© 2025. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Some web content from Indiana Public Media is unavailable during our transition to a new web publishing platform. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Rain in the Garden

Today I am reading a poem about rain in the garden by J. Redwood Anderson (1883-1964).

 

Tenderly, gently, the soft rain, dripping

With a hushed shimmer of sound,

Fell from leaf to leaf, and ran slipping

Down wet tree trunks to the ground.

 

There was no grief in the garden, only the falling

Of the soft continual rain, and the swishing

Of soft leaves aloft---now and then the calling

Of a little wind like a ghost's vain wishing.

 

Tenderly, gently the soft rain collected

In small pools by the flower borders and garden ways

Pools that like pale oval mirrors reflected

The faint image of the sky's pale face.

 

Tenderly, gently, the soft rain filled up

The dry lips of the narcissus, thirsty with desire

And lay cold on the tulip's red cup

Like tears imprisoned in a heart of fire.

 

And the night came nearer and the West went black

With no brooch of stars on her cloak of ebony:

And the small ovals of the pools gave back

Only a tangle of dark leaves against a dark sky.

 

And tenderly, gently, the soft, continual rain

Fell on the garden; and the sigh and mutter of light

Grasses and leaves in the wind, and the quiet rush of rain

The continual rain, were the only sounds of the night.

 

Today I am reading a poem about rain in the garden by J. Redwood Anderson (1883-1964).

 

Tenderly, gently, the soft rain, dripping

With a hushed shimmer of sound,

Fell from leaf to leaf, and ran slipping

Down wet tree trunks to the ground.

 

There was no grief in the garden, only the falling

Of the soft continual rain, and the swishing

Of soft leaves aloft---now and then the calling

Of a little wind like a ghost's vain wishing.

 

Tenderly, gently the soft rain collected

In small pools by the flower borders and garden ways

Pools that like pale oval mirrors reflected

The faint image of the sky's pale face.

 

Tenderly, gently, the soft rain filled up

The dry lips of the narcissus, thirsty with desire

And lay cold on the tulip's red cup

Like tears imprisoned in a heart of fire.

 

And the night came nearer and the West went black

With no brooch of stars on her cloak of ebony:

And the small ovals of the pools gave back

Only a tangle of dark leaves against a dark sky.

 

And tenderly, gently, the soft, continual rain

Fell on the garden; and the sigh and mutter of light

Grasses and leaves in the wind, and the quiet rush of rain

The continual rain, were the only sounds of the night.

 

This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on rain in the garden.

Stay Connected