The document provides an analysis of the poem "I hear leaves drinking rain" by W.H. Davies. It summarizes the key themes and symbolism in the poem. The poem personifies leaves as two classes in society, with the top leaves representing the rich and lower leaves representing the poor. It describes the sweet sound of raindrops falling on the leaves and hopes that the sun will shine after the rain, bringing light and equality. The analysis explores the romantic and optimistic perspective on nature and society conveyed in the poem.

1. KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH DARMANROAD SHAKARGARH
0308-32-32-4-88
W.H AUDEN
1. William Henry Davies or W. H. Davies (3 July 1871 –26September
1940)
2. He was a Welsh poet and writer.
3. He spent a significant part of his life as a tramp (wandrer)in the
United Kingdom and United States,
4. but became one of the most popular poets of his time.
5. He became a peddler and street singer in England
6. He wrote with great simplicity about thecountrysideandthe poor
7. He gives the romantic picture of nature
8. He also gives the plight of the poor in this world
9. Main themes in his works are observations on life's hardships, the
plight of the human condition, pictures of nature and fascination
for his own tramping adventures
TEXT POEM
1. I hear leaves drinkingrain;
2. I hear rich leaves on top
3. Giving the poor beneath
4. Drop after drop;
5. ‘tis a sweet noise to hear
6. These green leaves drinkingnear.
7. And when thesuncomes out,
8. After this rain shallstop,
9. A wondrous light willfill
10. Each dark, rounddrop;
11. I hope the sun shines bright;
12. It will be a lovely sight.
MEANINGS
1. BENEATH:-under, below,
2. WONDROUS:--surprising, amazing, outstanding, marvelous
QUESTIONS
1. AWHAT DO THE TOP AND LOWER LEAVES REPRESENT? WHY ARE
TOP LEAVES ARECALLED RICH LEAVES?
The top and lower leavesare themetaphor of therich andthe poor
in a human society respectively. The top leaves are rich leaves
because they get more rain the lower leaves. In the same way, the
rich people get better facilities than the poor.
2. WHAT IS THE PERSONIFICATION/SYMBOLISM USED INTHE POEM?
Personification is a figure of speech which gives humanqualities to
inanimate objects. The leaves are personified as two sections of a
society. The top leaves have been personified as the rich people
while the lower leaves personify the poor people.
3. WHAT DOES THE POET HEAR? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE RAIN
FALLS ONTHE LEAVES?
When the rain falls on the leaves, its dripping creates a sweet
music. Thus the rain is a musical display of nature. The poet
fascinates this aspect of nature and enjoys it.
4. WHAT ARE THE PHENOMENA OF NATURE EXPRESSED IN THE
POEM? /HOW HAS NATUREBEENEXPRESSED?
Two phenomena have been mentioned in the poem. They are
named as rain and sunshine. The rain fall on the leaves of a tree
gives the musical display of nature which sounds sweet. The
sunshine after the rain makes everything worth looking and
pleasant.
5. WHAT HAPPENS WHENTHE RAINSTOPS?/WHAT IS THE SCENERY
AFTER THE RAIN STOPS?
When the rain stops, everything looks washed and bright. The
drops of water shine like pearls and scatter seven hues. It presents
the scene worth looking and worth enjoying.
6. WHAT IS THE HOPE/DESIREOF THE POET?
The poet hopes that the sun will appear and shine brightly after
the rain. It has two implications. The sun willbrighten everything
and present a lovely sight. Symbolically, it willbe the sun of hope,
equality and God’s blessing. It will finish discrimination in the
society and willbring equality among human beings.
7. HOW CANA RAINY DAY BEENJOYED?
It depends uponone’s mood and taste. Different people enjoy it in
various ways. However, it can be enjoyed by visiting some park,
riding a bike, takinga bath in therain, eating some sweet dish and
fascinating the rain fallwhile sitting near the window.
