Forbidden Love
Forbidden Love
"Meeting at Night" is a
poem by the Victorian poet Robert Browning. It is a lyric poem that describes a
man’s journey to meet his lover secretly. It is a dramatic and romantic poem
that was published in ‘1845’. Browning wrote this poem while he was in a
relationship with his future wife, whose father did not approve of Browning as
his daughter's husband. This perhaps is the reason of the secret nature of the
meeting between the speaker and his lover. Using nature representation and how
the author viewed it is why this poem can be understood Ecocritically.
In this poem, the speaker draws a
full visual image of the strange road he takes to get to his lover. He
describes how he sails at night under the moonlight to meet her, so they do not
get caught by anyone. He, also, describes how he sees the waves, the moon, and
the beach during his journey as if all the elements of nature know about their
meeting and looking down silently at them.
Then, when the speaker arrives at the
cove and stops his boat and starts taking his way to her home through the
fields, it indicates how calm the nature around him was, and how it supported
his secret love. The nature around the speaker in these scenes represents the
speaker himself, as he was calm not to get caught yet excited to meet his
lover. In addition, the visual images he highlights through describing the scenery
around him all the time, from sailing until getting to her house, allow the
reader to clearly see the nature in every step in the speaker’s journey.
Shortly, this poem is a great example
of what a successful poet Browning is. He takes the reader through a cinematic
experience as the speaker focusses sharply to intimate details of the different
elements of nature. Moreover, this poem may be a hint of Browning’s own life,
which makes him a brave man to write such a poem in a time of moral and social
conservatism.
Works cited:
Howard, James. "Meeting at
Night." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 8
May 2019. Web. Accessed 11 Dec 2021.
Spacey, Andrew. “Analysis
of Poem Meeting at Night by Robert Browning.” Owlcation, owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-Meeting-At-Night-by-Robert-Browning.
Accessed 11 Dec. 2021.
It is needless to mention the amount of fabulous description this poem contains. I still think about it in astonishment but for another reason. When I first knew it was written in a subtle manner for the sake of the conservative society at that time, but, now, it is taught to students from other cultures that are even more conservative, I cannot help but feel amazed and relieved for what we have come to as human beings accepting other's differences.
ReplyDeleteIt is really amazing that you viewed it in this way. I do hope that everyone manages to accept human beings' feelings and how different they are.
DeleteI like this poem since it inflames my feelings. I also admire how the poem ends because it delivers warm feelings.
ReplyDeleteYes it does! I also liked how he expressed that he would do the impossible just to see her for a short time.
DeleteI really liked this poem. It argues that love is worth taking risks, and it shows how love is powerful and exciting, and how you can go far away to just meet your loved one!
ReplyDeleteYes It totally does!
DeleteThe poet's style and choice of words are amazing. It makes me feel every emotion from the beginning of his journey until he reaches his beloved.
ReplyDeleteBrowning is very successful poet. I do agree with you on how his style is amazingly great.
Delete