Class 9, Poem 3: Rain on the Roof

Poem 3: Rain on the Roof**

By Coates Kinney

**Thinking about the Poem**

**I.**

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

    * **(i) humid shadows**

        * **Answer:** "Humid shadows" refer to the dark, moisture-laden clouds that are full of rain. The "shadows" represent the darkness brought by these clouds before it rains.

    * **(ii) starry spheres**

        * **Answer:** "Starry spheres" refer to the night sky which is full of stars. It represents the vast expanse of the sky where stars are located.

    * **(iii) what a bliss**

        * **Answer:** "What a bliss" means what a great joy or happiness. It expresses a feeling of immense pleasure and contentment.

    * **(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start**

        * **Answer:** This phrase means that numerous imaginative thoughts and fantasies begin to come alive in the poet's mind when he hears the rain.

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

        * **Answer:** This phrase means that many past memories intertwine and form a beautiful tapestry in the poet's mind, triggered by the sound of the rain. The "air-threads" suggest the delicate and ethereal nature of these memories, and "woof" refers to the threads woven across the warp in a loom, creating a fabric (of memories).

2. **What does the poet like to do when it rains?**

    * **Answer:** When it rains, the poet likes to lie in his cozy bed in his cottage-chamber, press his pillow, and listen to the pitter-patter sound of the soft rain falling on the roof.

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.

        The “darling dreamers” he refers to are likely the poet himself and his siblings when they were children, whom his mother used to tuck into bed and watch over till dawn.

4. **Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?**

    * **Answer:** No, the poet is not a child now; he is an adult recalling his childhood memories. His mother is no longer alive, as he refers to her "in years agone" and how she would look down on him and his siblings.

**II.**

1. **When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did?**

    * **Answer:** (This is a personal response question.)

        * *Example Answer:* Yes, when I was a young child, my mother used to tuck me in bed and tell me stories until I fell asleep.

2. **Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?**

    * **Answer:** (This is a personal response question.)

        * *Example Answer:* Yes, I like rain very much, especially when it's not too heavy. When it rains steadily, I like to sit by the window with a hot cup of tea or coffee and read a book, or just watch the rain fall and listen to its sound. Sometimes, if it's a light rain, I enjoy going out for a walk.

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:** (This is an observational and reflective question.)

        * *Example Answer:* No, everybody does not have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. Many homeless people have to seek shelter under bridges, in doorways, or at bus stops, often getting wet and cold.

            * Street vendors might try to cover their stalls with plastic sheets or quickly pack up their goods.

            * Daily wage labourers working outdoors might have to stop their work and find temporary shelter, losing their day's wages.

            * Stray animals like dogs and cats often huddle under parked cars, in a shop's awning, or any dry spot they can find.

            * Birds take shelter in the dense foliage of trees or in their nests.

            People with homes usually stay indoors, perhaps enjoying the rain from their windows or balconies.