8. WHAT IS THE MAINIDEA OF THE POEM?
The poem is romantic in its texture with the fascination of natural
beauty of the rain falland the sunshine. Symbolically, it expresses
the plight and exploitation of the poor in a society. The poet has
optimistic vision of life that the unjust treatment of the poor will
end soon.
MAINIDEA
1. The poet describes two phenomena of nature and praises them
2. They are rain and sunshine
3. He praises them and finds romantic texture in the both
4. He commends the rain falland music created as a result of it
5. The rainfallproduces a sweet music of dripping water on leaves
6. He finds the music lying in the surrounding nature which is very
charming and alluring
7. MUSIC IS A MORAL LAW. IT GIVES SOUL TOTHE UNIVERSE, WINGS TO
THE MIND, FLIGHT TO THE IMAGINATION, AND CHARM AND GAIETY
TO LIFEAND TO EVERYTHING. ….PLATO
8. It is a beautifulphenomenon of nature
9. Rain is the blessing of God.
10. It gives life to dead earth and dead human heart
11. The rain is the blessing of God and it ends the barrenness of human
soul
12. THE HOLY QURAN SAY: “HE SENDS DOWNWATER (RAIN)FROM THE
SKY, AND THEREWITH REVIVES THE EARTH AFTER ITS DEATH” (AL-
QURAN)
13. The rain fall has musicaldisplay
14. It gives a charming effect on human ears
15. WITHOUT MUSIC, LIFE WOULD BE A MISTAKE. …..FRIEDRICH
NIETZSCHE
16. It washes everything in the surroundings
17. It gives the spectacle worth-enjoying
18. “THE EARTH HAS ITS MUSIC FOR THOSEWHO WILL LISTEN”
19. The rain falls on the leaves and dripping of water is the example of
music found in the surrounding nature
20. The poet discusses two types of leaves; top and lower leaves
21. The top leaves get more rain than the lower leaves
22. The top leaves are the metaphor ofthe rich people while lower leaves
represent the poor people
23. The rich more golden opportunities and Enjoy the more facilities in
life
24. They give the remaining resources to the poor in alms and charity
25. It reflects the socialdiscrimination done in the world
26. The rain also exposes the plight of the poor during the rainy season.
27. Their ceiling drip water
28. The plight of the poor is further increases when it rains
29. They have poor dwelling
30. The poet is worried that some of them even don’t have any shelter
and they shiver during rain fall.
31. In spite of it, the poet has anoptimistic approach that the rainfallhas
also underlying beauty
32. He finds poetry of the earth and naturalscenes
33. “THE POETRY OF EARTH IS NEVER DEAD”, JOHNKEATS
34. He finds meaning and enjoyment even in this unpleasant life
35. He take the romantic vision of life
36. And looks at the comforting aspect of nature
37. He understands that A THING OF BEAUTY IS JOY FOREVER
38. When the rain stops after sometime
39. Everything looks washed and beautiful
40. The poet hopes that the sun willappear after the rain
41. It will brighten every dark corner and round drop of water
42. The water drops willreflect like pearls
43. The sunlight willbe scattered into seven hues
44. The sun may be the sun of hope and equality
45. It is the sun of blessings of God, which are everywhere and equally
scattered
46. The discrimination in the society is made by man and they will be
finished by God’s blessing
47. The poet hopes that there will be no more discrimination in the
world.
48. Man enjoys this blessing of nature.
49. VITALITY AND BEAUTY AREGIFTS OF NATUREFOR THOSEWHO LIVE
ACCORDING TO ITS LAWS. (LEONARDO DA VINCI)
50. The poet wants to make his life colourfulin the presence of nature
51. He himself was a peddler and vagabond
52. He passed his life mostly in the presence of nature
53. Thus, he finds inherent charming of nature in the perspective of
society
54. He understands, “ONE TOUCH OF NATURE MAKES THE WHOLE
WORLD KIN”
POETIC RHYTHM
1. The rhyming scheme of the stanza is abcbdd
2. It shows the rhythmin the stanza and also manifests the underlying
musicality in the surrounding nature.