NCERT Solutions: Poem - Rain on the Roof

Thinking about the Poem

I.

Q1: What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

(a) Humid shadows
Ans: "Humid shadows" suggest dark, moisture-filled clouds or the damp, shaded feeling that comes before and during rain. The phrase creates an image of heaviness in the air and a quiet, subdued mood that often accompanies a rainy night.

(b) Starry spheres
Ans: "Starry spheres" means the round, wide sky studded with stars. It evokes a calm, beautiful night overhead and gives a sense of the vast, peaceful space above the cottage while the rain falls below.

(c) What a bliss
Ans: "What a bliss" expresses the poet's deep pleasure and contentment. He feels a warm, restful happiness as he lies on his bed listening to the soft rain, which makes him feel safe and comforted.

(d) A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start
Ans: This phrase means that many gentle daydreams and imaginative thoughts come alive at once. The steady sound of rain stirs the poet's imagination, so his quiet fancies begin to move and become lively in his mind.

(e) A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof
Ans: Here, the poet compares memories to fine threads carried in the air by the rain's rhythm. These memories interlace like the wool or woof of a cloth, forming a warm, connected fabric of recollections-especially memories of his mother and childhood.

Q2: What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Ans: When it rains, the poet likes to lie with his head on the pillow in his cottage bed, listening to the soft patter of rain on the roof. He enjoys the calm and comfort that the sound brings, letting his thoughts and memories drift gently into his mind.

Q3: What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the "darling dreamers" he refers to?
Ans: The single major memory that comes to the poet is of his mother-her tender, loving gaze as she looked at her children. The "darling dreamers" are the poet and his brothers and sisters as children, whom their mother used to tuck into bed and watch over with affection.

Q4: Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Ans: No, the poet is not a child now; he is an adult looking back on his childhood. His mother is no longer with him now; he remembers her from childhood.; he recalls her lovingly and feels her memory strongly when the rain reminds him of those nights.

II. 

Q1: When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poets did? 
Ans: Example Answer:
Yes, my mother used to tuck me in when I was small. I remember her smoothing the blanket over me, checking that I was warm, and telling a short story or singing a lullaby. Those moments made me feel safe and loved and are warm memories I think of even now.

Q2: Do you like the rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?
Ans: Example Answer: 
Yes, I enjoy the rain, especially when it falls steadily and creates a steady, soothing sound. On such days I usually stay indoors, sit by a window, sip hot tea, read a book or talk with family. Sometimes I simply close my eyes and listen to the rain, letting it bring back pleasant memories.

Q3: 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. 
Ans: No, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a cosy bed when it rains. Many people live in places without proper shelter and must take refuge under makeshift covers, bus shelters or shop awnings. Stray animals often hide beneath banyan trees, in doorways or under the corrugated roofs of small stalls, shivering and trying to stay dry. At the same time, some people turn the rain into a small opportunity-shopkeepers and tea sellers get more customers who wait out the rain and buy something warm. The contrast between those who are sheltered and those who are exposed makes the rainy scene both comforting for some and difficult for others.