Rain on the Roof Summary: A Poem by Coates Kinney

Coates Kinney was an American lawyer, poet, politician and journalist. He was born in 1826 and has contributed several poems to the world of literature. His alma mater is the Antioch College, which has also produced other famous people like social activist Coretta Scott King and author Stephen Jay Gould. 

The Theme of Rain on the Roof

In the poem ‘Rain on the Roof’, the poet highlights the soothing and healing quality of nature. 

The poet voices out the feelings awakened after a rainy day. He reminisces moments and memories of long forlorn days. He dreams of better times when life wasn't complicated. The sad feeling of loss, grief and longing runs through the entire poem. Life goes on, and the poem flows through the adversity of different phases of life.  

Rain is a healing phenomenon of nature. The poet relaxes in his room when the rain starts falling and the sound of the rain creates echoes in his heart. The music fills the poet’s mind with many fond memories from his childhood. Out of these ‘dreamy fancies’, the poet can identify a memory of his childhood that is associated with his mother. He remembers his mother’s loving looks when he and his sibling used to sleep. Thus, the coming of the rain is always blissful and pleasant.

The feeling of home, mom and her care are all awakened when it rains. He misses his mom, who is now long gone, and reminisces the bittersweet feeling the rain leaves. He hugs his pillow tightly and remembers the best time of his life, which is slowly slipping from the realms of his memories. 

Short Summary of Rain on the Roof of Class 9 English

This poem tells us what the poet feels about when it is raining. There is healing power in the falling of the rain on the roof when one hears it falling, lying in a cosy bed. The poet says that it is a pleasant experience to live and sleep comfortably in a cottage on a rainy night. The falling of the rain brings dreamy imaginations, and we start recollecting some smoothing and pleasure-giving memories. The poet goes back to his childhood and remembers his mother.

Explanation by Stanza

Stanza 1

When the humid shadows hover

Overall the starry spheres,

And the melancholy darkness

Gently weeps in rainy tears,

What a bliss to press the pillow

Of a cottage-chamber bed,

And lie listening to the patter

Of the soft rain overhead!

In these lines, the poet describes a rainy night. The humid shadows here depict the black, furious clouds full of water. These clouds are ready to burst and paint the entire city with them. The clouds are dispersed over the entire night sky like a canopy. This stanza is a representation of the bittersweet feelings that the rainy weather brings. It shows the duality of enjoying the sound of rain yet thinking of sadness for which the clouds weep. 

The poet says that the stars in the sky are not visible as the dark rainy clouds cover them. The sky looks sad, and the rain looks as if tears are falling from human eyes. This weather represents the poet’s sorrowful mood. In such a mood, the only thing that can bring joy in the poet’s heart is to lie down on the pillow of his bed in his cottage and listen to the soft sound of the rain falling on the roof. He thinks he is lucky to be at home, in his room and hear the clouds pour. 

Stanza 2

Every tinkle on the shingles

Has an echo in the heart;

And a thousand dreamy fancies

Into busy being start,

And a thousand recollections

Weave their hair-threads into the wood,

As I listen to the patter

Of the rain upon the roof.

In these lines, the poet describes how the raindrops make a tinkling sound as they fall on the tiled rooftop of his cottage. According to the poet, each sound made by the rain is echoed by his heartbeats. In other words, the sound of the poem makes a deep impact on the poet. As he is listening to the sound, many imaginations come into his mind. 

This stanza presents vivid imagery of the feelings that rain awakens in the poet. It shows how rain brings back old dreams yet makes space for new ones. The pitter-patter on the roof shows the conflicted thoughts of the poet. He is trying to see new dreams, yet the old ones bring back the parts of his life that are long gone. 

 The poet described his imaginations as ‘dreamy fantasies’ that come into his mind in the stanza. He goes back to his childhood memories. These memories appear to be interwoven together to form a beautiful picture. 

This stanza perfectly depicts everyone at some point in their life — the conflicting feeling of not knowing about the future and the fleeting feeling of forgetting the past. He gets lost in the feeling of being a child, of better days and togetherness of mothers and siblings. 

Stanza 3

Now in memory comes to my mother,

As she used in years agone,

To regard the darling dreamers,

Ere she left them till dawn:

O! I feel her fond look on me

As I list to this refrain

Which is played upon the shingles

By the patter of the rain.

This stanza takes us into the poet's childhood, mainly focusing on his beautiful mother and how she nursed him. His love for his caring, warm and endearing mother is clear from these lines. 

The stanza also depicts the sorrow of losing one’s mother. Associating her with the rain, the poet reminisces about the best times of his life with his mother. And although she is no longer beside him, he feels her presence, warmth and love whenever it rains.

In these lines, the poet says that out of the many memories the poet recollects, he identifies one fond memory of his mother that soothes his mind and heart. He remembers how many years ago, his mother used to look at him and his siblings lovingly while they slept and used to dream. 

She would look at her children sleeping every night because she knew she wouldn’t see them till the next morning. The poet can still feel the look of his mother while he lies on his bed and listens to the soft musical sound of the rain falling on the roof. The third Stanza beautifully connects the entire poem and ties the other two stanzas together. It shows how the dreams in the previous paragraph are of his beloved mother, who lovingly looked at him and his sibling. 

The dreams are of the golden days of his childhood, which are now out of his grasp. He is older now, and his mother is no longer here. Yet the rain, in all its beauty, manages to awaken the memories each time. 

The pitter-patter can be compared to heartbeats of love and memories. It can be a perfect representation of how memories like heartbeats keep us alive. The echoes of his mother's love and affection are still felt whenever it rains. 

Literary Devices Used in the Poem Rain on the Roof

1. Personification

Personification is a literary device where an object is represented in human form and not an abstract piece. 

In stanza one, the poet personifies the darkness. It is shown as something with human attributes which is capable of feeling sad. 

In stanza two, the poet talks about how the recollection of old times plagues his mind. There is a mention of how these recollections weave memories that float around.

2. Alliteration

Alliteration is a literary device, which shows the repetition of a sound or a letter in consecutive or adjacent words. 

The first stanza has several examples of alliteration like 'busy being' - b sound is an example of alliteration.

'rain roof'- r sound is an example of alliteration.

The second stanza has  examples of alliteration like 

'memory my mother'- m sound is an example of alliteration

'darling dreamers' - d sound is an example of alliteration

A Brief Summary of the Poem

The poem is a beautiful account of melancholy, loss and love. It rekindles the spirit of love and affection of mother's. It shows how nourishment and nurturing stay with you for a lifetime. The poem is a perfect representation of how rainfall can mean different things to different people. For Coates Kinney, the rain and the about to burst clouds bring back the fondest memories of his mother, who is no longer with him.