Meeting at Night by Robert Browning

            
             Thesis: The imagery in, "Meeting at Night," is something that the reader can practical see, touch, smell, and hear; the tone and theme of the poem are two very important fixtures that are evident to the reader and are of importance for the poem. .
             I. Imagery of poem.
             A. Imagery in first stanza.
             B. Imagery in second stanza.
             II. Tone of poem.
             III. Theme of poem.
             "Meeting at Night" by Robert Browning.
             Robert Browning started writing poetry at a very early age and was one of the most famous Victorian poets of his time. He displays his incredible talent throughout all of his works. His poem "Meeting at Night" is one of the many poems that showcases his unique style. The form of "Meeting at Night" is a lyric; Browning expresses his feelings in this poem which is obviously love or being in love. The poem is about two lovers meeting in the night; the speaker in the poem describes the journey he takes to visit his lover. The imagery, tone, and theme of "Meeting at Night" are three very important factors that are evident to the reader and are of importance for the poem. .
             Although the poem consists of only two stanzas, there are many distinct examples of imagery throughout the poem. Browning's use of imagery is very important in order for the reader to visualize the speaker on his journey. The first stanza describes the beginning of the speaker's journey; "The gray 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 [. . .]" (ll. 1-4). The gray sea, long black land, yellow half-moon, and the little waves are examples of sight because the reader can definitely visualize these things. The speaker goes on to say, "As I gain the cove with pushing prow, and quench its speed i" the slushy sand (ll. 5-6). The speaker is obviously traveling in a boat and has described how he came to land. He first mentions the black land and the yellow half-moon which is describing that all he sees is darkness but the yellow moon is his guiding light to his destination.