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Today, on July 6th, 2008, the site contains 193 poets, 8,680 poems and 4,500 comments.
Robert Browning - Meeting At Night

The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.

Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!

Added: on April 25th, 2006 at 5:04 PM | Viewed: 6802 times | Comments (6)


Meeting At Night - Comments and Information

Poet: Robert Browning
Poem: Meeting At Night

Comment 6 of 6, added on August 21st, 2007 at 3:18 AM.

I'm always amazed at how often people miss this poems literal sense. It is of course a graphic description of the sexual act culminating in orgasm. The title for a start plus the resst is all there: the 'fiery ringlets' (pubic hair) the 'pushy prow' (penis) 'And quench its speed i' the slushy sand' (the act of penetration) then follows the path to orgasm
'Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;'
followed by orgasm itself
'A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
The cry of the partner and the immediate post coital sensation of the partners heart next to the poets:
'And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!'

An absolutely fantastic poem and a fine example of how Browning so creatively got round the victorian attitudes of censorship. I've seen a lot of twaddle written about this poem and seen it published in child's anthologies goddammit! - surely i'm right or is it just my dirty mind! Anyway i can't see it any other way. I bet Elizabeth Barret was a hottie! comments Pulees!!!!




Mark from Indonesia
Comment 5 of 6, added on May 9th, 2006 at 7:58 PM.

this poem intirgued me to learn more about robert browning and made me realise love comes in all different forms

ben mackey from Australia
Comment 4 of 6, added on April 25th, 2006 at 5:04 PM.

ROBERT BROWNING NEVER USES THE WORD LOVE ONCE,YET YOU CAN FEEL WHAT HE IS EXPRESSING AS YOU CONTINUE TO READ EACH LINE.IT BRINGS PEACE AND COMFORT TO MY SOUL,AS I IMAGINE MYSELF THERE,NEAR THE PEACEFULNESS OF THE WATER.IN THE END IT MAKES ME SMILE, AS I READ " TWO HEARTS BEATING EACH TO EACH,"IN BROWINGS POEM.

CINDY from United States

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