Class 9 Beehive – (poem): Rain on the Roof
I. 1. What do the following phrases mean to you?
(i) 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
Answer: 1. (i) “Humid shadows” refer to the dark clouds that produce rain.
(ii) “Starry spheres” refer to the night sky abounding in stars.
(iii) “What a bliss” refers to the happiness of the poet. When it rains poet gets
into his cottage and enjoy the patter of rain upon the roof.
(iv) This refers to the various imaginary thoughts and fantasies that are aroused
in the poet’s mind.
(v) This phrase means that numerous memories intermingle to form a beautiful
picture that the poet recollects.
2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Answer: When it rains, the poet feels delighted to lie with his head pressed
against the pillow of his cottage chamber bed and listen to the patter of the soft
rain.
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
and her loving gaze. The ‘darling dreamers’ are the poet and his siblings in their
childhood when they were lovingly put to sleep by their mother.
4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Answer: No, the poet is not a child now. He is a grown-up man. He remembers
her when he is inside his cosy cottage and enjoy the pattern of rain on the roof.
It is uncertain whether she is still alive, but the poet does speak of his mother
like she is not with him presently. He remembers her fondly as if they were
separated and did not see each other anymore. Like in these lines “Now in
memory comes my mother, as she used in years agone”
II. 1 and 2 answer it yourself.
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: No, everybody is not fortunate enough to have a cosy bed to lie in
when it rains. Not everybody gets to enjoy the comfort of cosy homes during
rain. I have seen animals seeking shelter under trees and under the tin roofs of
the small roadside tea stalls. The people passing by shoo away these animals
and try to shrink themselves under the limited space of these shops. The poor
animals are left shivering and drenching on the roads. The shopkeepers of such
stalls are delighted as the people waiting for the rain to subside often
end up buying tea and snacks.
