Rain in Summer

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Something about the poet :

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( 1807- 1882 ) was a New Englander . He had a multifaceted personality as he was a scholar, teacher, translator, editor, travel writer and poet. He did much valuable work according to Barrett Wendell “transplanting of culture “. He uplifted the value of thought and artistic creation and considered the life devoted to it dignified and useful.

Intelligent and sympathetic reading of Longfellow ‘s poetry can enable the young students to both what is good and what is deficient in their culture. His poetry is simple but has depth, an assurance and serenity not easy to be found elsewhere.Simplicity,charm,thought and depth are the qualities of his poetry.

Synopsis:

The poem has four stanzas and each stanza describes one aspect of the rain. In the first stanza the poem opens with a strong praise of the rain “How beautiful is the rain!”that comes “after the dust and heat” . In the second stanza, the poet describes the scary element of the rain when ” it clatters the roofs like the horse’s hoofs and struggles to gush out from an overflowing spout. In the last stanza, the poet describes the the situation one finds after the torrential pouring where becomes a muddy tide that “roars” like a gutter down the river.

theme:

Rain is synonymous to joy and beauty. It is like a blessing for all who burn in the hot summer day but all at once rain comes like a kind mother and pours them with the freshness and coolness that they forget the hardships of the sun and sing, ” How beautiful is the rain! “

Questions : see page 64

1.I live in Karachi that has a hot weather so when rain comes suddenly , the whole atmosphere becomes so watery and beautiful at the same time muddy but even then rain is rain, all welcome it cheerfully.

2. The lines are :

How beautiful is the rain!/After the dust and heat,/In the broad and fiery street,/In the narrow lane, /How beautiful is the rain!

3.The street is called “fiery”because during the summer, it becomes hot like fire.

Some important questions:

Q1. What charms does the rain bring in the hot summer day?

Ans. Rain in a hot summer day is a great blessing and surprise. It makes the hot and dusty atmosphere so pleasant as well as cools the fiery street and compels all to sing “How beautiful is the rain! ”

Q2. What effect does the rain produce when it clatters along the roofs?

Ans. The rain produces not only a soft and smooth effect but it has a different face as well when it clatters along the roofs like the tramp of hoofs. It means horse hoofs that pound all that comes under their hoofs and make the feeble hearts feel scared.

Q3.What does the tramp of hoofs mean?

Ans. The tramp of hoofs mean the sound of the heavy hoofs of the horses.

Q4. What happens when the rain pours across the window pain?

Ans. It makes a muddy tide and roars like a river down the gutter.

End of the poem