The Rain Poem Summary and Notes
The Rain Poem Summary and Notes
The Rain Poem Summary and Notes
Here is the summary and the short questions answers notes for the poem "The Rain" written by W.H Davies.
This poem is included in 1st year English Book III in all Punjab boards. The poem "The Rain" is a
beautiful piece of poetry by the poet W.H Davies.
When the rain will stop, the sun will shine out with all of its wonderful light. This light will fill every dark
drop. The drops will shine like pearls. In the end, the poet hopes that the sun will shine brightly which will
make the scene lovely.
The poem is also a metaphor. The rich leaves on the top symbolize the rich people in the society who get the
golden chance first and then whatever remains, pass down to the poor. The sunshine also symbolizes the
prevailing prosperity and happiness. The poet wants to convey a strong message that every dark cloud has a
silver lining. The poet hopes that the rain will stop and the sun will come out. Hence, the end of the poem is
quite optimistic.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem "The Rain" written by W.H Davies.
Context:
This is a beautiful poem by W. H Davies. The poet has beautifully sketched the scene of rain. The poet is
sitting beneath a tree listening to the sweet music of raindrops falling on the leaves. The poet observes that
the rain first fall on the rich leaves on the top and then rainwater falls on the lower leaves drop by drop. The
poet is hopeful that the rain will stop and the sun will shine brightly.
Short Questions Notes
Q.1. How can a rainy day be enjoyed?
Ans: A rainy day can be enjoyed by listening to the sweet music which raindrops create. One can enjoy the
rainy day by watching the scene of rainfall.
Q.3. What does the poet hope at the end of the poem?
Ans: The poet hopes that after the rain stops, the sun will come out. A pleasant change will occur in the
environment. Everything will have a new awesome look.
The poet says that Night Mail is coming. He is bringing postal orders, cheques, and letters for all people. She is
steadily moving in plain areas and pulls up its coaches on steep paths. She reaches on time in spite of all the hurdles
in the way. She passes the cotton fields and moorland. She throws white steam across her shoulders and continues
her journey. She makes noise and passes through vast areas of bentgrass.
On her arrival, the birds turn their heads to look at her. They watch her passing but do not leave their nests in the
bushes. The dogs and sheep keep sleeping with their heads on their paws as they know that they cannot change her
course. They show no reaction at all.
She passes through farms where farmers and laborers are sleeping. Although she makes a loud noise, no one wakes.
These people have become habitual to this noise and they keep sleeping. But a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem 'Night Mail' written by W.H. Auden.
Context:
The poem is about a Night Mail coach. The poet tells us how the coach passes through various hilly and plain places
but reaches on time. It brings the letters and other posts for the people. Night Mail passes through fields but the
life of the people and animals is not disturbed.
Ans: The birds turn their heads to see the coach. They keep sitting in their nests in the bush. They are not afraid at
all.
The poet says he has just seventy years old. His early twenty years of age which he has spent will not come
back. The rest of fifty years, he claims to have dedicated to seeing the beauty of the cherry tree. He says the
fifty years is very less time to fully enjoy the glory of Cherry. The poet will avail himself of every chance he
gets to visit woods to see the enchanting beauty of the cherry tree. He will see the cherry hanging with snow
whenever he gets a chance.
Questions Answers
Q1. What is the theme of the poem 'Loveliest of trees the cherry now'?
Ans: The theme has been given above.
Q.2. Describe the beauty of the cherry tree as described in the poem.
Ans: Cherry is covered with snow. It is totally white and looks graceful standing along the path. It is full of
bloom and its boughs are bending down with a load of bloom.
Q.3. What does the poet wishes in the last stanza?
Ans: The poet wants to spend his remaining life enjoying the beauty of the cherry tree. He wishes to go to
the woodland to see the cherry tree in bloom.
Questions Answers
Q.1. What does the fearer tell the farer?
Ans: The fearer tells the farer about the discomforts in the way. He tells him that there is no food and water,
there is darkness everywhere in the way. In this way, he tries to scare him.
Q.2. What are the qualities of the rider as described in this poem?
Ans: The rider is a brave and courageous person. He is optimistic and daring. He is a determined and
challenge-taking person.
Q.4. What does the reader tell the rider about the valley?
Ans: The reader is a timid and negative character. He tells the rider not to go there. He tells that the valley is
fatal. The furnaces burn there. There is Yonder's midden with its bad smell. He tells that the whole you see
is actually a grave where will be buried.
Summary
The poem presents a picture of a dark street of fruit stalls. It is evening and the poet is standing in the street
of fruit stalls. The evening is cold and the fruit sellers are selling their fruits. They have beautifully piled up
their fruit in conical shape. The fruit reflects colours. The fruits look like cannonballs in the dim light of the
lantern.
When the children enter the lantern's orbit, the poet looks at their faces. They are happy with a coin to spend.
