Summary & Question-answers of The Poem:3-Rain on the Roof with the concerned video

Rain on the Roof Summary in English

In this poem, the poet says that when the sky is full of dark clouds which have moisture and are full of water, it is about to bring rain. Further, when these clouds float around the sky over the starry spheres (refers to the sky at night time that is full of stars)

, huge clouds that are full of moisture move around in the sky and the raindrops that seem like a tear falling from the sky wipe the sad darkness of the night. Moreover, the poet compares the raindrops to tears as to him the dark sky seems very sad. Also, it appears as if it is weeping and the raindrops are the tears shed by it. He further adds that it is like a blessing to lie on the bed in his room. He listens to the sound made by raindrops falling on the roof.

In the next part, the poet expresses his feelings when he hears the raindrops falling on the roof of his house.  The poet says that every tinkle on the shingles has an echo in the heart. Whenever he hears raindrops falling on the rooftop, its sound is repeated in his heart and in his dreams. Further, he has many different and fantastic imaginations. Also, the falling drops of rain on the rooftops creates many new different dreams in his mind. For instance, he recollects many memories of the past which come back into his mind as dreams. Hence, he listens to the patter of the rain upon the roof, he has many new dreams in his mind and his memories of the past come back in the form of dreams.

In the last paragraph, the poet introduces his mother and says that he is dreaming of his mother. As in the previous stanza that rain brings memories of the past. They were the memories of his mother who is no longer alive. Long ago, his mother used to love him a lot and she used to consider him a darling. Also, she would let him sleep until daybreak and had sweet dreams. As he listens to the song made by the raindrops falling on the rooftop of his room, he feels that his mother is looking at him.  Moreover, the sound of rain makes him correlate  his past with his present. So he was so moved by the sound of the raindrops on the shingles of his room. Every time he hears this sound it brings back memories of the past as he is reminded of his mother.

Thinking about the poem 

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I.

Question 1.

What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

humid shadows

starry spheres

what a bliss

a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start

a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

Answer:

Humid shadows: These are the shadows of different things which become wet during the rainy season.

Starry spheres: The area where stars appear in a group in the sky.

What a bliss: The poet feels happy when he listens to the rain drops.

A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start: The poet starts recollecting the past and finds himself lost in reveries and dreams in the rainy weather.

A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof: The poet recollects hundreds of memories in the rainy season. They weave a weft with the help of air-threads.

Question 2.

What does the poet like to do when it rains?

Answer:

When it rains the poet wants to lie on bed in a cottage and listen to pitter-patter sound of the rain.

Question 3.

What is the single major memory that comes to the poet’s mind? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?

Answer:

The poet’s mother is the single major memory that comes to his mind. ‘Darling dreamers’ are those ‘kids’ who remember their mothers like the poet.

Question 4.

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

Answer:

No, the poet is not a child. His mother is no more. But her memories still haunt him.

II.

Question 1.

When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s mother did?

Answer:

Yes, my mother used to tuck me in when I was a child. Whenever I said that I could not do some work, she embraced me and took me in her lap to get that work done. She used to feel sad and dejected if I was involved in any mishap.

Question 2.

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

Answer:

Yes, I like rain and prefer to take a bath in the rain for some time. But when it rains heavily, I stay inside and enjoy the beauty of nature. 

Question 3.

Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter, etc. during rain.

Answer:

No, everybody is not so fortunate to have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. There are some people who live at the railway platforms and bus terminal. They don’t have even bed sheet, what to talk of comfortable beds.

There are so many animals which don’t have any shelter and tremble under the dark sky in the rainy season.