Study Material of Song of the Rain (Summary, Explanation and Word Meanings)
Summary of the Poem
The poem is written in the first person, and rain itself is the speaker. It is described as something divine and characteristic of gods.
Rain is a divine gift of God and it proves very blessed for the dry and needy earth. One of the most divine manifestations of nature, it spreads joy and freshness all around. It beautifies, adorns and revive fields, trees, flowers and spreads life everywhere. Its droplets are like shimmering pearls and jewels from God’s crown. It gives joy in all forms, the thunder announces its arrival and the rainbow signifies its departure. Rain cements the relationship of love between the fields and the clouds. It takes birth from the depth of the sea, forms clouds and its cycle completes the full circle when it descends down in a million little ways. The arrival of the rain is like a welcome song, beating softly on the windows. All in all, rain has a multidimensional personality. It is born out of sighs, spreads laughter and descends like tears. It ties the earth and heaven in a spiritual bond, like a God, granting all wishes.
Stanzas Explanation
• Stanza 1: Rain is dotted silver threads dropped from heaven by Gods which Nature takes away to adorn her fields and valleys. It falls in a rapid succession one after the other thus appears like dotted silver threads .
• Stanza 2: It is beautiful pearls plucked by the Daughter of the Dawn from a Ishtar's crown to decorate enhances or adds to the fertility of nature.
• Stanza 3: When it cries, the hill can be heard laughing and when the rain humbles, the flowers are seemed to be making merry. Similarly, when the rain bows, everything seems joyful and elated in happiness.
• Stanza 4: The clouds and fields are lovers and she is a messenger between them. By pouring out it cures the cloud, and by coming down it quenches the thirst of the field. It is a messenger of mercy rather than a messenger of love as rain is natures merciful blessing on earth.
• Stanza 5: The voice of thunder declares its arrival and the rainbow its departure. When it cries coming down, the hills laugh and when it reaches down, the flowers rejoice. When it has seeped down deep into the soil, all things are elated.
• Stanza 6: It emerges from the heart of the Sea and soars with the Breeze. When it sees a field in need, it descends and downpours and embraces the flowers and trees in its own million little ways.
• Stanza 7: It touches the windows with soft gentle fingers. The arrival of the rain is a welcome song but only sensible souls can understand it.
• Stanza 8: It is the deep breath of the sea, the laughter of the field and the tears of heaven.
• Stanza 9: The rain sighs from the deep sea of love and affection, it awakes and rises like laughter from the colorful fields and falls down like tears from heaven of memories.
Terms and Meanings from the Poem
• Adorn – to decorate
• Ishtar - Goddess of fertility, love, war and sex, in the Babylonian Pantheon
• Embellish – decorate
• Elated - very happy and excited
• Quench – satisfy thirst
• Upraised - lifted or moved upwards
• Soar – fly up
• Descend – fall downwards
• Embrace – hug
View NCERT Solutions of Song of the Rain