Rain
By Edward Thomas
Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain
On this bleak hut, and solitude, and me
Remembering again that I shall die
And neither hear the rain nor give it thanks
For washing me cleaner than I have been
Since I was born into this solitude.
Blessed are the dead that the rain rains upon:
But here I pray that none whom once I loved
Is dying tonight or lying still awake
Solitary, listening to the rain,
Either in pain or thus in sympathy
Helpless among the living and the dead,
Like a cold water among broken reeds,
Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff,
Like me who have no love which this wild rain
Has not dissolved except the love of death,
If love it be for what is perfect and
Cannot, the tempest tells me, disappoint.
Summary of Rain
- Popularity of “Rain”: Written in 1916 by the English poet, essayist, writer, and above all soldier, Edward Thomas, this beautiful poem shows the writer’s internal situation synching with the external weather. The poem first appeared in 1917 and hit the nerves of the readers waiting to get something for reading from the soldiers. Although the poem does not present the location and activity of the poet when writing it, its gnawing solitude has made it popular across the globe as the presentation of an internal solitude and death wish.
- “Rain” As a Representative of Solitude and Love of Death: Edward Thomas, who happens to the be speaker of the poem, for he wrote this poem when in the trenches fighting as a soldier during WWI. Therefore, the time of midnight resonates not only in the presentation of the rain but also in the mind of the poet. He states that this midnight wild rain intensifies his sense of being alone. He expresses his thoughts about its blessings for cleaning and cleansing him even if he dies there in solitude. That is why he thinks that the dead ones having experienced the rain in their last days are the blessed people.
He thinks about his own predicament of being in pain or sympathy for the dead and the living and hanging in balance. He goes on to compare his situation with the cold water among the broken reeds to comment that he loves to die as the rain has done the job of his purification. In fact, he thinks that the love of death does not disappoint, and it is perfect love. - Major Themes in “Rain ”: Solitude and death wish are two major themes of the poem “Rain.” Edward Thomas has beautifully externalized his internal situation of disappointment, loneliness at the front, and the fear of death. However, he calls rain the wild rain that has arrived to cleanse him in case he dies on this front. He thinks about love and observes that the love of death is perfect and it never disappoints a man. It is better that he dies and is cleansed by the rain falling now.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Rain
Edward Thomas is skillful not only in writing poetry but also in using literary devices. Some of the major literary devices Thomas has used in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain” and the sound of /o/ in “Has not dissolved except the love of death.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /t/ in “tempest tells” or /r/ in “rain rains.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /n/ and /r/ in “Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain” and the sound of /s/ in “Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;
Like me who have no love which this wild rain
Has not dissolved except the love of death,
If love it be for what is perfect and
Cannot, the tempest tells me, disappoint.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Edward Thomas used imagery in this poem, such as “For washing me cleaner than I have been”, “But here I pray that none whom once I loved” and “Solitary, listening to the rain.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor solitude as if it is a man and the companion of the poet.
- Simile: It is a direct comparison of things for clarifying meanings. The poem shows the use of a simile, such as Edward Thomas compares broken reeds with himself.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as rain, death, dead, and night as the symbols of his death wish and loneliness.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Rain
Poetic devices are part of literary devices and help the poet set the mood of his/her poem and give the text an indirect meaning. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is as follows.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
- Free Verse: It means to use verses without a proper rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This poem is a free verse poem.
- Repetition: It means to repeat words, phrases, or verses for impact. The poet has used the repetition of “rain” in several verses.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There is a single-stanza poem having eighteen verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an emotional, tragic, and resigned tone at different places.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the inevitability of death.
Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff,
Like me who have no love which this wild rain
Has not dissolved except the love of death,
If love it be for what is perfect and
Cannot, the tempest tells me, disappoint.
