The Voice Of The Rain By Walt Whitman

“The Voice of the Rain” by Walt Whitman and “The Grass so little has to

do –” by Emily Dickinson both address the beauty of nature and how important

it is to humanity, but Whitman personifies nature and allows it to speak for itself

whereas, Dickson sheds light on the little things people may not notice in nature

and providers a deeper insight from a human perspective.

In “The Voice of the Rain” Whitman personifies rain by giving it a voice thus

creating a personal relationship between him and nature. The title itself shows a

sense of closeness to the topic of his poem. In the very beginning of the poem we

see Whitman engaging in a conversation with the rain when he asks, “AND who art

thou? said I to the soft-falling shower” (1). After he poses this question Whitman’s

translates the answer given to him by the rain. The rain then proceeds to tell

Whitman of all that it endures and does for Earth and its importance. It speaks of

its journey, which begins on land and then ascends into the sky and clouds only to

come back on Earth and beautify it. Whitman states, “And forever, by day and night,

I give back life to my own origin, and make pure and beautify it”. The rain talks

about its endless and never ending cycle, with the use of words like day and night

and unborn, it even suggests a similarity with the cycle of life and death.

In “The Grass so little has to do-“ Dickson also focuses on the

relationship between humans and nature, however instead of personifying grass she

describes it as she perceives it to be. She begins by mentioning its simplicity and

then gives a detailed list of what grass provides to world. By stating that grass is “ A

sphere of simple Green” (2) Dickson emphasis nature’...

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...its. He relates

this journey to one of a poem or a song. The rains birthplace is land whereas; the

song or poems birthplace is the mind or heart of the writer. Just like rain, a song or a

poem wander from person to person. Changes may or may not occur during the

course or travel however in the end they come back to the owner with love. Dickson

gets personal with nature in the end of her poem. She states, “ I wish I were a Hay”

(20). Hay is dried grass but it is beneficial as it is used as fodder for animals and

eventually becomes fertilizer, allowing plants to grow. Dickson acknowledges

grass’s importance and benefits even after it has died.

Both poems dwell on the relationship between nature and the poets

themselves based on personal experience, however one personifies nature while the

other emphasizes it’s importance and wishes to become it.