Class-XI
Poetry
Chapter- 2
Meeting at Night
-Robert Browning
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| Meeting at Night Broad Questions and Answers |
Broad Questions and Answers (Long Questions and Answers)
1) Describe the scene and the journey of the lover as you find it in the poem Meeting at Night.
Ans: “Meeting at Night” describes the journey of a lover through sea and land to meet his beloved. In the half moon of the night, the sea looks grey while the land looks black. With the yellow moon visible in the sky, which looks large and low, the narrator sails towards the land in a boat. The waves look like flaming ringlets in the moonlight. The narrator secures his boat in the slushy land. Then he walks through the beach which is a mile in length. He also crosses three fields and reaches the farmhouse of his beloved. He reaches the place just to feel the presence of his beloved.
2) Briefly discuss the images that we find in Browning’s poem “Meeting at Night”.
Ans: Browning’s poem “Meeting at Night” is loaded with images that enhance the sensuousness of the narrative. The images found in the poem are those of the “grey sea”, ” long black land”, “yellow half moon”, “startled… waves”, “slushy sand”, “warm sea scented beach”, and “three fields” together make the description enchanting, adventurous, passionate, daring and sensuous. These images help Browning to catch the longing desire of the couple to meet one another. The narrator makes a great effort to overcome all the obstacles in the way and is rewarded with a meeting with his beloved. With these images and with the daring effort of the narrator, the poet brings home the truth: Amor Vince Omnia which means love conquers all.
3) Write a note on the significance of the title of the poem “Meeting at Night”.
Ans: The poem by Robert Browning is about the secret meeting of the lover and his beloved at midnight. The poem describes the journey of the lover and his desperation to meet his beloved. We are given to understand that the beloved also waits eagerly for the lover and the meeting at night is a moment of fulfilling the wish of both. Though the actual meeting is described in only the last four lines, it has been done so with great mastery of description which makes them intensely passionate and exciting. The joy and excitement of the meeting is represented by the beating of their hearts together. The title, thus, is appropriate and well thought out which points towards the theme and meaning of the poem.
4) How does the poet describe the sea in the poem “Meeting at Night”? How does the poet describe the night?
Ans: In the poem “Meeting at Night”, the poet describes the sea as both enchanting and romantic. The sea seems to be grey and the waves are startled at the disturbance made by the boat of the narrator. There is a cove and slushy sand which is followed by a warm sea scented beach.
The night is also enchanting with a yellow half moon which makes the sea look grey and the land look dark. It is the time when there is nobody around and only those who have a mission to accomplish venture out. In the dark night, the blue spurt of a lighted match could be seen clearly which is a symbol that the darkness of the land has ignited the passion of the lovers who meet secretly under the cover of the night.
5) “As I gain the cove with pushing prow / And quench its speed in the slushy sand” What is a cove? What do you mean by ” quench its speed “?
Ans: Cove may be defined as a sheltered place on the shore. In this poem it signifies that the narrator has reached the shore.
By the expression “quenching its speed”, here the poet means the gradual slowing down and eventually stopping of the boat of the lover. The lover, in his mission to meet his beloved, has travelled all the way to the shore in his boat and now he pulls the boat in the slushy sand by taking it out of the water. The word “quench” means gratification of the thirst. Taking out the boat from the sea disconnects its from water source. Hence it has been poetically referred to as quenching of speed.
6) Summarise the poem Meeting at Night.
Ans: The Robert Browning’s poem, as the title shows it, is about a meeting at night of a couple who are in love with each other. To meet the woman, the man should do a very long journey through the sea with his boat, walking through three fields, until he arrives at a farm. Still, he has to be very careful when meeting her because exactly they are not allowed to meet each other. That’s why the man comes at night and they should talk with a very soft voice.This poem is telling us about the process of a relationship. When someone could not find his love, he would feel so lonely in life. Robert Browning represented it with the phrase “the grey sea and the long black land”. Love can be aimed at someone or a dream. Then, to be able to reach his love, he passed through many challenges and restrictions. However, he did it happily since he is very optimistic. After all the hassles, he succeeds in finding what he’s been looking for. The loneliness then is gone and turned into brightness (“And blue spurt of a lighted match”). Finally, he got what he had been dreaming about.
7) Write the substance of the poem Meeting at Night.
Ans: The speaker is at sea at night, heading towards the black land in the distance. He briefly paints a picturesque image of night at sea but moves forward until he pulls his vessel up onto the sand.He walks a mile along the beach and then across three fields until he approaches his goal, a farm. He taps at the window, sees the lighting of a match, and then is overwhelmed by the beating of his and his lover's hearts as they reunite.
8) Analyse the poem Meeting at Night.
Ans: The journey and reunion happen at night, suggesting a veil of transgression that in the Victorian age would likely be linked to sexuality .Perhaps there is autobiographical impetus in exploring the theme from this angle, considering that Browning had only recently wed Elizabeth Barrett Browning after a courtship that they had to keep secret from her oppressive father. Many scholars see in it a representation of this courtship, though Browning's general eschewal of autobiography in his poetry makes it hard to imagine he would pursue that so explicitly. Regardless, sexuality does add a certain sense of danger to the poem. Not only is sexuality implied in the clandestine meeting, but the image of the boat charging into the beach, where it can "quench its speed I' the slushy sand" is easy to interpret as a metaphor along these lines.
Overall, the poem is not subtle in its themes. The speed with which it can be read, since it is only twelve lines long, is the final implication that for he who loves, there is no cause for stopping to admire surrounding beauty, at least not until the supreme beauty of his beloved can be realised.
9) “And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears, than the two hearts beating each to each!” – Whose voice is referred to here? Why is the voice full of joy and fear? Describe the meeting.
Ans: Ladylove's low voice is referred to in Robert Browning's 'Meeting at Night.'
Because the lovers' longing is achieved by meeting at night, the voice is full of joy and excitement. Lady love's voice, on the other hand, shows apprehension because they are meeting secretly. They are afraid of being identified or caught.
The lover arrives at his destination, a farmhouse where his ladylove dwells, after a long travel and overcoming hurdles. He taps the glass. Scratching a match, his ladylove, who had been waiting for him, signals him. Finally, they meet and enjoy each other's company. Their hearts are more passionate and eager than their words.
10) Evaluate ‘Meeting at Night’ as love poem.
Ans: "Meeting at Night", by Robert Browning, is a well-known love poem. In the poem, the lover overcomes all barriers in order to meet his ladylove. He embarks on a long and difficult voyage across the grey sea. Then he takes a mile-long walk down the sea-scented shore, passing through three fields. Finally, he arrives at his intended destination, a farmhouse where his ladylove resides. He taps the glass. The ladylove, who had been anticipating his arrival, answers by scratching a match. Finally, they meet and enjoy each other's company. Their voices are smothered by the beating of their earnest hearts. The lover's rising intensity of love is symbolized by terms like the yellow half-moon, fiery ringlets, startled waves, and slushy sands. So, all of these indications imply 'Meeting at Night' is a love poem.
11) Give an account of the lover’s journey to his beloved in ‘Meeting at Night’.
Ans: In Browning's “Meeting at Night”, the lover travels on a long trip to meet his beloved. Is it a night meeting this is kept secret. He gets a boat and sets out over the grey sea. The landscape is long and black. He observes the bright yellow moon, which is large and low in the sky. With the motion of the boat, the waves that are sleeping leap in fiery ringlets. He then arrives in the cove and anchors the boat in the soft sand. He then takes a mile long walk on the warm, sea-scented beach. He travels across three fields before arriving at his destination, a farmhouse. He announces his coming by tapping the window pane.
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