An Evening Wet with Rain

By

Ved Pal Deep

Translated By
Shivnath

Introduction: An Evening Wet with Rain’ is a poem written by Ved Pal Deep. The poet remembers an evening wet with rain. It is an atmosphere of complete silence. The poet seems to be depressed, perhaps for loss of hope that has darkened the evening of his life. The poet is reminded of his childhood when he stood alone in the courtyard listening to the sound of cymbal. He regrets that the days gone by do not return.

About the Poet: Ved Pal Deep was

Ved Pal Deep

born in 1929. He was an eminent Dogri writer. His publication As Te An Banjare Lok was awarded by J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. He died in 1995.

Poem

An evening wet with rain

As I walk through the lane

The heart beckons the hands to hold them with love

The mind also knows subtle signals of the breeze

Should I stand on the ground or waft with the wind?

Windows, doors, awnings of the house are wet

Cool breezes stir the leaves of the yonder banyan tree

The collar of my coat is also wet with drops of rain

All around reigns silence.

My feet are cold with water seeping through my shoes

My eyes are heavy with sleep, or is it fever?

The ground is very slippery; there is no place to stand.

The mind is exhausted, looks for some spot to rest.

Loss of hope has darkened the evening of my life too

And clouds gathering in the mind shed tears as they pass

The evening of trouble, my companion, is also depressed

And takes me along, holding me by the arm.

In childhood, I stood alone in my courtyard

And waves of air brought the sound of cymbals

We regret that the days gone by don't return

How to call back times past and gone! 

The evening prepares to go to sleep in the lap of night

Slowly, softly just as the sky's feet touch the ground

Shadows of trees rest in the dark tank

As some passing cloud casts a shadow over hills.

There is activity in the houses lit with electric bulbs 

Moonlight laughs holding the hem of the moon.

Where is my destination? Where is the hurry?

Light of the earthen lamp in a wayside modest inn awaits me.

Theme: The theme of this poem revolves around the idea of silence and solitude. The poet’s persona ruminates as he takes a stroll in the rain, silence being his companion. Loss of hope can also be seen as a recurring theme in this poem. 

Glossary

Word	Meaning	Urdu Meaning
Waft	To move gently through the air	ہلکی ہوا کا جھونکا
Beckon	To summon; to call	اشارہ کرنا
Subtle	Not loud, noticeable or obvious in any way	ٹھیک ٹھیک
Awning	A sheet of canvas, stretched on a frame as a shelter against the sun or rain	سائبان
Yonder	Over there; at some distance in that direction	اُدَھر ،وَہاں، اس طرف
Reign	To rule over; to be predominant; prevail	راج، بادشاہت کرنا
Seep	To ooze out; to percolate	ٹپکنا
Cymbal	A flat round musical instrument made of brass, which makes a loud noise when hit with a stick or against another cymbal	سنج، جھانجھ

Stanza wise explanation of the poem:

An evening wet with rain

As I walk through the lane

The heart beckons the hands to hold them with love

The mind also knows subtle signals of the breeze

Should I stand on the ground or waft with the wind?

The poem begins with how the persona is talking a walk in the rain. His heart wishes to hold the rain, even as he wants to become one with the breeze and gently drift away. The stanza ends with him pondering over these two wishes of his. 

Windows, doors, awnings of the house are wet 

Cool breezes stir the leaves of the yonder banyan tree 

The collar of my coat is also wet with drops of rain 

All around reigns silence.

This stanza has a vivid description of the rain. Here, the persona states how the rain makes everything wet with its touch, how a cool breeze accompanies it. Even his coat is seen to be dripping wet. The atmosphere is silent, almost eerily so.

My feet are cold with water seeping through my shoes 

My eyes are heavy with sleep, or is it fever? 

The ground is very slippery; there is no place to stand. 

The mind is exhausted, looks for some spot to rest. 

In this stanza, a sense of gloominess settles over the poet’s persona. He is cold and exhausted, from sleep or fever, he knew not. There is no place to stand, no place to rest. 

Loss of hope has darkened the evening of my life too 
And clouds gathering in the mind shed tears as they pass 
The evening of trouble, my companion, is also depressed 
And takes me along, holding me by the arm. 

A sense of desolation can be observed in this stanza. The darkness of the evening sky is compared to the darkness in the persona’s own life. He goes on to paint a glum picture of the rain, how the clouds seemed to shed tears. This is compared to his own, sorrow-filled mind. Here, the evening is described to be his equally depressed companion as they walk together, arm in arm. 

In childhood, I stood alone in my courtyard And waves of air brought the sound of cymbals 

We regret that the days gone by don't return 

How to call back times past and gone! 

The poet recalls how in his childhood, he had stood alone in his courtyard, observing the breezy air and its noisy sound. He regrets how the time had passed, how he could never return to his past days. 

The evening prepares to go to sleep in the lap of night 

Slowly, softly just as the sky's feet touch the ground 

Shadows of trees rest in the dark tank 

As some passing cloud casts a shadow over hills. 

The stanza begins with a beautiful description on how the evening prepares for its sleep, its bed being the lap of night. A sense of end can be observed here as nature itself winds up for the day, long shadows already being cast. 

There is activity in the houses lit with electric bulbs 

Moonlight laughs holding the hem of the moon. 

Where is my destination? Where is the hurry? 

Light of the earthen lamp in a wayside modest inn awaits me. 

The poem ends with a portrayal of light, in moon and bulbs, as opposed to the gloomy darkness described before. A sense of happiness can be observed in the phrase ‘Moonlight laughs’. He contemplates on his destiny, on where life is taking him with such hurry, even as he makes his way to his well-lit modest inn.
Thinking about the Poem
1. What are the memories that the poet talks about in the poem?

Answer: The poet talks about the memories of his childhood when he would stand alone in his courtyard watching the breeze bringing the sound of cymbals. He wants to call back those happy moments.
2. What kind of atmosphere is created in the poem?

Answer: The poem reproduces the atmosphere of an evening which is wet with rain. The dark wet evening creates a gloomy and serious atmosphere. The evening symbolizes the decline of the poet”s life. He has become old and is in despair. The poet is comparing his life to a flickering earthen lamp, which can go out any time. Thus, the atmosphere throughout the poem is very depressing.
3. What makes the poet tired?

Answer: Hopelessness makes the poet tired. The poet is in his old age and there is no hope left for him. That is why he feels tired.
4. What has darkened the evening of the poet’s life?

Answer: Hope is the guiding principle of life. Life is based on hope; it guides us the way we should follow. If there is no hope, life becomes dull and full of darkness.
Poet’s life is also without hope and that is what has darkened the evening of the poet’s life.
5. Discuss the poets regret in the poem.

Answer: The poet feels nostalgic and reminds his good old times. He remembers the days when his life was full of joy and happiness. In contrast, the present life of a poet is full of despair. The poet also feels bad for he can’t call back the times that are past and gone.
Learning about the literary Devices

Comment on the imagery used by the poet in the poem.
Answer: Imagery refers to the use of words, especially in poetry, to describe ideas or situations. Imagery is of different kinds such as auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory and kinesthetic. The poet uses visual imagery in the poem. He creates a clear picture of an evening wet with rain. Wet windows, door and awnings, the wet collar of the coat, water seeping through the poet’s shoes, fluttering of Banyan leaves with cold breezes etc. are all the imageries used by the poet in the poem which leaves a lasting expression on our minds. All these are examples of the use of rich images in the poem.