They are contented what they have. They see melon, guava, and other fruits and their mouths begin to water.
They pick up a fruit and break it open. The juice comes out and they relish every drop of it. The juice also
sticks to their fingers and cheeks. They are busy in their enjoyment while the poet is standing, watching
them. They do not notice the presence of the poet.
The poem delivers a thoughtful message to the reader. The poet has beautifully described the fact that joy
has nothing to do with money. No one can buy joys. They are present everywhere. We just have to overlook
anxieties and worries. The life becomes pleasant.
Questions Answers
Q.1. What are the feelings of the poet standing in the dark?
Ans: The poet is feeling the inner state of the children in the street eating juicy fruits. The poet reflects that
the children are a happy creature as they do not bother to worry about what is happening in the world.
Q.2. Why has the poet used 'cannonballs' to describe the fruits?
Ans: The poet has used cannon balls to describe the fruits because they look like cannonballs in the dim
light of the lantern.
The poet sees the woman who is going through bazaar bare foot. She is walking impressively and there is a
rhythm in here movement that can be seen in her swaying body and floating dress. The wind pushes the
cloth from her face. She has a stone jar on her head which she is carrying to her home. She walks as
smoothly as the wave of a stream. The poet is impressed by her dignified tread.
Dignity has no price.
She is passing through a bad path which has stones, pieces of glass and bread and garbage. The poet is
standing in Karachi slums watching her going with graceful tread on an od path. The poet feels that his own
body is bent by time but she is walking straight and erect. The poet reflects that the people who face
hardships and accept the challenges of life are strong and straight.
Difficult roads often lead to a beutiful destination.
The poem tells us that difficult and active lifestyle strengthen our body and we become resistant to negative
development in our body. The people who do less work and sit idle becomes too weak to keep themselves
straight and walk with loads on their heads. The poet is inspired by the Sindhi Woman.
Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it's Inspiring.
Q.3. What did the poet reflect when he saw the woman?
Ans: The poet reflects that the people who learn to walk under the weight of life stand most straight. He reflects that
the people who carry weight on their heads are able to walk and stand erect.
Q.4. What picture of Karachi slums do we get after reading the poem?
Ans: After reading the poem, we come to know that Karachi slums are dirty and uneven. There is garbage, broken
glass, pieces of bread and other rubbish on the paths.
Context:
The poet is impressed by the grace of A Sindhi Woman. She is going through the bazaar barefoot with a jar on her
head. She is walking smoothly and here graceful tread impresses the poet. The poet has tried to give us a lesson that
hardworking people are strong and courageous. Life should not be lived, rather it should be earned.
Stanza 1 Explanation
Barefoot, through the ............... in her tread
In this Stanza the poet describes how the Sindhi woman is walking through the bazaar. She even isn't wearing shoes
in her feet. She is walking is wavy tread and is looking graceful. She is carrying a stone jar high on her head. The wind
blows away her cloth from her face. She is walking smoothly and nothing can disturb her tread. Not a sing ripple can
be observed in her tread. The poet wants to tell us how a woman learns to live in all type of circumstances.
Stanza 2 Explanation
Watching her cross ........... beneath a weight
In this stanza, the poet describes the environment through which the Sindhi woman is walking. The poet also
describes his own feelings after watching the Sindhi woman walking barefoot through an unclean path. The poet
says that he sees her straight and erect, walking barefoot through Karachi slums on a path full of garbage, crumbs
and broken glass. The body of the poet is bent down with age. He cannot stand straight like the Sindhi Woman. The
poet reflects that the people who learn to walk beneath a weight can stand most straight. The poet gives us a lesson
that laziness and idleness can make you weak and you stoop down. you lose the power to stay straight.
Reference
These lines have been taken from the poem Times from the book Ecclesiastes. This poem is assumed to be written
by King Solomon in Ancient times.
Context
The poem has a clear message that everything and every happening in the world has a fixed time. Nature has set a
timetable for all the events occurring in our daily life. Nothing can be done before time. The author wants to make us
realize the presence and autonomy of God. He conveys us a message that our life and even this world is fully
planned and controlled a supreme power (Allah).
Stanza 1 Explanation
To everything there............ to die
In these lines, the poet says that there is a specific period for everything in the world. Everything in the world is
bound to happen at a specific time. There is a time to born and similarly, death has also a fixed time. we cannot
cheat death when it is the time of its approach. The author tries to satisfy the readers by putting a time-bracket to
their desires and wishes. The readers feel contented as they know they cannot get anything before the time.
Stanza 2 Explanation
A time to plant ............ to build up
In these lines, the poet emphasizes the reality that there is a time for all we do in our life. There is a time to plant
crops, trees, and other plants. There is the season for every crop to be plucked. We cannot get the fruit of our hard
work before time. There is a time to break down things like buildings and bridges. There is a time to build new
buildings, houses, and bridges. Even modern science has proved this philosophy of the poet.
