English Solution Class 9 P7. Song of the Rain

P7. Song of the Rain

Lesson at a Glance

·         The drops of the rain are like the dotted silver threads dropped from heaven by gods.

·         Nature sends the rain to adorn its fields and valleys.

·         The drops of rain are like ‘pearls’ plucked from the crown of the goddess Ishtar.

·         When it rains, hills laugh and flowers rejoice.

·         The rain acts as a messenger of mercy between two lovers-the fields and the cloud.

·         The voice of thunder announces the arrival of the rain.

·         The rainbow declares its departure.

·         It is like earthly life, beginning at the feet of ‘mad elements’ and ending under the uplifted wings of death.

·         It emerges from the heart of the sea and descends when ‘a field is in need’.

·         The rain has its own music which can be heard by all but can be understood only by a few sensitive souls.

·         It is the ‘sigh’ of the sea, the ‘laughter’ of the field and the ‘tears’ of heaven.

Summary of the lesson

The rain defines itself as the dotted silver thread dropped from the heaven by the gods. Nature sends it to ‘adorn her fields and valleys’. It is a ‘messenger of mercy’ between the two lovers-the fields and the clouds. It quenches the thirst of parched fields embracing the flowers and trees ‘ in a million little ways’. The arrival of the rain is like a welcome song which all can hear but ‘only the sensitive’ can understand and feel it. The rain is ‘the sigh of the sea’, the laughter of the field and the tear of heaven.

Reference to Context

Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow:

1. I am dotted silver thread dropped from heaven

By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn

Her fields and valleys.

I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the

Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn

To embellish the gardens.

Paraphrase: The rain calls itself the shimmering drops falling one after another from heaven sent by gods. Nature has adopted it to decorate her fields and valleys. The rain calls herself the ‘pearls’ that were plucked from the crown of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility by the daughter of Dawn to decorate the gardens.

Questions:

i) How does the rain define itself?

The rain calls itself the shimmering drops falling one after another from heaven sent by gods.

ii) Why has nature adopted the rain?

Nature has adopted it to add beauty to the fields and valleys.

iii) ‘I am beautiful pearls’. Name the poetic devices used in this line.

‘Personification’ and ‘metaphor’ are the poetic devices used in this line.

2. When I cry the hills laugh;

When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;

When I bow, all things are elated.

The field and the cloud are lovers

And between them I am a messenger of mercy.

I quench the thirst of the one;

I cure the ailment of the other.

Paraphrase: the rain continues telling that when she cries the hills laugh. When it shows its modesty, the flowers make merry. When it bows down and fall, all things are very happy and excited. The fields and clouds are lovers and the rain is a messenger of mercy between them. The rain quenches the thirst of the field and cures the ailment of the other (cloud). In other words, it relieves the heavily vapour-laden clouds by taking the form of water drops.

Questions:

i) What does the rain sighs from the deep sea?

With love the rain sighs from the deep sea of love and affection.

ii) How does it fall down from the endless heaven?

The rain falls down like tears from the endless heaven of memories.

iii) What is the rain for the colourful fields of the soul?

It rises like laughter from the colourful fields of the soul.

Questions from Textbook

1. (a) Given below are five lines from a poem but they are not in the right order. Get into groups of four. Read the lines and put them in the right order. Read the version that you develop to the whole class.

i) I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven.

ii) The voice of thunder declares my arrival.

iii) The rainbow announces my departure.

iv) I emerge from the heart of the sea.

v) I descend and embrace the flowers.

(b) What is ‘I’ in these lines?

‘I’ stands for the rain.

4. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

i) The rain calls itself the ‘dotted silver threads’ as……………..

a) the shimmering drops fall one after another

b) it ties heaven and earth

c) it dots the earth with shimmering water

d) it decorates the fields

ii) The tone and mood of the rain in the poem reflect it’s………………

a) love for the earth

b) desire to take revenge

c) merriment as it destroys

d) desire to look beautiful

5. Answer the following questions:

i) Why is the rain divine?

The rain appears to be divine because it comes down from heaven. The shimmering drops of rain look like silver threads dropped from heaven from the gods. Moreover, it is a life-giving force that elates and smiles all flowers, fields and valleys.

ii) In this universe, rain performs many functions. What are those?

