. The rain itself is explaining to the reader about its origin, work and its cyclic movement. A comparison has also been drawn between rain and music as both of them make the world more lively and return to their place of origin after fulfilling their purpose.
The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary in English
The Voice of The Rain Stanza Wise Explanation of The Poem
Stanza 1
And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,
Word Meanings:
thou – you
soft-falling – dropping softly
shower – raindrops when they fall continuously on Earth
Explanation: The poem begins with the poet asking for the identity of the soft-falling rain shower. Much to the surprise of the poet, the rain replies to his question which the poet translates for his readers. The rain in its own voice tells the poet that she is the poem of this Earth. The rain is trying to say that, as music or poetry gives pleasure to human beings, the rain gives happiness to mother Earth.
Stanza 2
Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward, to heaven, whence, vaguely form’d, altogether changed, and
yet the same,
Word Meanings:
eternal – everlasting
impalpable – unable to be felt by touching
bottomless – very deep
upward – towards a higher level
whence – from where
vaguely – unclearly
form’d – made into a specific shape or form
Explanation: The poet says that the rain is an eternal process, but it takes different forms at different times. It rises from the land and the deep sea in the form of intangible water vapour and goes up to the sky. There it takes an indistinct shape in the form of clouds.
Although it changes in its form or shape, its core matter remains the same. Since vapour and clouds contain water they can get transformed into the other. The words ‘impalpable’ and ‘eternal’ indicate that nature is not fully understood and some part of it always remains beyond our reach.
Stanza 3
I – descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,
And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;
Word Meanings:
descend – move or fall downwards
lave – wash
droughts – dry spells
atomies – very tiny particles
globe – Earth
latent – dormant, inactive
Explanation: The raindrops pour down from above to wash away droughts and dust layers enveloping Earth. It satisfies the thirst of the dry Earth and heals everything that is degrading and is lying lifeless. The showers remove the dust particles and make Earth clean and green.
The rain also helps in the germination of seeds which were lying dormant due to a dry spell.
Stanza 4
“And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin, And make pure and beautify it;
(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns.)
Word Meanings:
origin – source
beautify – make beautiful
issuing – originating/starting
fulfilment – completing the cycle
wandering – moving from one place to another
reck’d – cared about
unreck’d – uncared for
duly – properly, rightly
Explanation: The rain is involved in a continued process of giving life on Earth by providing water to dormant seeds and making the Earth more beautiful and full of greenery. Rain helps in enhancing the beauty of Earth as, in the absence of water, everything turns dull or lifeless and dust accumulates everywhere.
The last two lines are the poet’s own words and his reflections upon the answers given by the rain. The poet observes that the life of rain is similar to that of a song. A song or poem is creativity at its best. It has the power to calm, heal, rejuvenate, transform and thrill. In the same way, repeated evaporation and condensation purifies the rain. The entire environment gets drenched in the rain, dust particles settle down and there is greenery everywhere which makes the whole Earth beautiful to look at. The poet therefore draws a parallel between rain and music as both have rhythm and ability to thrill. Both of them rejuvenate and beautify life.
The Voice of The Rain Poetic Devices Used in the Poem
Personification: The rain has been personified as it has been given a voice in the poem.
Metaphor: “I am the Poem of the Earth”. The poet uses a metaphor to compare how the rain leaves the ground to come back to the ground, giving back to it much like a person who leaves its home, only to come back after fulfilling its journey.
Parallelism/Simile: In the last two lines, the poet has drawn a parallel between the rain and the song of a poet.
Hyperbole: ‘Bottomless sea’ is an example of hyperbole. The poet describes sea as bottomless which is an exaggerated statement to bring out the desired effect.
Imagery: In the first line of the poem, ‘Soft-falling shower’ gives the reader an image of gentle rain or drizzle. During the dialogue between the poet and the rain, it creates an image of showers or drops of water falling down from the heavens to Earth and infusing it with greenery, purity and beauty.
What is the summary of Voice of the rain?
The Voice of The Rain poem celebrates the rain and its accompanying cyclic movement that supports the various beings on the earth. Here the poet recalls his conversation with the falling rain. He asks the rain, “And who art thou?” to which the rain calls itself to be the poet of the Earth.
What is the central idea of the voice of rain?
The central idea of the poem The Voice of the Rain is that both rain and poetry hold a significant position on the earth. The rain originates from the bottom of the seas In the form of water vapours. The rise to the sky Page 2 and from there they fall down on the earth and help the life to exist and flourish.
What does the voice of rain signify?
The lines, “I am the Poem of Earth”, said by the voice of the rain, reflects a connection between rain and poet. … In these lines, the poet draws similarities between rain and music observing that the life-cycle of rain and song are alike. The song issues from the heart of the poet and travels to reach others.
How does the rain describe herself in the poem the voice of the rain?
The rain describes herself in the poem ” THE VOICE OF THE RAIN” as the ” POEM OF THE EARTH” which gives happiness to everything and quenches the thirst and relish the drought prone areas.