Class 11 English The Voice of Rain summary

“The Voice of the Rain“

by Walt Whitman

1. Poem : “The Voice of the Rain”

   Poet   :   Walt Whitman

2. Summary of the Poem

• The poet asks the rain, “And who art thou?” and strangely, the rain replies, calling itself the “poem of earth.”
• The rain says that it is born from the earth but cannot be seen since it is in the form of vapors.
• It rises into the sky to form clouds and then falls back to the earth in the form of drops.
• It removes droughts and washes away even the tiniest particles.
• It falls on dry seeds, which appear lifeless, and helps them sprout into saplings.
• It gives life to its own origin, i.e., earth; it purifies and beautifies the earth.
• Like a song coming out from the heart, it spreads joy all around and seeps back into the earth.

3. Poetic Devices Used in the Poem
4. Personification:

“Said the voice of the rain” – Rain speaks throughout the poem.

2. Antithesis:

“All together changed, and yet the same” – Two opposite ideas have been pulled

together to describe the continuous cycle of rain.

3. Metaphor:

“I am the poem of the earth.”

4. Theme of the Poem
5. The poet portrays the life cycle of rain and compares it to a song.
6. The poem discusses a conversation between the poet and the rain, where the rain calls itself the “poem of the earth.”
7. The rain describes its journey:

• It rises as vapors from the land and sea.
• It forms clouds and falls back to the earth to refresh drought-filled lands.
• This helps seeds grow into beautiful greenery.

4. The poet compares his role in creating poems to the role of rain, as both bring life and beauty.
5. The rain symbolizes the cycle of life in all living things.
6. The rain completes the cycle of life, much like the life of all human beings.