Nature

It Rains

by Edward Thomas 1878–1917

From Poems (1917, as 'Edward Eastaway')

NatureLove

It rains, and nothing stirs within the fence
Anywhere through the orchard's untrodden, dense
Forest of parsley. The great diamonds
Of rain on the grassblades there is none to break,
Or the fallen petals further down to shake.

And I am nearly as happy as possible
To search the wilderness in vain though well,
To think of two walking, kissing there,
Drenched, yet forgetting the kisses of the rain:
Sad, too, to think that never, never again,

Unless alone, so happy shall I walk
In the rain. When I turn away, on its fine stalk
Twilight has fined to naught, the parsley flower
Figures, suspended still and ghostly white,
The past hovering as it revisits the light.

✦ ✦ ✦

In the rain-soaked orchard the speaker is 'nearly as happy as possible', thinking of two who walked and kissed there. He is sad to think he will never be so happy again, 'unless alone', walking in the rain.

MLA

Thomas, Edward. “It Rains.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/thomas_e/8/.

Chicago

Thomas, Edward. “It Rains.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/thomas_e/8/.

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