Langston Hughes

An April Rain Song

Summary


"An April Rain Song" by Langston Hughes transforms an ordinary rainstorm into a tender, sensory experience. The speaker invites the rain to kiss you, beat upon your head with silver drops, and sing a lullaby with its soft pitty-pat rhythm. Still pools on the sidewalk and running streams in the gutter become small wonders, while rain on the rooftop plays a quiet sleep tune into the night. The poem closes with a simple, warm declaration of love for the rain itself.

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LET the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head
With silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
With its pitty-pat.
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.
The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
The rain plays a little sleep tune
On our roof at night,
And I love the rain.

Credits

Langston Hughes was an American poet, novelist, and playwright, born in 1902, and one of the most celebrated voices of the Harlem Renaissance. Known for weaving everyday Black American life into lyrical, jazz-inflected verse, Hughes wrote "An April Rain Song" with a childlike simplicity that gives the poem its quiet, disarming power. It remains one of his most beloved short poems for its gentle, musical imagery.
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