Meeting at Night
by Robert Browning
Meeting at Night is an excellent dramatic lyric. It is
one of the less known poems of Robert Browning. It is a love poem. It was
probably composed soon after the poet’s marriage with Elizabeth Barret. A note
of secrecy in this meeting of lovers at night at a secluded place suggests that
there may be some autobiographical flavour in it.
The title of the poem suggests its theme. Its all
about lover’s story. A lover is eagerly waiting to meet with his beloved. In a
moonlit night, the lovers under takes the journey in a boat. The sea is grey
and the moon is not in full splendour. The boat moves on. The sleepy sea rises
in ripples. A restlessness grips the mind of the lover. A strange passion fires
his senses. After a long journey, comes a time when the boat reaches the bay.
The boat is anchored. The lover takes a long stroll along the sea-scented
beach. He crosses three fields to reach his beloved’s cottage. To announce his presence,
he gives a tap on the window pan. He scratches on it. A match is lit inside.
The lover is tossed by joy and fear. Then a voice is heard, softer than the beating
of two hearts in the passionate rapture of union.
This is the story. The secret meeting of two hearts is clearly suggested by the title. The poet makes an extensive use of symbolism which enriches its setting. Thus a cinematographic setting of the poem helps to build the suitable ground for creating the theme of exciting love.
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