The Voice of the Rain Poem Question Answers
Think it out
I. 1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate
this?
Ans: The two voices in the poem are the ‘voice of the rain’ and the ‘voice of the poet’. The
lines which indicate the voice of the rain are ‘I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the
rain’ and the lines which indicate the voice of the poet are ‘And who art thou? said I to the
soft-falling shower’.
2. What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean?
Ans: The phrase ‘strange to tell’ means that it was strange for the soft-falling rain to reply to
the poet’s question. When the poet asked the rain ‘who art thou?’ the rain replied ‘I am the
Poem of Earth’.
3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this?
Explain the similarity between the two.
Ans: The lines ‘For the song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfillment, wandering Reck’d
or unreck’d, duly with love returns’ draws a parallel between rain and music. Here, the poet
compares the life-cycle of the rain and the song. As the song originated from the heart of
the singer, wanders to the world, whether liked or not, comes back to its birth-place in the
end with lots of love. Similarly, the rain that originates from earth (birth-place), fulfills its
duty to beautify and purify the earth and wanders and comes back with love for its creator.
4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what
you have learnt in science.
Ans: In the poem, the water rises from the land and the bottomless sea in the form of
vapour. It then changes its form, transforms itself into clouds. It comes down to the earth in
the form of rain to wash drought, provide water, give life to unborn and latent seeds inside
the earth. The rain purifies and beautifies the earth.
In science, the water is evaporated in the form of water vapour, condenses in the sky to
form clouds, and then rains down in the form of water into rivers, streams, ground, ocean,
etc. In the poem, the rain describes its eternal journey itself.
5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets?
Ans: The last two lines are put within the bracket because they are the observations made
by the poet and his thoughts. He made a similarity between the rain and the music.
6. List the pairs of opposites found in the poem.
Ans: 1. Day, Night
2. Reck’d, Unreck’d
3. Rise, Descend
Question 1.
Why does the poet call the poem a translation ?
Answer:
The poet asks the rain a question. The rain in its heavenly voice, answers the
question. The poet has to translate that answer in simple English.
Question 2.
How are the clouds formed ?
Answer:
Clouds are bom out of the union of the sky and the ocean. The hot sun takes the
water vapours upward. The clouds dissolve into water again in rainy season.
Question 3.
How does the rain describe herself ?
Answer:
The soft falling shower calls itself the Poem of Earth. It is immortal. It may change !
in shape but it remains the same water.
Question 4.
‘Altogether change, and yet the same’. Say, what it means.
Answer:
The sea. water in summer turns into water vapours which rise to the sky in the form
of clouds. The clouds come down again in the form of rain water. So the change is
apparent, but not real.
Question 5.
How does ‘it’ descend ? What does it do ?
Answer:
The clouds descend or come down to the earth again here and there. It takes on
funny and terrifying shape. When it comes down, it waters the dry fields and forests.
It washes away dust particles and give a new life to seeds.
Question 6.
I give back life to my own origin. How does the rain do it ?
Answer:
The rain originates from the land and sea. It rises to the sky only to come down
again. It enables the seeds to sprout and grow water is the soul of nature. Without
rain, the earth would become a deadly desert.
Question 7.
What is the ‘fulfilment’ of the rain ?
Answer:
The fulfilment of the rain is in its service to nature. It gives a new life to seeds, to
grass and to earth.
Question 8.
Sum up the life story of the rain or the cloud in about 80 words.
Answer:
The poet asks the gentle shower about its origin and function. The clouds carry
water in the form of vapours. They draw this water from the land and the sea. They
change in form only. They come to earth’s rescue when its becomes dry and thirsty.
They wash away the dust particles in the air as well as earthly objects. The seeds
wake up and come alive. The cloud returns to the earth what it takes out of it. This
cycle gives on and on eternally.
