Class 10 2nd Poem The Voice of the Rain By Walt Whiteman

Class 10 2nd Poem The Voice of the Rain  By Walt Whiteman

The Voice of the Rain

By Walt Whiteman

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,
Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and yet the same,
I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,
And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;
And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,
and make pure and beautify it;
(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, Wandering,
Reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns.)

Difficult Words, Synonyms & Nepali Meanings

1.      Art thou → are you (archaic) → तिमी हौ / तपाईँ हौ

2.      Soft-falling → gentle, mild → नरम रूपमा झर्ने

3.      Impalpable → intangible, invisible, untouchable → नछुने, अमूर्त

4.      Bottomless → endless, unfathomable, immeasurable → अथाह, असीम

5.      Whence → from where → जहाँबाट

6.      Vaguely → unclearly, dimly, hazily → अस्पष्ट रूपमा

7.      Lave → wash, bathe, cleanse → धुने, शुद्ध पार्ने

8.      Drouths → droughts, dryness, lack of rain → अनावृष्टि, सुख्खा

9.      Atomies → tiny particles, minute specks → अत्यन्तै साना कणहरू

10. Latent → hidden, dormant, concealed → लुकेको, सुप्त

11. Unborn → not yet born, potential, future → अजन्मिएको

12. Beautify → adorn, embellish, decorate → सजाउने, सुशोभित गर्ने

13. Issuing → emerging, coming out, flowing → निस्कने, उत्पन्न हुने

14. Fulfilment → completion, accomplishment, realization → पूरा हुनु, सिद्धि

15. Reck’d (recked) → cared for, heeded, considered → ध्यान दिएको

16. Unreck’d (unrecked) → uncared for, neglected, ignored → उपेक्षित, बेवास्ता गरिएको

17. Duly → properly, appropriately, suitably → ठिक तरिकाले, विधिपूर्वक

About the Poet (Walt Whitman)
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was a famous American poet, often called the “Father of Free Verse.” He is best known for his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which celebrates nature, democracy, freedom, and human spirit. His poem “The Voice of the Rain” shows his love for nature and his belief in the continuous cycle of life.

Summary (in short)

In this poem, the poet asks the falling rain who it is. Surprisingly, the rain replies that it is the “Poem of the Earth.” It rises invisibly from the land and sea, goes up to the sky, changes its form into clouds, and then falls back to the earth. By doing so, the rain washes away dust, quenches the drought, and gives life to seeds that are hidden and unborn. In the end, the rain purifies and beautifies nature, just as a poem, after being created, returns to its origin with love, whether it is valued or not.

D. Answer the following questions.

a. What are the two voices in the poem? Who do they belong to?

The two voices in the poem are the speaker and the rain. They belong to the earth.

b. How is the cyclical movement of the rain shown in the poem?

The cycling movement of the rain is shown in the poem by describing how it rises from the land and sea as water vapour, ascends into the sky, takes the form of clouds, and then descends back to the earth as rain to wash away dust and quench the thirst of the dry earth.

c. Why are the showers necessary for the Earth?

The showers are necessary for the earth because they provide moisture to plants and animals, wash away dust and pollutants, and help in the purification and beautification of the earth.

d. How are the rain and music similar?

The rain and music are similar as they both have a rhythm and the power to calm, heal, transform, and thrill.

e. How are the clouds formed?

The clouds are formed when water vapor rises from the earth and then cools and condenses into tiny droplets, which then accumulate and form larger droplets that eventually fall to the earth as rain.

f. List the pairs of opposite words in the poem.

rise/descend

rain/draught

day/night

reck'd/unreck'd (recked/unrecked)

 

Reading II

A. Match the words with their meanings.

a. eternal → vii. never-ending

b. impalpable → v. not easily understood

c. vaguely → ii. unclearly

d. descend → i. come down

e. lave → vi. to pour out as water

f. atomizes → iii. indivisible particles

g. reck → iv. to take care of

B. Fill in the blanks by choosing the words given below.

[impalpable, recks, globe, drought, beautify, latent]

a. The river ran dry during the drought.

b. It is still impalpable to understand how the earth originated.

c. The company produces a wide variety of make-up and skin care products designed to gently and effectively beautify human skin.

d. His greatest ambition is to sail around the globe.

e. Without training, his musical talent remained latent.

f. What recks it whether they win or lose?

 

Class 9 1st poem Crossing the Bar Alfred Lord Tennyson

 1^st poem

Crossing the Bar

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,

      And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

      When I put out to sea,

 

   But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

      Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

      Turns again home.

 

   Twilight and evening bell,

      And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

      When I embark;

 

   For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

      The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

      When I have crost the bar.

 

About the Poet

The poem was written by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809–1892), the Poet Laureate of Victorian England. He is regarded as one of the greatest English poets of the 19th century. Tennyson often wrote about themes of nature, death, faith, and immortality. His poems reflect deep personal emotions, especially his thoughts on life’s end and the hope of meeting God after death.

About the Poem

The poem “Crossing the Bar” was composed in 1889, shortly before Tennyson’s death. It is often seen as his farewell poem and was placed at the end of most collections of his works. The imagery of a ship putting out to sea is used as a metaphor for death. The “bar” represents the sandbar at the mouth of a harbor, symbolizing the boundary between life and death.

Summary of the Poem

The speaker compares death to a voyage across the sea at sunset and evening star—symbols of life’s end. He prays for a peaceful departure, without sadness or mourning, just as a calm tide flows silently out to the ocean. He accepts death naturally, seeing it not as an end but as a homecoming.

The poet wishes that when he “crosses the bar,” there will be no sorrowful farewells. Instead, he expresses faith and hope that after leaving the world of time and space, he will meet his “Pilot” (a symbol for God or divine guide) face to face.

