‘The Rainbow’ by Charles Lamb celebrates nature’s colors and life’s beauty, shared with Matilda after a storm.
The speaker addresses “How sweet yon rainbow” it to his eye after the rains have past. In this particular poem that speaker addresses someone close to him, a woman named Matilda. Together they investigate the world, its colours and beautiful blooming flowers. They count the colours in the sky and contemplate their origin. The speaker knows that knowledge is not required to admire nature and that concludes by declaring that every color, face, comes from the “rainbow’s colours”.
After the tempest in the sky
How sweet yon rainbow to the eye!
Come, my Matilda, now while some
Few drops of rain are yet to come,
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96/100
‘To the Rainbow’ by Campbell views rainbows as divine, critiquing science’s limits and celebrating the spiritual connection they signify.
This poem directly addresses a rainbow in the sky as a “Triumphal arch”. The speaker admires it, but knows that nothing in philosophy can teach him what it is. There is a deeper pleasure and meaning in nature than any teacher can convey.
Triumphal arch, that fill'st the sky
When storms prepare to part,
I ask not proud Philosophy
To teach me what thou art; -
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94/100
‘The Rainbow never tells me’ by Emily Dickinson speaks on the knowledge inherent to nature. From a rainbow to the reoccurrence of spring, the speaker says the world is filled with wisdom.
In the text, the speaker addresses the rainbow as a woman who is “more convincing / Than Philosophy”. She can understand the world better by looking at the rainbow than any of the complex words of writers. The second half of the poem speaks on rebirth through the image of flowers returning to grace our eyes every spring. Neither rainbows nor flowers can speak, but their presence says a lot.
The rainbow never tells me
That gust and storm are by,
Yet is she more convincing
Than Philosophy.
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91/100
De la Mare’s ‘The Rainbow’ explores the fleeting beauty of nature, highlighting the quiet, deep impact of a transient rainbow.
This is a short two stanza poem that depicts a “lovely arch / Of rainbow” the speaker saw in the sky. It was a temporary beauty, there one minute and gone the next. The poem’s mood is peaceful and wistful as the speaker reflects on the calmness of that moment and the quiet of the passing rain.
I saw the lovely arch
Of Rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by.
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89/100
‘Some rainbow – coming from the Fair!’ by Emily Dickinson delves into themes of spring, change, and rebirth. The poet depicts how the world changes when spring arrives.
Dickinson uses the rainbow as a harbinger of spring and all the beauty that’s going to come with it. She connects the purpling the rainbow to that of peacock feathers, using alliteration to create a pleasing rhythm. There are also images of stirring butterflies and other small creatures that jump along the banks of a pool. Everything is moving, it’s all coming alive with the arrival of the sun.
Some Rainbow – coming from the Fair!
Some Vision of the World Cashmere –
I confidently see!
Or else a Peacock's purple Train
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86/100
Thomson’s ‘The Rainbow’ contrasts Newton’s science with a boy’s awe, celebrating the pure joy found in nature’s transient beauty.
This poem describes the pleasure that one can take if they listen to the music of nature. The speaker emphasizes the way that all the life on earth comes together to create a concert while focusing in on the “bow”. This ethereal and sublime sight crosses the sky and entrances all. Thomson’s speaker dismisses Newton’s scientific understanding of the phenomenon and instead turns to a boy’s wonder-filled reaction to it.
Moist, bright, and green, the landscape laughs around.
Full swell the woods; their every music wakes,
Mix'd in wild concert, with the warbling brooks
Increased, the distant bleatings of the hills,
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85/100
Clare’s ‘Winter Rainbow’ personifies winter, blending its harshness with moments of beauty, evoking appreciation for its dual nature.
The poet begins by outlining the “cutting” and “keen” nature of the season. It can be painful and unpleasant. Clare unseeing personification to depict the winter winds as “grinning” and the season as an “enchantress’ that reigns over every living creature. In the second half of the poem, there’s a turn. He addresses the fact that everything can change when the sun comes out and “thy bright rainbow gilds the purplestorm”.
Thou Winter, thou art keen, intensely keen;
Thy cutting frowns experience bids me know,
For in thy weather days and days I've been,
As grinning north-winds horribly did blow,
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84/100
Davies’s ‘The Kingfisher’ delves into nature’s beauty, solitude, contrasting simple life with human grandeur and the desire for peace.
In this piece, Davies addresses a “kingfisher” bird and how it was given “birth” by a rainbow. The rainbow left all its hues to the bird. The creature goes through the world with its “glorious hues” that allow it to stand against the peacocks in the “green parks”. It is just as vibrant. It could also hold its own against the windows of kings, but it chooses not to. It is not “vain” as a human would be. Instead, it prefers the quiet.
It was the Rainbow gave thee birth,
And left thee all her lovely hues;
And, as her mother’s name was Tears,
So runs it in my blood to choose
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59/100
On the surface, ‘My Heart Leaps Up’ is about the simple beauty of a rainbow. Looking at it more closely, it is about the bliss in innocence.
The rainbow is the heart of this poem. It is not just a part of the setting but the starting point of the speaker’s emotional reaction. Seeing a rainbow makes his heart leap, and he links that feeling to his past, present, and future. Although the poem is short, the image of the rainbow carries great weight. It represents beauty, memory, and a spiritual tie to the world that he never wants to lose.
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
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59/100
‘Ode on Melancholy,’ while not amongst the most lauded of the Odes, is perhaps the most uplifting and hopeful of all of Keat’s Odes. Keats addresses the reader, a sufferer of Melancholy, and tells him not to worry.
Rainbows are mentioned as part of the natural world that can help soothe pain. Keats tells the reader to focus on the “rainbow of the salt sand-wave,” which is a rare and beautiful image. It reminds us that small wonders can appear in unexpected places. Though it is not a major symbol throughout the poem, it plays an important role in encouraging the reader to find brightness during dark moments, even if that brightness fades quickly.
No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twist
Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;
Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kiss'd
By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;
