Meeting at Night: Robert Browning

 

Tutun’s  Academy for Learning English (TALE)

Meeting at Night: Robert Browning

 1. Justify the title of the poem “Meeting at Night”. 

Ans.⇒ Browning’s poem “Meeting at Night” dealt with a nocturnal journey of a lover to meet his beloved.  He voyaged the ‘grey sea’ in the darkness of night. The moon was described as large and low. When he reached the land, he walked a mile on the sea beach and then covered three fields.  At last, he met his beloved in a farmhouse. Those imageries, used in the poem such as ‘grey sea’, ‘the long black land’, the large and low’, ‘yellow half-moon’, imply that there is a risk in this meeting. On the other hand, the night is not only the ideal time for this meeting but it also gives us a feeling of secrecy. Since the meeting that takes place in this poem is evidently a secret one, the title is appropriate.

  2. What does the lover observe in the course of his journey? What does he do as he reaches the farmhouse?

Ans.⇒ In “Meeting at Night”, Browning gives a detailed description of the sceneries the lover across in the course of his journey to meet his ladylove in a farmhouse. The sea has been described as “grey sea” and the land as “long black land”. A very common cosmic object of night-sky, the moon, has been as “yellow half-moon large and low”. While sailing in the sea the lover sees the ripples of the sea which have been described as leaping in fiery ringlet. Finally, the slushy sand slowdowns the speed of his boat. Then the lover walks a mile warm sea-scented beach and three fields to reach the farmhouse to meet his beloved. When he reaches the farmhouse he knocks at the windowpane to inform her of his arrival.

 3. Describe the lover’s journey to meet his lover in the poem “Meeting at Night”

 Ans.⇒    Robert Browning’s “Meeting at Night” describes the journey of a lover to meet his lady love secretly at night. The lover undertook a journey by sea and by land to meet his beloved. First, he sailed in the grey sea when the moon had been described as large and low and the very active waves as dancing in joy looking like fiery ringlets. When the lover reached the sea beach his boat hit the slushy sand. Then he covered by walking a mile on the sea beach and by crossing three fields. At last, he reached his destination, a farmhouse where his beloved was waiting for him. He tapped at the window pane and his beloved lit a match. At last two passionate hearts forgathered and the lover completed his journey.

4. “And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears” – Why is the voice less loud? Give the significance of the line.

Ans.⇒ In the poem “Meeting at Night”, a lover and his beloved decided to meet secretly. Therefore to keep their meeting secret, they spoke in a voice less loud.

            After a long tiresome journey, the lover reached the farmhouse where his ladylove lived. Hearing the tap on the windowpane she became aware of his arrival and became impatient to meet him and signaled with a scratch on the match. Finally, when they met, their hearts were filled with love and joy. But as they were meeting secretly they had the feeling of fear as well. Ultimately the lovers united and were locked in a passionate embrace having both of the feeling, joy and fear.