The central message is one of calm acceptance of death, faith in God, and hope for eternal life.

Exercise

A. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.

moaning – v. complaining

boundless- iv. never-ending; infinite

twilight- vii. dusk

embark – iii. go on board

tho’ – ii. though

bourne- i. a boundary; a limit

crost- vi. crossed

B. Fill in the gaps with the words/phrases given below to complete the paraphrase of the poem.

I notice the sunset and evening stars in the sky and hear a sound calling for me loud and clear. I hope that the sandbar will not be disturbed when I go out to sea. Instead, I want to be carried out on a tide moving so slowly it seems almost asleep, and which is too swollen to make a sound. That’s what I want when I return home to the depths of the great unknown. Twilight comes with the evening bell which will be followed by darkness. There don’t need to be any sad goodbyes when I go. Even though I’ll be going far from this time and place, floating on the tide of death, I hope to meet  God, who has been like my pilot in this journey, when I’ve made it across the bar.

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Where does the speaker have to go crossing the sandbar?

⇒ The speaker has to go to the sea crossing the sandbar.

b. Why can’t the tide make a huge sound or create a lather?

⇒ The tide can’t make a huge sound or create a lather because it seems asleep.

c. What do the twilight and the evening bell suggest in the poem?

⇒ In the poem, the twilight and the evening bell suggest the end of the day. In a deeper sense, the speaker’s approaching his end.

d. Where is the speaker going without accepting sad goodbyes?

⇒ The speaker is going to a sea journey without accepting sad goodbyes.

e. Who is the only agent that helps the speaker to go far on his journey?

⇒ His Pilot (God) is the only agent that helps the speaker to go far on his journey.

f. Does the speaker fear death? Why/Why not?

⇒ The speaker does not fear death because he believes that he will be able to see his creator face-to-face in the afterlife. He believes that death is not the end, but rather a transition to a new life.

g. What does the pilot symbolise?

⇒  The pilot symbolises God (his creator).

 

Class 10 1st Poem Leave this Chanting and Singing Rabindranath Tagore

 1st Poem 

    Leave this Chanting and Singing

            Rabindranath Tagore

Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!
Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut?
Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!

He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground
and where the path maker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower,
and his garment is covered with dust.
Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!

Deliverance?
Where is this deliverance to be found?
Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation;
he is bound with us all forever.

Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense!
What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained?
Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow.

About the Poet

The poem “Leave This Chanting and Singing” was written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the first Asian Nobel Laureate in Literature (1913). He was a poet, philosopher, painter, playwright, and a reformer of Indian society. Tagore believed in universal humanism and spiritual freedom. He rejected blind rituals and emphasized finding God through love, service, and human connection rather than through formal religious practices.

About the Poem

The poem is from Tagore’s famous collection “Gitanjali” (Song Offerings), which earned him the Nobel Prize. In this poem, Tagore criticizes meaningless rituals like chanting, singing, and offering incense in dark temples. Instead, he presents a new vision of spirituality—one where God lives not in rituals or secluded shrines but in the everyday labor of farmers, workers, and ordinary people.

Summary of the Poem

The speaker in the poem tells worshippers to stop chanting, singing, and counting beads in temples. He declares that God is not hidden in dark corners but is present in the real world, among workers tilling the land and breaking stones. God shares in human struggle, under the sun and rain, covered with dust, toiling alongside mankind.

True deliverance, the poet says, cannot be found through ritualistic practices but through sharing life’s burdens with others. God himself has accepted the bonds of creation, so humans too should embrace work and service. The speaker finally urges worshippers to abandon empty meditation, flowers, and incense, and instead seek God in toil, sweat, and service to humanity.

The central message is that real devotion is in action, not ritual; in service, not seclusion.

Reading II

A. Find the words from the poem which have the following meanings.

a. a small piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a necklace → beads

b. to prepare and use land for growing crops → tile

c. a piece of clothing → garment

d. a layer of something that covers a surface → mantle

e. the state of being rescued from danger, evil or pain → deliverance

f. a substance that produces a pleasant smell when you burn it → incense

g. covered with marks → stained

h. hard unpleasant work that makes you very tired → toil

B. Find the modern equivalents of the following archaic words used in the poem.

a. dost → do/does
b. thou → you
c. thine → your
d. thy → your

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Who is the poem addressed to?
The poem is directed towards people who seek God through age-old rituals like chanting, singing hymns, and counting beads.

b. What does the speaker advise people?
The speaker suggests that people should give up these conventional practices of worship and instead search for God in real life. He emphasizes that God dwells not in temples or secluded corners but in human labor and daily activities.

c. Where do people try to find the god?
People usually try to discover God in holy places like temples, in the shadows of shrines, and in spaces reserved for religious devotion.

d. Where, according to the speaker, does the god actually reside?
The speaker asserts that God truly lives in the living world, especially in the honest work of farmers and laborers who shape and sustain life.

e. How can people have a glimpse of the god?
One can catch sight of God by joining in the struggles of everyday life, by working hand in hand with ordinary people and sharing their labor.

f. Why can't the god rescue people?
God cannot rescue people because He is not present in rituals or lifeless idols. Unless people engage in real action and hard work, they cannot expect God’s help.

g. What does the speaker ask people to do in the last stanza?
In the last stanza, the speaker urges people to leave behind meditation, flowers, and incense, and instead seek God in sweat, effort, and the reality of human toil.

D. Do you believe in the existence of god? What do you do to please him? Share your opinion.
Yes, I believe in the existence of God. To please Him, I try to live a life of kindness, honesty, and service to others. Helping the poor, respecting everyone, and being compassionate are ways I show my devotion. I also pray regularly and express gratitude for the blessings I receive. For me, true worship lies in good deeds and maintaining faith, which gives me courage and inspiration in difficult times.