Stanza 3 Explanation
A time to weep......... stones together
In these lines, the poet signifies the importance of time for everything. Our happiness and sorrow also have a
predetermined time. This thinking of the poet leads the reader towards spiritual beliefs. For that, we all know that
God plans our life and we act accordingly. So, the problems and comforts have also a fixed time. There is a time to
cry and a time to celebrate. There is a time to cast away the stones and a time to collect them together.
Stanza 4 Explanation
A time to embrace..... time to lose
In this stanza, the poet tells that there is a time to accept the things, persons and new ideas. A time to build new
relationships. There is a time to end a relationship. There is time to abstain from accepting the other things and
persons. There is a fixed time to get and to lose. So, we cannot get anything beforehand. This is a bitter reality that
we are helpless before nature. We can do nothing if we lose our dear ones. Similarly, there is a time to get blessings.
Stanza 5 Explanation
A time to keep........time to sew
The poet says that there is a time to keep the things with you and there is also a time to throw them away. This
philosophy simply points towards our attitude of "use and throw". There is fixed time to tear away and a time to
mend. The poet highlights the working of natural forces. Sometimes we destroy the things with our hands and
sometimes we mend them and repair them.
The time keeps changing and the things and happenings also change and reverse. We all are bound to float on a ship
of the time.
Timing is everything. If it meant to happen, it will, at the right time, for the right season.
Similarly, things also happen in a cycle. The winter is followed by spring. The summer is followed by autumn. This
cycle continues forever and the system of the universe keeps running. We see that there is a time to born and a time
to die. We have time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to speak and a time to remain silent is also fixed.
Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough - George Bernard Shaw
There is a time to plant and reap. The time to build and break down is fixed. There is also a fixed time to lose
something and a time to get it back.
The poet, in fact, has tried to make us realize that we cannot change the course of Nature. We cannot get anything
before time - nor we should worry about losing something if the time of loss is not yer arrived.
Tip: This poem is not important for an explanation from the exams point of view 2020. Anyhow, the stanza 2 may
come in the paper. Stanza 1 is not important for the 2020 exams.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem Ozymandias written by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Context:
The poet has beautifully linked to pride and the wrecked reality of life with an event. When a man gets power, he
becomes proud, merciless and cruel. He enjoys the luxuries of life and forgets his end. The poet has conveyed the
idea that the feelings of superiority in a man are only self-deception. The reality is death.
Stanza 1
I met a traveler from an ....... the heart that fed:
Explanation:
In these lines, the poet tells that he met a traveler from an old and deserted land. The traveler told him that he saw
two big legs standing in the desert. The two huge legs, which were made of stone, were standing without the upper
part of the body. The other part of the statue lay nearby. The arms and the face were broken and it was in a
miserable condition. It was half sunk into the sand. The sand and dust covered the body. Yet the signs of displeasure
and expressions of ruthlessness and pride could be noticed on the face of the sculpture.
The poet says that the skillful hands of the sculptor had left the accurate expression of the man into his sculptor. The
expression of aggression, power, and pride was even obvious on the lifeless body of the King. The poet has tried to
explain that immorality has a permanent impression on our body as well as on our soul. So, it cannot be erased even
we pass away.
Stanza 2
And on the pedestal ...... stretch far away
Explanation:
In these lines, the poet has described what we can call the message of the poem. As the traveler continues to
describe what he saw in the desert, he says that there were some texts written in the base of the statue. It read as
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
The texts tell that the name of the king was Ozymandias. He was the most powerful king. He ordered the kings to see
his statue and feel belittled. But the tragedy is that now nothing remains except a lifeless statue of the king. The
huge statue itself tells about the glory of the king. But now this huge and splendid statue has fallen the victim of
nature.
The broken pieces of the statue are being vanished in the sand. The sand is stretching far away and the statue of
King Ozymandias is getting a thick layer of sand on it. It cannot be seen anywhere.
The poet tells that he met a traveler from an ancient deserted country. The traveler told the poet about two huge,
bodiless legs made of sones that he had seen standing in the desert. The body of the man was lying near broken and
half sunk in the sand.
His body had the signs and impression of his cruelty and pride. He must be a proud king or a lord. The impressions on
his face curved the inner state of the man. One could guess that he would have been proud and merciless.
At the pedestal of the statue, between his legs, was written that he was Ozymandias, the king of the kings. He was
powerful and did great achievements. But all it resulted in despair and frustration.
Nothing, but a broken statue is now lying in the desert. All his pomp and show has vanished and his name is gone
from the world. This is how we come and go from the world.
The poet leaves us with deep thoughts about what is the value of our lives. We must serve humanity so that people
may remember us in their prayers.
Ozymandias Poem questions answers important
I have written all the notes of English book III for 1st year and class 10 students. You can find that there is a
list of all poems in Book III here and the notes and questions answers and the explanation is given for each
and every poem. The summaries of all poems are also given.