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What is the meaning of the poem "Rain" by Hone Tuwhare?

Hone Tuwhare was a Maori poet from New Zealand whose poetry frequently included nature imagery, specifically centered around rain and the ocean.


His poem "Rain" is an ode to the title's subject, describing the author's deep affinity for and love of rain. The first verse describes the sound of rain: 



I can hear you


making small holes


in the silence...



The poet then says that even if he were deaf and could not hear the...

Hone Tuwhare was a Maori poet from New Zealand whose poetry frequently included nature imagery, specifically centered around rain and the ocean.


His poem "Rain" is an ode to the title's subject, describing the author's deep affinity for and love of rain. The first verse describes the sound of rain: 



I can hear you


making small holes


in the silence...



The poet then says that even if he were deaf and could not hear the rain, he would still be able to feel it in "the pores of [his] skin." Tuwhare repeats this pattern, saying that if he were blind he would know rain by its taste and smell and sound:



the something


special smell of you


when the sun cakes


the ground


the steady


drum-roll sound


you make...



He concludes the poem by saying that even if he could not hear, smell, see, or feel the rain, it would still be a part of him:



you would still


define me


disperse me


wash over me...



The poem itself can be taken at face value - an ode to a subject that was very centric to the author's life and held great meaning for him - or can be interpreted on a deeper level if you feel there's a different intention.


The link below references a similar question, and gives the text of the poem for comparison.

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