THE VOICE OF THE RAIN

 

                                          THE VOICE OF THE RAIN

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 Poém of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,

Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely formed, altogether changed, and yet the same,

I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn,

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 fulfillment, wandering,

Recked or unrecked, duly with love returns.)

Walt Whitman.

Word Meaning:- 

thou – you
soft-falling – dropping softly
shower – raindrops when they fall continuously on Earth

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

descend – move or fall downwards
lave – wash
droughts – dry spells
atomies – very tiny particles
globe – Earth
latent – dormant, inactive

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

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 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.

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.