Think it out I. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this?
What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean? There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two.
How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learnt in science. . Why are the last two lines put within brackets?
. List the pairs of opposites found in the poem. II. Notice the following sentence patterns.
And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower. I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain. Eternal I rise For song … duly with love returns Rewrite the above sentences in prose.
III. Look for some more poems on the rain and see how this one is different from them. This is a nature poem celebrating the coming of the rain.