Voice of the Rain

The Voice of the Rain

                                                          By Walt Whitman

Analysis :

The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ is composed by Walt Whitman, the representative poet of American Literature. He is renowned for the collection of his poems 'The Leaves of the grass'.

 It is a beautiful and magical interpretation of rain which springs from the poet’s soul and touches the readers' heart.

This poem is a conversation between the poet and the soft-falling rain.

The poem personifies the rain, portraying it as a timeless force that brings life, purification, and beauty to the Earth.

The poem also beautifully emphasises the cyclical and eternal nature of rain and finds affinity with the scientific explanation of this process known as water cycle.

This poem is rich with poetic devices and uses vivid imagery to describe the rain along with personification and symbolism.

The poem highlights the theme that rain is an instrument of purification, beautification and cheer on earth and in the world

Line by Line Explanation

Line 1 - 3

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,

The poet is asking the rain about its identity and nature. The rain which is falling softly and beautifully responds to his question, and the poet finds that  response to be little strange.

The rain identifies itself as the "Poem of Earth," It means to say that it is like a poem or song which is played by the Earth. In a way it the beautiful expression of this earth or nature. When the nature wants to express itself, it rains.

 

Line 4 - 8

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,

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

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

The rain describes its eternal nature and ceaseless process which is cycle or process and it can be explained scientifically. It describes how it rises invisibly from the land and the unfathomable sea as it is too deep. It rises towards the sky, undergoing a transformation as the water vapours change into thick clouds. But it remains same though it changes the form from water to water vapours and then to the clouds.

The rain explains its purpose of descending to the Earth. It falls on the earth to remove the droughts and quench the thirst of the dry land and the humanity. It cleanses everything on the earth and makes everything look greener and fresher removing the layers of dust covering the world.

The rain implies that everything on Earth was like dormant seeds or hidden potential, waiting to come to life. It is the rain that brings them to life and see the light of the world. In simple words without rain nothing can grow be it plants, flowers, fruits or creatures. Rain makes their life or existence worth it.

 

Line 9 - 12

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.)

The rain declares that it continually gives life back to its own origin, suggesting a cyclical and eternal process of nature. It means to say that when rain falls on earth, it completes the water cycle so that it can rise again to the sky in form of water vapours and form the clouds to rain again on earth and this way this cycle will go on forever. The rain purifies and beautifies the Earth and this world along with giving life.

The rain is compared to a song that, after being born and fulfilling its purpose, wanders back to its origin without caring whether it is being noticed, rewarded and appreciated or not. But, it always provides love and peace to the music lovers.

Poetic Devices

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower, - Alliteration, Imagery

Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated: - Assonance, Personification

I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain, - Metaphor, Personification, Repetition

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea, - Repetition, Assonance, Consonance, Imagery 

Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form’d, altogether – Consonance

changed, and yet the same, - Paradox, Enjambment

I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe, - Alliteration, Imagery,  Repetition 

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn; - Assonance, Alliteration, Anaphora

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin, - Oxymoron, Anaphora,  Antithesis

And make pure and beautify it; - Repetition, Enjambment

Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns.) – Oxymoron, Consonance

Important Question Answers

Q1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? which line indicates this?

Ans. The two voices in the poem are those of the poet and, of the rain.

The line is -  "And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower, which, strange to tell me an answer,"

Q2. What does the phrase "strange to tell mean?

Ans. The phrase "strange to tell" here means that it is a strange feeling and quite difficult to believe that the rain speaks and answers to the poet.

Q3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two.

Ans. The line is "For song issuing and from its Birth - place, after fulfilment, wandering reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns”. The music is similar to the rain because music soothes the listeners coming from the heart of creator & returns to him as appreciation. In the same way rain leaves the earth as vapour & returns back to earth in form of rain drops which is another form of water only.

Q4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learnt in science.

Ans. The cyclical movement of rain is shown as it rises out of land and sea in form of water vapour, and  then changes its forms from vapours to clouds and from clouds to rain drops. Still, the element remains the same. It is nearly similar to what is taught in science chapters.

Q5. Why are the last two lines put within the parenthesis?

Ans. The last two lines are put within the parenthesis because they are neither spoken by rain nor poet. Instead, they are a direct comparison between rain and music.

 RTC

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

Q1. Who does I refer to?

Q2. From where does it rise and where does it go?

Q3. Explain the line "Eternal I rise impalpable".

Q4. What does the poet convey in the last line?

Q5. Pick out poetic device in last line. 

Answers:

A1. The word 'I' refers to the rain.

A2. It rises from the sea and other water bodies in form of water vapours and it goes up to the sky to form the rain clouds. 

A3. Here the process of water cycle initiates and its first phase is evaporation. It means the water vapours rise and go up unseen and unnoticed from the surface of the sea. the word 'eternal' suggests the ceaseless process of water cycle. 

A4. The poet conveys in the last line that the form of water changes its form from water vapours to clouds and from clouds to rain drops, still the element remains same and in the last phase it comes back to its original form. 

A5. Antithesis