Robert Browning wrote 'Meeting At Night' in 1845 while he was courting Elizabeth Barrett. The two exchanged many love letters and secretly eloped in 1846, despite her father's protests. Browning's urgent love for Elizabeth is clearly expressed in this poem, and it is considered the most sensual poem that he had written up to that point. Browning uses the senses of sight, smell, sound and touch to help convey his passion and excitement as he travels by boat during the night to secretly see his beloved.
'The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low:
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!'
Poem Analysis
In the first stanza, the speaker is in a boat at sea beneath the half-moon noticing the way the little waves move: 'in fiery ringlets from their sleep.' The image of fiery ringlets can be seen in our mind; therefore this is an example of imagery. The speaker's lantern shines on the little waves, making them seem fiery, and fire is often seen as a symbol or representation of passion and love. Colors also help create imagery, and Browning mentions gray, black and yellow in the first stanza to help create images in the reader's mind. Another example of imagery is when the speaker comes ashore by mentioning the prow or the nose of the boat above the water. He gets closer and closer to the cove until he arrives in the 'slushy sand'. We can imagine the slushy sand, and this uses our sense of touch, since we know what watery sand feels like. Because this detail uses one of our senses, it is called a sensory detail.
In the second stanza, he mentions the 'sea-scented beach,' which ties to our sense of smell, reminding us of the smell of the salty air by the beach. The speaker goes on to describe how he travels on the beach then through fields where he arrives at a farm and taps on the window, mentioning a 'quick sharp scratch,' which we can almost hear by reading those words. A 'blue spurt of a lighted match' is clearly seen by mentioning the color blue, and an excited though startled voice is heard, which is said to be softer than their beating hearts. If this poem is indeed about Elizabeth Barrett, which historians assume, the mention of fear could be hinting at the fact that Elizabeth's father, who disliked Robert Browning, could find out about this secretive meeting. The poem conveys their stealthy secrecy through details such as: the poem is set at night, the speaker travels alone, he taps at her window pane and she quietly speaks to him.
Lines 1-2
The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
The poem opens with a description of the landscape: a "grey sea," "long black land," and a "half-moon" that is either rising or setting (it is "low" on the horizon).
There are no verbs in these first two lines, so we don't know what the land is doing; it is just there.
"Black land" and the presence of the moon inform us that it is nighttime (hence the title "Meeting at Night").
Lines 3-4
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
The speaker continues describing the features of the landscape; there are "little waves" that, strangely, resemble "fiery ringlets."
We already know that the speaker is near the ocean, but this description of the waves suggests that maybe the speaker is in a boat.
The "fiery ringlets" of line 3 contrast with the images of darkness we have already encountered ("black land," the moon, and the "night" of the title).
Lines 5-6
As I gain the cove with t prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.
Finally, someone is doing something in the poem! We learn that the speaker is sailing. He reaches ("gains") the "cove" (a kind of recess or sheltered space on the coast of an ocean).
The descriptions in lines 1-4 refer to the scene the speaker observes while sailing.
"Quench its speed" is strange, in part because we don't know what "its" refers to. It seems likely that "its" refers to the boat the speaker is sailing.
"Quench" means to extinguish or stop (like quenching your thirst by drinking Gatorade), so "quench its speed" means to "stop" the boat on the shore, "i[n] the slushy sand."
Lines 7-8
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
The speaker has disembarked from his boat, and must now walk a mile on the beach, and then across three fields.
The line "a mile of warm sea-scented beach" is kind of strange; the speaker never says he must cross it, but line 8 implies that that is exactly what he is doing.
"A mile of sea-scented beach" seems to be a dangling or static piece of scenery, as if it weren't doing anything, just like the first four lines of the poem.
Its not clear if the farm is the speaker's destination or not, but it seems likely that it is.
Notice how the farm "appears" after a somewhat strenuous journey (across the sea, across the beach, across three fields). It almost seems magical.
Lines 9-10
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
Apparently the farm is the speaker's destination because now someone (most likely the speaker – why would the person inside the house do the tapping?) is "tapping" at the windowpane.
Someone appears to respond to the tap by lighting a match (the "quick sharp scratch" refers to the sound of lighting a match).
Notice that these lines, like a number of others in the poem, possess a certain static quality; instead of saying "there was a tap at the pane," or something to that effect, the speaker simply says "a tap at the pane."
Lines 11-12
And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each.
