NCERT Solutions: Poem 3 - Voice of the Rain

Ans: The two voices are the voice of the rain and the voice of the poet (the speaker who asks questions). The conversational lines that indicate this are: "And who art thou? said I ........." (the poet's question) and "I am the Poem of Earth" (the rain's reply).

2. What does the phrase "strange to tell" mean?
Ans: The phrase "strange to tell" means that the answer given is surprising or unusual - it is unexpected for the rain to describe itself in that way.

3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two.
Ans: Phrases such as "I am the Poem of Earth" and "For the song, issuing from its birthplace ... duly with love returns" indicate the parallel. The similarity is that both rain and a song originate from a source, travel away while performing a purpose, and then return to their origin after fulfilment - the rain completes a cycle on earth, and a song returns to the poet or its birthplace after being shared.

4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learned in science.
Ans: The poem describes the rain rising and then descending back to earth, washing the land and returning to its origin. This reflects the scientific water cycle: evaporation (water rises as vapour), condensation (formation of clouds), precipitation (rain falls), and collection (water returns to seas, rivers and soil), forming a continuous cycle.

5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets?
Ans: The last two lines are put within brackets because they express the poet's reflection, not the direct speech of the rain. Through these lines, the poet draws a parallel between the rain and a song-both originate from their source, travel outward to perform their function, and then return to their origin after completing their purpose. The brackets mark this as the poet's commentary, separate from the conversation.

6. List the pair of opposites found in the poem.
Ans: The poem contains several contrasting or cyclic pairs that highlight the movement and continuity of nature:

• Rise - Descend (the rain's upward and downward journey)
• Day - Night (continuous life-giving process)
• Reck'd - Unreck'd (noticed - unnoticed, symbolising universal giving)

II. Notice the following sentence patterns. Rewrite the sentences in prose.

1. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower.
Ans: I asked the soft-falling shower who it was.

2. I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain.
Ans: The voice of the rain said that it was the Poem of Earth.

3. Eternal I rise
Ans: The rain said that it rises eternally.

Ans: The poet explains that, like the rain's cycle, a song originates from its source, travels outward, and, after fulfilling its purpose, returns to its origin with love.

III. Look for some more poems on the rain and see how this one is different from them.

Ans: Many poems on rain, such as "Rain on the Roof" by Coates Kinney or "The Rain" by W. H. Davies, describe the pleasant, refreshing, or emotional effects of rainfall on human life and nature. They focus on the sound, mood, and beauty of rain.
However, Walt Whitman's "The Voice of the Rain" is philosophical and symbolic. It personifies rain as a living entity, "the Poem of Earth," which rises from land and sea, purifies the world, and returns to its origin. Unlike other poems that treat rain as a sensory or emotional experience, Whitman presents it as a cycle of creation, renewal, and harmony between Earth and sky.