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THE VOICE OF THE RAIN

BY: WALT WHITMAN

Walter "Walt" Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.Born in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and—in addition to publishing his poetry—was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral became a public spectacle.[2][3]

WALT WHITMAN

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and yet the same,I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin, and make pure and beautify it;(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering,Reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns.)

THE VOICE OF THE RAIN

The Voice of the Rain is a poem that celebrates rain and its natural-cycle for the benefit of earth and the life it supports.The poem begins with the poet asking for the identity of the soft-falling rain shower. Much to the surprise of the poet, the rain replies to his question. And, the poet translates this ‘voice’ of the rain for his readers.The rain identifies itself as the ‘Poem of Earth’. It says that it rises from the land and the deep sea, in the form of the intangible water vapours, and goes up to the immeasurable sky. It then takes the form of clouds with various shapes. Although it changes in its form and shape, its core existence remains the same.It descends or falls on the surface of the earth to eliminate droughts, wash away the tiny particles and settle down the dust-layers. It reinvigorates the dry lands and gives life to the seeds that, otherwise, would have remained dormant and unborn. Thus, the rain drops rise in the form of vapours only to come back to its origin in the form of rain. During this cycle, it purifies and beautifies (by nourishing the unborn seeds) the planet.The last two lines of the poem are the poet’s reflection upon the answer given by the rain. The poet observes that the life of rain is similar to that of a song. A song originates from the heart of the poet, travels to reach others and after fulfilling its purpose (whether acknowledged or not), it returns to the poet with all due love. Similarly, the rain rises from the land and oceans, wanders, fulfills its purpose of nourishing life and purifying the planet, and then returns to its birth-place. 

SUMMARY

IMPORTANT LINES‘Which strange to tell…’Often, poets took on the role of the mediator between nature and humanity. The poet admits it was strange that he could understand the rain and now takes up the task of translating the answer for the readers.‘I am the poem of the earth’There is an immediate metaphoric comparison between the rain and poetry. However, this significance only comes to light in the poet’s reflection at the end of the poem.‘Eternal I rise…’The sense of permanence is extremely strong throughout the poem. The cyclic lifestyle is endless and shall continue as long as the connect between the rain and earth persists. The words ‘eternal’, ‘impalpable’, ‘bottomless’ show that though we record the overt reality, the true scope of nature remains tantalizingly beyond our rational comprehension.

‘Altogether changed, and yet the same’The rain changes its appearance from intangible vapours to abstract clouds, yet, at its core, it remains the rain. This is the universal law that energy is never destroyed; only transferred from one form to another. Hence, ironically, in change, lies eternity.‘I give back life to my own origin’The rain falls to bring life to the unborn seeds hidden in the earth, it’s own birth-place.

‘(For song… duly with love returns)’These lines have been placed in parenthesis because they are not a part of the conversation between the poet and the rain, rather its aftermath where the poet reflects on the conversation. He realises that the rain’s life is similar to that of any song. A song’s birth place is the poet’s heart. Once complete, it is passed on (wanders) from one person to another. It may change (reck’d) or remain the same (unreck’d) as it travels, but one day, it returns to the poet with all due love of the listeners.

COMMENT ON THE STYLE OF THE POEM

Walt Whitman broke several conventions of poetry when writing this poem. There is no rhyme scheme nor do the lines stay of the same length. Although each phrase is just enough to be read in one breath, we find ourselves breathless as the line runs on and eventually becomes a part of the whole. This kind of poetry was known as prosaic poetry, that is, poetry that is written like prose.

DONE BY:AKHIL DEV.G

Class: XI