After the "tap at the pane" and the lighting of the match, a voice speaks. Based on what we know of such "meetings at night" (from fairy tales and the like), it seems possible that the voice is that of the woman in the house.
The voice is less loud than the hearts of the two lovers. That sounds kind of strange (we don't usually think of heartbeats as something so loud we can hear), but it suggests that the two lovers are so excited that their hearts beat louder than a human voice.
Symbol Analysis
"Meeting at Night" opens with a description of the "grey sea," which is followed shortly thereafter by a description of some waves, a cove, and a beach. It seems that the sea, and the things associated with it, are always in the way in this poem; the speaker must negotiate them in order to reach the farm where the meeting will take place.
Line 1: The speaker tells us that the sea is grey.
Lines 3-4: The speaker implies that he is sailing by describing the waves. Waves don't really leap. That's giving something non-human a human ability, and that's called personification. The waves aren't literally on fire either; the speaker is comparing them to something "fiery." This is a metaphor.
Line 5: The speaker reaches a cove, or a sheltered area near a coastline. The cove is a symbol of shelter in the poem, as it allows the speaker to get away from the "fiery" waves and closer to his meeting.
Lines 6: The speaker stops his boat in "slushy sand" (i.e., sand that appears to be kind of watery, you know, like a slushy?). That's because it's near a body of water.
Line 7: The speaker describes a "warm sea-scented beach" that he must cross.
Line 7: The speaker describes the beach near the sea as "warm."
Line 10: Someone lights a match, something that we all know is incredibly hot. In a way, the lighting of the match is a symbol of passion. Are you familiar with the metaphor we use nowadays about relationships involving the word "spark," as in "I really feel a spark with this one"?
Line 12: The incredibly loud volume of the "two hearts beating each to each" suggests that there is some serious passion here, or at least some romantic heat.
Title:
The title of the poem pretty much sums up what happens in the poem: the speaker describes a "meeting at night," or rather he describes all the things he must do to make his "meeting" happen. It is only in the last two or three lines that the actual meeting takes place, prompting the question as to what the title of the poem is actually doing.
On the one hand, the title is a little misleading. Why? Because the bulk of the poem consists of descriptions of the landscapes (sea, beach, fields) that the speaker must cross in order to make his date. On the other hand, the fact that the poem is called "Meeting at Night" suggests that the meeting is the most important event in the poem, even though the meeting itself only occupies four lines.
'The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low:
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!'
Poem Analysis
In the first stanza, the speaker is in a boat at sea beneath the half-moon noticing the way the little waves move: 'in fiery ringlets from their sleep.' The image of fiery ringlets can be seen in our mind; therefore this is an example of imagery. The speaker's lantern shines on the little waves, making them seem fiery, and fire is often seen as a symbol or representation of passion and love. Colors also help create imagery, and Browning mentions gray, black and yellow in the first stanza to help create images in the reader's mind. Another example of imagery is when the speaker comes ashore by mentioning the prow or the nose of the boat above the water. He gets closer and closer to the cove until he arrives in the 'slushy sand'. We can imagine the slushy sand, and this uses our sense of touch, since we know what watery sand feels like. Because this detail uses one of our senses, it is called a sensory detail.
In the second stanza, he mentions the 'sea-scented beach,' which ties to our sense of smell, reminding us of the smell of the salty air by the beach. The speaker goes on to describe how he travels on the beach then through fields where he arrives at a farm and taps on the window, mentioning a 'quick sharp scratch,' which we can almost hear by reading those words. A 'blue spurt of a lighted match' is clearly seen by mentioning the color blue, and an excited though startled voice is heard, which is said to be softer than their beating hearts. If this poem is indeed about Elizabeth Barrett, which historians assume, the mention of fear could be hinting at the fact that Elizabeth's father, who disliked Robert Browning, could find out about this secretive meeting. The poem conveys their stealthy secrecy through details such as: the poem is set at night, the speaker travels alone, he taps at her window pane and she quietly speaks to him.
Lines 1-2
The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
The poem opens with a description of the landscape: a "grey sea," "long black land," and a "half-moon" that is either rising or setting (it is "low" on the horizon).
There are no verbs in these first two lines, so we don't know what the land is doing; it is just there.
"Black land" and the presence of the moon inform us that it is nighttime (hence the title "Meeting at Night").
