Poems About Rain – Discover the 10 Most Famous Examples

We have all seen the rain at some point, and most of us also live somewhere that has a rainy season. So, you have probably experienced the rain in many different ways and have seen just how varied it can make us feel based on when it happens. However, what does that mean for poems about rain? Well, this will be our point of investigation today. We’ll be checking out a list of poems about rain to see how different poets from different periods and perspectives make use of the rain in their poetry. It should be an interesting time, so stick around if some poems about rain sound appealing to you!

A Few Poems About Rain

Rain is a fascinating thing. Water falls from the sky. It requires a certain dreariness most of the time as dark clouds cover us before the rains fall. This can make it seem that rain is something dark and morose. And many have certainly used it that way! Think of how many movies use rain during a funeral, which is a trope that I must say I rather dislike. I’ve never experienced rain during a funeral. It’s almost as if the weather doesn’t typically cry when we do.

However, the rain can be much more than sad. It could even be interpreted as a sign of hope. Without rain, much would not grow. Some plants are able to survive beside rivers or other water sources, but most require something else to keep them fed. The rain brings life itself from the heavens. However, it’s also cold and dark and can be dangerous. Those without shelter can die if trapped in the rain. It’s a somewhat paradoxical thing that is both miserable and hopeful, and this is what makes it such a fantastic topic for poetry. This is why we’ll be looking at a number of poems about rain below.

The Rainy Day (1842) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Rainy Day is one of the examples of the many poems about rain that make use of the rain as a metaphorical comparison to the speaker’s own mental state. The storming and gusts that come alongside the rain are used to describe the way that the speaker is experiencing their emotions as something turbulent and difficult to control and understand. The focus is on a far darker and unhappier interpretation of the rain to the kinds of life-giving forces that the rain can also represent in texts that choose to see rain in that other way.

This interpretation of the rain is a rather common one, and many poems about rain will choose to examine rainy weather in this particular way.

Summer Shower (1890) by Emily Dickinson

Summer Shower is a poem that, unlike the last poem on this list, is far happier with the rain. It shows how the rain makes its way through the world and lands in all sorts of areas. For instance, it lands in the trees and the roofs of buildings. It clears the dust and leads the birds to sing. When it comes to poems about rain, there are many ways that the rain can be interpreted, and this particular way is a lot more positive. This is also rather fascinating considering the poet who wrote it because Emily Dickinson is often known for far darker and unhappier poems.

So, the rain was able to puncture into a sense of positivity for her when little else was able to do so.

Rain (1905) by Robert Louis Stevenson

Rain is a short poem about rain at only four lines in length, but this is perfect for the kind of poem that it happens to be. In this case, the poem is a positive little thing that simply states all the places the rain falls. It rains on the natural world, the umbrellas of the people, and even the ships out in the ocean. It does not give any kind of positive or negative spin to this as this is all that is stated, but it feels calm and serene in its presentation.

This is a perfect instance of the many positive poems about rain that have been written over the centuries and one that does not simply decry the rain because it makes the skies a little dark.

Spring Rain (Between 1907 and 1933) by Sara Teasdale

Spring Rain is one of the poems about rain that focuses on a particular type of rain during a particular period. In this poem there is a focus on the image of the rain in the springtime. The storms that come with the rain and the darkness that envelopes the landscape when the storms come upon us. However, the poem makes use of this darker and more violent storm-based imagery to focus on themes of renewal along with the spring and nostalgia for what has passed us by.

It is a poem about rain, but one that uses rain as a means of discussing something further about the human condition.

Rain (1917) by Edward Thomas

Rain is the second poem on this list with this particular title. Some poets apparently like it when their poems about rain have a very to-the-point kind of name. In this case, unlike the previous poem, the image of the rain is used to create a sense of detachment and solitude from the rest of the world. However, the rain is also referred to as a force that washes us clean.

The use of the rain in a metaphorical sense can be found in a great many poems about rain, and this is simply a particularly poignant example of that trend.

Summer Morn in New Hampshire (1920) by Claude McKay

Summer Morn in New Hampshire is a poem about rain, but it’s also a summer poem. In fact, in the short narrative that this poem explores, it actually refers to the morning after the rain has come. This shows that the rain is no longer anywhere in sight, yet regardless of this, the poem is still very much an instance of the poems about rain that we have focused on today. The poem examines the beginning of the drying of the rain and how the summer morning had come as something of a calming and altering force that transformed the storm that had come the night before.

This is a beautiful poem about rain while also being a poem that does not actually show us any rain.

April Rain Song (1921) by Langston Hughes

April Rain Song is an immensely positive poem about the rain. The poem is simply a ray of sunshine in the rain. It informs us that embracing the rain would be best. We should allow it to kiss us, sing to us, watch as it makes pools of water, and it ultimately ends with the rather beautiful and simple statement that “I love the rain”. This is the kind of positive atmosphere that can be produced by the poems about rain that wish to express it.

