Back to: Kerala Board Class 8th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
First showers is a beautiful poem written by the well-known Indian poet Nalini Sharma. In which she speaks about the changes that the rain brings. First, she tells how the rain soothes her ‘frayed nerves’ and removes the strain from her face because of her work. She walks with unsteadiness because of getting wet but still she enjoys the rain and the changes it was bringing in.
About the Poet
Nalini Sharma is a bilingual writer whose work has appeared in innumerable literary journals and magazines in India. She is also part of anthologies like Brave New Wave and The Heterogeneity of Story Writing.
A retired school principal, she has a wide range of books published to her credit like Orchid (Vol.1 & 2), The Portrait, The Unwed Mother, and Rhythm. Also to her credit are her books in Hindi – Guldasta, Ek Bar Phir, Unkaha Sach, Mrigtrishna, and Suno Yeh Awaz Hey Kiski. Honors have always come her way for her creative work like Sahitya Shree, and Bharath Bhasha Bhushan to name a few.
Theme
The poem First Showers is a wonderful depiction of nature’s ability to heal. Human beings live in a cruel world that is so selfish that it does not have enough time to take care of the worries of others.
We forget to give comfort to our fellow beings who struggle to live. Many people work hard to make two ends meet. In the poem, we find a woman who is returning from her workplace. She is unknowingly caught in the first showers which soothe her like no one else.
Line 1-4
As I returned from my workplace Cool drops kissed my parched face. Soon the first showers caught me unawares And soaked me, smoothing my frayed nerves.
When the speaker (poetess) was returning from her workplace, cool raindrops started to fall on her dried-out face. Suddenly the first rain showered upon her unexpectedly and she became completely wet and her weakened nerves got great relief.
Line 5-8
The weary lines did it promptly erase Of daylong heat and fatigue from my visage. Wet clothes clung to my body like an infant To its mother’s bosom; unsteady my gait.
The rain quickly removed the marks of tiredness caused by daylong heat and hard work from her face. The wet clothes were holding to her body like a baby clinging to its mother’s chest. Her wet clothes made her walk unsteady.
Line 9-12
The dusty trees stood bathed in an instant Dressed in washed green looked magnificent. The scented earth resplendent in damped glory Sucked in dust giving respite to the travellers weary.
All the dusty and dirty trees bathed in the rain and became clean quickly. Now they dressed in clean green color and looked extremely beautiful. The earth became wet and attractive with a pleasant smell. It took in all the dust so that the tired travelers would get rest and relief under the trees.
Line 13-16
To thank the Rain God I looked up in the sky More drops drenched me on the sly. Marvelling at this wonderful gift of nature I hurried home wading through the gurgling water.
When the poet looked up to thank the Rain God, more raindrops made her face wet in a playful manner. Being thrilled and amazed by the gift of nature, she went home happily walking through the gurgling water.