Lines 3-4
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
The speaker continues describing the features of the landscape; there are "little waves" that, strangely, resemble "fiery ringlets."
We already know that the speaker is near the ocean, but this description of the waves suggests that maybe the speaker is in a boat.
The "fiery ringlets" of line 3 contrast with the images of darkness we have already encountered ("black land," the moon, and the "night" of the title).
Lines 5-6
As I gain the cove with t prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.
Finally, someone is doing something in the poem! We learn that the speaker is sailing. He reaches ("gains") the "cove" (a kind of recess or sheltered space on the coast of an ocean).
The descriptions in lines 1-4 refer to the scene the speaker observes while sailing.
"Quench its speed" is strange, in part because we don't know what "its" refers to. It seems likely that "its" refers to the boat the speaker is sailing.
"Quench" means to extinguish or stop (like quenching your thirst by drinking Gatorade), so "quench its speed" means to "stop" the boat on the shore, "i[n] the slushy sand."
Lines 7-8
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
The speaker has disembarked from his boat, and must now walk a mile on the beach, and then across three fields.
The line "a mile of warm sea-scented beach" is kind of strange; the speaker never says he must cross it, but line 8 implies that that is exactly what he is doing.
"A mile of sea-scented beach" seems to be a dangling or static piece of scenery, as if it weren't doing anything, just like the first four lines of the poem.
Its not clear if the farm is the speaker's destination or not, but it seems likely that it is.
Notice how the farm "appears" after a somewhat strenuous journey (across the sea, across the beach, across three fields). It almost seems magical.
Lines 9-10
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
Apparently the farm is the speaker's destination because now someone (most likely the speaker – why would the person inside the house do the tapping?) is "tapping" at the windowpane.
Someone appears to respond to the tap by lighting a match (the "quick sharp scratch" refers to the sound of lighting a match).
Notice that these lines, like a number of others in the poem, possess a certain static quality; instead of saying "there was a tap at the pane," or something to that effect, the speaker simply says "a tap at the pane."
Lines 11-12
And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each.
After the "tap at the pane" and the lighting of the match, a voice speaks. Based on what we know of such "meetings at night" (from fairy tales and the like), it seems possible that the voice is that of the woman in the house.
The voice is less loud than the hearts of the two lovers. That sounds kind of strange (we don't usually think of heartbeats as something so loud we can hear), but it suggests that the two lovers are so excited that their hearts beat louder than a human voice.
Symbol Analysis
"Meeting at Night" opens with a description of the "grey sea," which is followed shortly thereafter by a description of some waves, a cove, and a beach. It seems that the sea, and the things associated with it, are always in the way in this poem; the speaker must negotiate them in order to reach the farm where the meeting will take place.
Line 1: The speaker tells us that the sea is grey.
Lines 3-4: The speaker implies that he is sailing by describing the waves. Waves don't really leap. That's giving something non-human a human ability, and that's called personification. The waves aren't literally on fire either; the speaker is comparing them to something "fiery." This is a metaphor.
Line 5: The speaker reaches a cove, or a sheltered area near a coastline. The cove is a symbol of shelter in the poem, as it allows the speaker to get away from the "fiery" waves and closer to his meeting.
Lines 6: The speaker stops his boat in "slushy sand" (i.e., sand that appears to be kind of watery, you know, like a slushy?). That's because it's near a body of water.
Line 7: The speaker describes a "warm sea-scented beach" that he must cross.
Line 7: The speaker describes the beach near the sea as "warm."
Line 10: Someone lights a match, something that we all know is incredibly hot. In a way, the lighting of the match is a symbol of passion. Are you familiar with the metaphor we use nowadays about relationships involving the word "spark," as in "I really feel a spark with this one"?
Line 12: The incredibly loud volume of the "two hearts beating each to each" suggests that there is some serious passion here, or at least some romantic heat.
Title:
The title of the poem pretty much sums up what happens in the poem: the speaker describes a "meeting at night," or rather he describes all the things he must do to make his "meeting" happen. It is only in the last two or three lines that the actual meeting takes place, prompting the question as to what the title of the poem is actually doing.
On the one hand, the title is a little misleading. Why? Because the bulk of the poem consists of descriptions of the landscapes (sea, beach, fields) that the speaker must cross in order to make his date. On the other hand, the fact that the poem is called "Meeting at Night" suggests that the meeting is the most important event in the poem, even though the meeting itself only occupies four lines.
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