The poem describes a rainy night in which the speaker wakes up and hears the rain drumming hard on the roof and shed. The speaker compares the raindrops falling like fruits showered forth in the wind or like beads in a prayer. The speaker’s mother is busy moving her belongings out of the way of the water that is flooding the room.
Despite the rain and the darkness, the speaker encourages his brothers not to tremble and to turn over on their side of the mats. The speaker suggests that they have drunk from a spell deeper than the owl’s or the hat’s, and that they should roll over on their backs and let the drumming lull them back to sleep.
The poem captures the atmosphere of a night in the rural areasA during the rainy season and conveys a sense of comfort and security despite the storm.
ANALYSIS
The poem is written in free verse and is composed of a single stanza. The lack of formal structure allows the poem to flow freely, much like the rain it describes. The use of enjambment also helps to create a sense of fluidity and continuity throughout the poem.
The speaker’s mother is described as being busy moving her belongings out of the way of the water that is flooding the room. This suggests a sense of practicality and resilience in the face of the storm. The speaker encourages his brothers not to tremble and to turn over on their side of the mats, implying a sense of togetherness and community.
The poem’s message is one of comfort and security in the face of adversity. Despite the storm, the speaker suggests that they have drunk from a deeper spell that will help them to settle back into sleep. The final lines of the poem suggest a sense of innocence and freedom, as the speaker and his brothers are lulled back to sleep by the soothing drumming of the rain.
THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER
The subject matter of the poem is a rainy night in Nigeria, as the speaker wakes up to the sound of rain drumming on the roof and experiences the flooding of the room.
The poem also highlights the poor standard of living in other forms of the world and the inability of leaders to hel ease the discomfort
LITERARY DEVICES
- Simile: “Falling like orange or mango/Fruits showered forth in the wind” – The use of “like” compares the raindrops to fruits.
- Personification: “Our roof thatch and shed/Droning with insistent ardour” – The use of personification here gives human-like qualities to the roof and shed, as if they are also experiencing the storm
- Imagery: “Great water drops are dribbling/Falling like orange or mango/Fruits showered forth in the wind” – This vivid imagery creates a sensory image of the raindrops falling like fruit, appealing to the reader’s sense of sight and touch.