In the universe the rain performs many functions. It is sent by Nature to adorn its fields and valleys and gardens. Hills laugh, flowers rejoice and ‘all are elated’ when it rains. The rain quenches the thirst of fields and relieves the clouds of their heaviness of vapours. It embraces flowers and trees in a million little ways.

iii) “When I cry the hills laugh;

When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;

When I bow, all things are elated.”

Cry, humble and bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the three in context.

Certainly, ‘cry’, ‘humble’ and ‘bow’ indicate different intensities with which the rain falls. ‘Cry’ means full blast of the rain that makes ‘hills laugh’ as they receive a lot of rainy water. ‘Humble’ stands for mild intensity of the rain that makes flowers dance and rejoice themselves. “Bow’ here means a general rainfall that elates all.

iv) How do you think the rain quenches the thirst of the fields and cures cloud’s ailment?

Naturally, when the rain falls it quenches the thirst of fields. The parched fields only wait for the rain. The rain cures the aliment of clouds. It means the clouds become heavy and want to burst. But when it rains, they empty themselves into showers and become light again to float in the sky.

v) Think about million little ways in which the rain embraces the trees. Mention a few of them.

The poet says that the rain falls embraces the trees in about million little ways. It is just a hyperbolic expression. The rain embraces the trees when the showers or drops of rain fall on them. The showers fall on the trees and go deep into their roots. Even, rivers, lakes and drains carry rain water that reaches plants and trees.

vi) “…All can hear, but only the sensitive can understand’ what does the poet want to convey?

The rain has its own music. Everyone can hear the music and song of the rain. But not all can understand and feel it deeply. Only those with sensitive and delicate hearts can feel and understand the song of the rain.

vii) Notice the imagery built around ‘sigh of the sea’, ‘laughter of the field’ and ‘tears of heaven’. Explain the three expressions in context of rain.

The poet has built a very suggestive imagery of rain. He uses the alliteration ‘sigh of the sea’ to express the way seawater evaporates in the form of water vapours. The rain becomes the ‘laughter’ of the field when it helps the growing crops to smile and laugh in joy. As it drops from the sky; it appears as if heaven (sky) is shedding ‘tears’ from above.

viii) How would you express rain as..

-          An agent of flood?

Tears of sorrow

-          A source of water for dams?

Water of life

ix) “I am like earthly life…”

Why does the poet call rain as earthly life?

There is a similarity between earthly life and life cycle of rain. Rain’s arrival and departure is just like birth and death of earthly life. In both the cases, the end is inevitable.

x) Explain the ending of the song.

Khalil Gibran ends the poem with Philosophical overtones. The rain been termed as a ‘sigh’ rising from the deep love of affection. It is like a laughter that colours the soul. It is like ‘tears’ that fall from the endless heaven of memories.

6. ‘Ode to’ autumn’ is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet John Keats. Listen to an excerpt from the poem and pick phrases which personify autumn.

Phrases Personifying autumn

 i) Thee sitting carelessly on a granary floor

ii) Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind

iii) ……….while thy hook/Spares the next watch

iv) And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

v) Steady thy laden head across a brook

vi) Though watch the last oozing hours by hours.

7. Rain in the hills and rain the desert present entirely different scenario. In the hills it revitalises the greenery and freshens the vegetation; it waters the parched land and relieves the thirsty and panting souls in the desert.

This has been a year of scanty rains. Imagine how the rain would be welcomed when it pours in the hills and in the desert after a long dry spell. Choose one of the places and describe

a) What are you likely to see?

The rain revitalises the greenery washing out all dust and dust particles from plants, trees and their leaves. The rain refreshes the vegetation which comes to life again with the arrival of the rain.

b) What would happen to the rain water?

The rain water flows from the tops of the hills into small channels and brooks and soon takes the shape of river.

c) What would be the scene before and after the rain?

No doubt, greenery and vegetation were there even before the rain. But its appearance was dull and dusty. After the rain, everything looks refreshed, more green and full of life.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 Words)

1. How is the rain compared to ‘the silver threads’ and ‘beautiful pearls’?

The poet khalil Gibran presents some beautiful images of the rain. The shimmering drops of rain falling one after the other look like the ‘dotted silver threads’. It appears as if the gods themselves are dropping those silver threads from heaven. Similarly, the pure white drops of the rain are compared to the ‘beautiful pearls’ plucked from the crown of Ishtar. Both the comparisons appear to be apt and logical.

