Chapter 3: Rain on the Roof

BEFORE YOU READ:

When the sky is covered with dark clouds and it starts raining, have you ever listened to the patter of soft rain on the roof? What thoughts flashed through your mind as you heard this melody of nature? Read the poem to find out what the poet dreamed of while listening to the rain.

Answer:

Yes, I have often listened to the patter of the soft rain on the roof during the rainy season. This melody of nature brings to my mind the carefree days of my childhood, when I enjoyed playing in the rain with my friends.

(A model answer has been provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer based on their own experience and understanding.)

Thinking about the Poem

I.

Question 1: What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

(i) Humid shadows

(ii) Starry spheres

(iii) What a bliss

(iv) A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start

(v) A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

Answer:

(i) Humid shadows refer to the dark clouds that produce rain.

(ii) Starry spheres refer to the night sky abounding in stars.

(iii) The phrase what a bliss refers to an extremely happy and heavenly feeling.

(iv)This refers to the various imaginary thoughts and fantasies that are aroused in the poets mind.

(v) This phrase means that numerous memories intermingle to form a beautiful picture that the poet recollects.

Question 2: What does the poet like to do when it rains?

Answer:

When it rains, the poet feels delighted to lie with his head pressed against the pillow of his cottage chamber bed and listen to the patter of the soft rain.

Question 3: What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the darling dreamers he refers to?

Answer:

The single major memory that comes to the poet is that of his mother and her fond look.

The darling dreamers are the poet and his siblings in their childhood when they were lovingly put to sleep by their mother.

Question 4: Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

Answer:

No, the poet is not a child now.

The fact that the poet recollects with fondness his mother’s memories connote her absence. However, it is difficult to state whether she is dead or she is merely not staying with the poet any longer.

II.

Question 1: When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poets did?

Yes, my mother used to tuck me in when I was a young child, just like the poets mother did.

Answer:

(A model answer has been provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer based on their own experience and understanding.)

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 the rain. I love to feel the raindrops on my face; it rejuvenates my senses. During the rain, I enjoy spending time with my family, sitting under the shelter on the terrace.

(A model answer has been provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer based on their own experience and understanding.)

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 fortunate enough to have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. Not everybody gets to enjoy the comfort of cosy homes during rain. I have seen animals seeking shelter under trees and under the tin roofs of the small roadside tea stalls. The people passing by shoo away these animals and try to shrink themselves under the limited space of these shops. The poor animals are left shivering and drenching on the roads. The shopkeepers of such stalls are delighted as the people waiting for the rain to subside often end up buying tea and snacks.