Rain on the Roof
By Coats Kinney

Image Reference: wikivisually.com

About the Poet

Coates Kinney was a lawyer, politician, journalist, and poet from the United States.

Born: 24 November 1826, Penn Yan, New York, United States
Died: 25 January 1904, Ohio, United States

Text Reference: wikipedia

Rain on the Roof

WHEN the humid shadows hover
Over all the starry spheres,
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss to press the pillow
Of a cottage-chamber bed,
And to listen to the patter
Of the soft rain overhead!

Every tinkle on the shingles
Has an echo in the heart;
And a thousand dreamy fancies
Into busy being start,
And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woof,
As I listen to the patter
Of the rain upon the roof.

Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used, in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn:
O! I see her leaning o’er me,
As I list to this refrain
Which is played upon the shingles
By the patter of the rain.

Introduction

When the sky is covered with dark clouds and it starts raining, everybody feels thrilled. The poet also feels thrilled and lies in his cosy bed. Thousands of fancies rush through his mind. It is most joyful to enjoy listening the music of the rain on the roof. The poet expresses his love for nature.

The poem conveys the message that rain has the healing powers and forms lasting memories in human mind. Rain refreshes and rejuvenates us and forces us to recollect and relive our past memories.

Summary in Points

1. This is a lyrical poem by Coates Kinney.
2. In this poem, the poet expresses his love for nature.
3. The sky is overcast with the dark clouds.
4. He hears the sound of the clouds.
5. Suddenly the quietness of the environment disappears.
6. It starts raining lightly.
7. The poet lies in his comfortable bed pressing the head against a soft pillow and listens to the soft falling rain on the roof.
8. The pitter-patter of the rain creates beautiful music.
9. The soft falling of the rain revives many childhood memories.
10. He recollects how his mother used to look at her children as she put them to sleep.
11. He visualizes in his mind the affectionate look of his mother.
12. The rain makes a bridge between his present and his past.
13. Thus the sound of rain appeared to be a bliss to the poet.

Important Extracts

1. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

When the humid shadows hover
Over all the starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss to press the pillow
Of a cottage-chamber bed
And lie listening to the patter
Of the soft rain overhead!

(a) What does the poet imply by “humid shadows”?

Ans. Here the poet implies the clouds full of rain.

(b) What does the phrase “starry spheres” refer to?

Ans. The phrase “starry spheres” refers to the sky filled with numerous stars shining at night.

(c) What does the poet consider to be a ‘bliss’ in the rainy season?

Ans. In the rainy season when the showers are falling on the roof, the poet considers it a bliss to lie comfortably in the bed pressing his head against the pillow.

(d) Which poetic device has been used in “lie listening” and “starry spheres”?

Ans. In “lie listening” and “starry spheres”, ‘I’ and ‘S’ sounds are repeated. The poetic device – alliteration is used.

(e) Which poetic device has been used in the third and the fourth lines?

Ans. The third line employs ‘transferred epithet’ by the words “melancholy darkness”. Here darkness is not sad or melancholy but some man who is sad in the darkness. The fourth line uses ‘personification’ by presenting the sadness as weeping gently by shedding tears in the form of rain.

2. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Every tinkle on the shingles
Has an echo in the heart;
And a thousand dreamy fancies
Into busy being start,

And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woof,
As I listen to the patter
Of the rain upon the roof.

(a) What finds an echo in the heart of the poet?

Ans. The tinkling sound of the rain drops falling on the roof overhead finds an echo in the heart of the poet.

(b) How does this sound of the rain affect the busy mind of the poet?

Ans. The sound of the rain triggers a large number of imaginative and fanciful ideas in the busy mind of the poet.

(c) Explain the metaphor used in
And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woof,

Ans. Here the recollections are compared to the weavers and the memories to a fabric. The entwined memories create a unique fabric of memories.

(d) Which poetic device has been used in the last line of the stanza?

Ans. The poetic device used in the last line is alliteration as ‘r’ sound is repeated in ‘Of the rain upon the roof’.

3. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn:
0! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain
Which is played upon the shingles
By the patter of the rain.

(a) Who comes in the memory of the poet and when?

Ans. The poet’s mother comes in his memory as he sleeps in his bed on a rainy night.

(b) What does the poet remember about his mother?

Ans. The poet remembers the affectionate look of his mother as she puts them to sleep.

(c) What does the poet imply by “the darling dreamers”?

Ans. By “the darling dreamers”, the poet implies the children in the family – the poet himself and his siblings – who were about to go to sleep. They would often have pleasant dreams in their sleep.

(d) What refrain is the poet talking about?

Ans. By ‘refrain’ the poet here means a song or recurring melody and in this stanza it refers to the musical sound of the rain.

Short and Long Answer Type Questions

Q. What does the poet like to do when it rains?

Ans. When it rains, the poet likes to lay in his comfortable bed pressing the head against a soft pillow and listen to the soft falling rain on the roof.

Q. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet?

Ans. The poet has memories of his beloved mother. When he was a child, she would put him and his siblings to bed and allowed them to sleep till late. They had sweet dreams in their sleep.

Q. Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?

Ans. “Darling Dreamers” refers to the poet and his siblings when they were children and had sweet dreams. They were loved by their mother, so they are called darling.

Q. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

Ans. No, now the poet is not a child. He is an adult. His mother is no more.

Q. Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?

Ans. Yes, I like the rain. I go out in the rain whenever it happens. It is very pleasant to get wet in rain during summer.

Q. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

Ans. abcbdefe

Q. How does the poet react to the sound of the rain falling on the roof?

Ans. The poet’s heart and mind react strongly to the sound of the rain falling on the roof. He is in a blissful mood as he enjoys the comfort of his bedroom and leisurely listens to the music of the rain. His heart beats respond to the sound of the rain by its rhythmic throbbing. He gets engrossed in dreamy thoughts. The rain awakens many memories of the past. Particularly, it revives the memory of his mother as she looked at her children very affectionately before she went to sleep in her room.  Thus, the poet’s mind and heart respond sensitively to the soft pattering sound of the rain falling on the roof.

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