2. Describe the beneficial effect of the rain on different objects of the earth.

When the rain blasts into showers, the hills laugh. Their vegetation gets a new base of life. When it falls ‘humbly’, the flower rejoice its fall. When it arrives, all feel elated. Its ‘silver-threads’ adorn fields and valleys. Its ‘beautiful pearls’ decorate the gardens.

3. How does the rain act as a messenger of mercy?

Khalil Gibran presents the rain as a messenger of mercy. It acts as a messenger between the two lovers—the cloud and the filed. When the parched fields are thirsty, the rain provides an immediate relief by quenching their thirst. Similarly, the rain relieves the clouds of their heaviness of vapours.

4. What is the song and music of the rain and why ca n only the sensitive understands it?

The rain has its own music. The very arrival of the rain is like a ‘welcome song’. Everyone can hear the welcome song of the rain. But there are very few who can feel, appreciate and understand this melodious music and song of the rain. Only people with sensitive and delicate hearts can appreciate and understand it.

5. Describe the ending of the poem. How does the rain associate itself with various objects of nature and emotions of human beings?

Khalil Gibran gives a philosophical and emotional overtone while ending the poem. The rain becomes ‘the sigh’ of the sea, ‘the laughter’ of the field and ‘the tears’ of heaven. It sighs from the deep sea of love and affection. It makes the spirit of man rejoice and laugh. The poet calls it the tears that come down from the ‘endless heaven of memories’.

6. Justify the title ‘Song of the Rain’.

Khalil Gibran captures the rain in various images, intensity and sounds. The rain can ‘cry’ when it is in full blast. It falls ‘humbly’ when it softly touches the flowers. When it ‘Bows’, it is an occasion for all to be elated. The rain has its own music. Its very arrival is like a ‘welcome song’. Everyone can hear this music or song but only those with sensitive and delicate hearts can feel an understand it. Hence, the title ‘song of the rain’ is most appropriate and logical.

II. Value based long answer question (Word limit: 80-100 words)

1. How is the rain the ‘sigh’ of the sea, the laughter of the field and the ‘tears’ of heaven? Describe the various functions performed by the rain that affect the earthly life.

Khalil Gibran presents the rain performing various functions that effect the universe and the life on the earth. Its dotted silver threads dropped from heaven look divine. Nature has sent it to decorate her fields and valleys. The cry of rain is a matter of rejoicing and laughter for the hills. They get a new lease of life. The vegetation, trees and rivulets are replaced. Its ‘humble’ showers make the flowers dance with joy. Everyone is elated when it bows and falls on the earth as a blessing. The rain acts as ‘a messenger of mercy’ between the two lovers, the field and the cloud. It quenches the thirst of the parched fields and relives the clouds heaviness of vapours. The thunder marks its arrival and the rainbow announces its departure. It emerges from the sea and sours with the breeze. It embraces flowers, trees and other vegetation in ‘a million little ways’.

The rain has its own music or song. Everyone can hear it but only a few can understand it. Only highly sensitive and delicate souls can feel and understand it. It is the ‘sigh’ of the sea, ‘the laughter’ of the field and ‘the tears’ of heaven.

2. Describe the various images, movement and sounds of the rain.

How is the rain associated with the various objects of the earth and the emotions of human beings?

Khalil Gibran presents the rain in all its glory, movements, sounds and colours. The very first image gives a divine touch to the rain. Its shimmering dotted silver threads are dropped from the heaven by the gods themselves. In the next image, Gibran compares the rain to ‘beautiful white pearls’ plucked from the crown of the Ishtar. Then in three images, the poet expresses the different intensity movement and sounds of the rain. When it ‘cries’, the hills laugh. When its falls down in ‘humble’ and soft drops, the flowers rejoice. When it bows and spreads showers all around, everyone is ‘elated’. The ‘voice of thunder’ declares is its arrival. The rainbow announces its departure. It images from the heart of the sea and sours with the breeze. It embraces flowers and trees in a ‘million little ways’. It is a ‘sigh’ of the sea. It is the ‘laughter’ of the field. It is ‘the tears of heaven’.

The rain has its own music and song. It can be heard by all but only can few understand and feel its music or song. Only the sensitive and delicate souls and hearts can feel and understand the melodies of the rain.