Meeting at Night

by Robert Browning .

1. Give the substance of the poem " Meeting at Night " 5

Ans: It is night time and the poet is at sea ., He is heading towards the black land in the distance . The poet describes how the sea looks at night with a yellow half moon in the sky . Then , he tells us how his boat moves forward until he can pull it up on to the sand . He walks a mile along the beach , stepping on the warm sand and then across three fields until he reaches a farm . He then taps at the window and someone inside lights a match . The poet then goes on to describe how overwhelmed he feels by the beating of his and his lover's hearts as they reunite . This is a simple love poem but there is a pressing sense of urgency in it . There is always a sense of forward momentum , a sense of constantly moving forward as the poet travels to see his loved one. He stops briefly to describe the sea at night and the warm sands of the beach . These elements lend a certain magic and mystery to the atmosphere. The night also adds to the sense of secrecy , because the poet is visiting his beloved under the cover of night

2. ' And a voice less loud ..... beating each to each !' Whose voice is referred to here ? Why is the voice full of joy and fear ? Describe the meaning .

Ans . The voice here refers to the faint whisper of the lady - love whom the lover poet went to meet .

# The voice expresses joy because the two lovers get the joy union finally . At the same time , the lady - lover's voice reveals fear as they unite secretly and she has the fear of being caught .

# After reaching the farmhouse the lover tapped at the window pane . The light of the match inside revealed the lady - love's eager waiting . They had to sail a lot of obstacles before they were united . They got the joy of union . Their . heart beats become synchronised . Their happiness and extreme excitement fade away their whispering voice.

3. Give an account of the lover's journey to his beloved in ' Meeting at Night'

Ans. The lover starts his journey at night in a boat to meet his lady -love secretly . He rows his boat over the grey sea . The land is long and black . The yellow half moon appears large and low . After a time , the lover anchors his boat in a slushy bank and alights from his boat to walk through a mile long beach . Then he crosses three fields to reach a farmhouse . The lady - love eagerly waits for him there . He taps the window pane softly to announce his arrival . He gets the response from his beloved inside the room .

4. Evaluate ' Meeting at Night ' as a love poem .

Ans . In Browning's poem ' Meeting at Night ' we come across the account of a person's journey to meet someone secretly at night . In the first person narrative the speaker tells about the natural ambience charged with secrecy and mystery . We also feel the growing excitement and longing as after rowing over the dark and mysterious sea . The narrator moves over the sea - scented lonely beach and crossing three fields reaches the farmhouse . As he taps at the window - pane , his rising passion is immediately responded by another heart burning with the blue flame of passion .Then a faint voice and the two beating heats tell that they are the lovers . In this way the poem tells about love and passion , longing excitement in very suggestive way .

5. Justify the title of the poem ' Meeting at Night '

Ans : ' Meeting at Night ' is a poem which describes the journey of a lover to meet his lady - love and his ultimate meeting with lady - love . The first stanza describes the journey by the sea to meet the lady -love . In the second stanza , also the journey is continued through the beach and field . Ultimately , the lover reaches a farmhouse and the - cherished meeting between the two is completed . The title ' Meeting at Night ' quite competently hints at this central theme of meeting between the lovers . The word 'night' in the title also hints at the secrecy of the lover's meeting .

6. What does the speaker observe in the course of his journey to the farmhouse in the poem ' Meeting at Night' ? What does he do as he reaches the farmhouse ?

Ans : The poet undertakes a long journey through the sea and the land to meet his lady - love in the farmhouse. While he is crossing the sea in a boat , he observes the grey sea , long black land and the yellow half-moon shining low in the sky . He also observes the fiery ringlets leaping out on the sea water with the movement of his boat . Again , after getting down from the boat he continues his journey through the warm and sea- scented beach .

# After reaching the farmhouse he taps on the window pane to signal his lady - love about his arrival .