And the rain descended

I’ve written about this poem by Wordsworth before, The Leech Gatherer, or Resolution and Independence by William Wordsworth. I think of lines from this poem when the rain comes suddenly and in torrents, and although it is nearly the end of July, the summer when you expect lovely weather, it has of late eluded us. We have had complete days of solid downpour, and really strong window rattling winds. This afternoon we had some sunshine and I managed to get some washing out on the line,but now the rain is drumming against the windows once again I try to remember that all this water will be good for the apples on our tree, and the beans in our beds, and the tomatoes… but it is so heavy I think it might cause damage as well.

When Wordsworth wrote his poem, was he thinking of these words from the Bible, from the parable of the man who built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Here are the first verses:

There was a roaring in the wind all night;

The rain came heavily and fell in floods;

But now the sun is rising calm and bright;

The birds are singing in the distant woods;

Over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods;

The Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters;

And all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters.

All things that love the sun are out of doors;

The sky rejoices in the morning’s birth;

The grass is bright with rain-drops;—on the moors

The hare is running races in her mirth;