The rain may be a possibly dangerous force thanks to its existence as a cold, wet natural event that can harm us if we do not have shelter, but when we are able to appreciate the rain, there is much that we will be able to take from it.

The Red Wheelbarrow (1923) by William Carlos Williams

The Red Wheelbarrow is not entirely a poem about rain at all. Instead, this is a poem that stands as a famous instance of Imagist poetry. It simply and casually describes a red wheelbarrow (the title is clearly a very tricky one that requires intense analysis!). The poem, as part of its description of this wheelbarrow, describes the way in which the wheelbarrow stood in the rain and now has drops of water that are slowly drying on it.

The poem is intentionally simple in its presentation, but it’s that simplicity that makes it a stunning rain poem.

I Ask My Mother To Sing (1986) by Li-Young Lee

I Ask My Mother To Sing is not a text that is directly about rain itself. Instead, it is a poem about memory. It is rather about a speaker who listens to their family about China when they were young. The rain simply plays a major role in these memories. The rains pour over Kuen Ming Lake, the waterlilies fill with rain, and the water spills over. This direct connection between the rain and memory is a powerful image that shows us some of what the rain can do for us.

In terms of poems about rain, this may not be directly about rain, but rain certainly is important to the poem as a whole.

Haiku (The Taste…) (2003) by Jack Kerouac

Haiku (The Taste…) is a very short poem. That’s because it’s an irregular, Western haiku. This means that its presentation is short and to the point. The poem specifically mentions the taste of rain and a question concerned with kneeling. There is a certain appreciation and adoration for nature or rather a questioning of that kind of adoration. Should such a thing lead us to give it a sense of worship and respect?

The poem can be interpreted in many ways, but the principal image is the sight and taste of the rains that fall from above.

We all experience the rain. This is probably a universal human experience unless you happen to live somewhere that never rains, like a particularly dry desert. However, most of us live somewhere that does at least sometimes rain. This means that rain is something universal to the human experience. We can have many different thoughts about the rain based on where that rain happens to take place, and so this list of poems about rain should have gone some way towards showing that. Rain can be a symbol of sadness, hope, playfulness, or simply a part of the background. Rain is all over the place, and so are poems about rain. So, if you want more of these kinds of poems, then maybe find what droplets you can find out in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Poem About Rain?

This is a rather simple one to explain because a poem about rain is exactly that! It is a poem about rain. This can be more complicated or multifaceted than simply saying that it is about the rain because the rain can mean a great number of things depending on the context. This means that a poem about rain can use that image of the rain to tell a story, set a mood, and so on.

What Are the Characteristics of Poems About Rain?

There are no necessary characteristics when it comes to poems about rain. The reason for this is because rain is such a constant in human life that it can be used for numerous purposes. For instance, rain can be seen as life-giving, but it can also be seen as dreary. It depends entirely on the intentions of the poet. This should show that any number of characteristics could operate alongside the image of rain in a poem.

Is There a Specific Type of Poetry Used to Write About Rain?

When it comes to poems about rain, there is no specific variety of poetry that is necessary to be used. Any kind of poem could be a poem about rain. This means that we may find themes and images of rain used in types of poetry as varied as sonnets, limericks, and free verse poems. As a general image, the rain can be used as a theme, setting, metaphor, and so on. This has led to its proliferation in many different poems from many different sources.

What Are Some Famous Poems About Rain?

Some of the best-known poems about rain include poems such as Rain (1905) by Robert Louis Stevenson, Summer Morn in New Hampshire (1920) by Claude McKay, and April Rain Song (1921) by Langston Hughes. This short list barely scratches the surface of the large collection of poems about rain that have been written throughout the centuries. We have all experienced rain, and so even when rain is not integral to a poem, it may still be used as an image or setting.

Which Famous Poets Have Written Poems About Rain?

An immensely diverse array of poets have taken to writing poems about rain. This is likely because rain is a rather ubiquitous aspect of the natural world. It’s all around us and we have all experienced it. It is something universal. For this reason, poets from diverse backgrounds such as Emily Dickinson, Sara Teasdale, Jack Kerouac, Langston Hughes, and Robert Louis Stevenson have all written poems about rain.

Justin van Huyssteen( Novelist, Academic and Educator )

Justin van Huyssteen is a freelance writer, novelist, and academic originally from Cape Town, South Africa. At present, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and literary theory and an honor’s degree in literary theory. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in literary theory with a focus on animal studies, critical theory, and semiotics within literature. As a novelist and freelancer, he often writes under the pen name L.C. Lupus.

Justin’s preferred literary movements include modern and postmodern literature with literary fiction and genre fiction like sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and horror being of particular interest. His academia extends to his interest in prose and narratology. He enjoys analyzing a variety of mediums through a literary lens, such as graphic novels, film, and video games.

Justin is working for artincontext.org as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture, literature and poetry.

Learn more about Justin van Huyssteen and the Art in Context Team.