1.
What do the following phrases mean to
you? Discuss in class.
(Ö) humid shadows
(ii) starry spheres
(iii) what a bliss
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy
being start
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air
threads into woof
Ans.
(i)'humid shadows' refers to the dark clouds
which are full of water.
(ii) 'starry spheres' refers to the sky at night time
which is full of stars.
(iii)'bliss' means a blessing.
(iv) 'a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being
start' means that people start having varied
Sweet dreams.
(v)'a thousand recollections weave their air
threads into woof means that when people are
asleep, the memories of the past come back
into their mind in the form of dreams.
2. What does the poet like to do when it
rains?
Ans.When it rains, the poet likes to lay in bed
and hear the rain falling on the roof of his
room.
3. What is the single major memory that
comes to the poet? Who are the "darling
dreamers" he refers to?
Ans. The poet has memories of his beloved
mother. When he was a child, she would put
him and his siblings to bed and alowed them to
sleep till late. They had sweet dreams in their
sleep. "Darling Dreamers" refers to the poet and
his siblings when they were children and had
Sweet dreams. They were loved by their mother
and so, were her 'darlings'.
4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still
alive?
Ans. No, now the poet is not a child. He is an
adult. His mother is not alive anymore.
Q4. 'And the melancholy darkness gently
weeps in rainy tears'. Explain the phrase
'melancholy darkness'. What does it do?
Ans. The dark clouds carrying rain are referred
to as "melancholy darkness." The poet imagines
that the sky's cloud cover, which is heavy and
drab, is depressing and dismal. The poet goes
on to believe that the clouds are crying and that
raindrops are forming from their tears.
Q5. What is a 'bliss' for the poet in the poem
'Rain on the Roof?
Ans. The poet finds it tobe lovely to relax in his
comfortable bed, his headon the pillow, and
take in the sounds of raindrops hitting the roof
shingles. He likes the way the sounds of nature
make him think of happy memories and
fantasies.
Q6. When do the thousand dreamy fancies'
begin to weave in the poet's mind? What are
these fancies?
Ans. The poet's head is overflowing with ideas
and fantasies as he rests in his cosy bed in his
cottage, Ilistening tothe rain's gentle rhythm on
the roof. His imagination is spun into colourful,
fanciful colours by these fantasies or
imaginative concepts.
Q7. What feelings does the falling rain
arouse in the poet in the poem 'Rain on the
Roof?
Ans. The poet begins byreferring to the
raindrops as the tears of the ominous, dark
clouds. Yet as he snuggles into his bed and
listens to the patter of rain on the shingles, he
finds great joy in the sound and loses himself in
recollectionsand fantasies.
Q8. What are the poet's feelings as the rain
falls on the shingles?
Ans. The poet hears the tinkling sound of the
rain on the shingles as it falls, and it fills his
heart. His melancholy is dispeled and his heart
is filled with a million fancies and happy
memories of his mother as he listens to the
patter of raindrops on the roof.
Q9. 'Now in memory comes my mother.
When does the poet remember his mother?
What does it show about him?
Ans. While the poet rests in bed in his cottage
chamber and takes in the sounds of The poet
cherished his mum. When he was lying in his
comfortable bed, listening to the rain, he
thought about her. He gets the impression that
she was smiling at him.
Q10. AsIlist to this refrain. Which kind of
refrain is the poet referring to?
Ans. The poet is listeningto the sound of rain
falling nonstop on his cottage's roof while
relaxing in his cosy bed. Refrain here alludes to
the relentless pounding of raindrops on his
roof's tiles.
Q11. What feeling does every tinkle on the
shingle create for the poet?
Ans. Every raindrop that hits the roof's tiles
beats in time with the poet's heartbeat. This fills
his head with countless dreams and keeps him
busy. His imagination begins to spin tales of
happy memories from the past as he
concentrates on listening to the roofs pitter
patter.
Q12. Do youthink the poet enjoys the rain?
Ans. The poet initially feels despair and sorrow
at the approaching darkness as the clouds
gather and the rain begins to fall. His
demeanour is dejected. Yet, the sound of the
rainfall on the shingles eventually calms him,
and he begins to daydream and think fondly of
his mother.
