Dover beach by Matthew Arnold - Explanation
The poem is written by Matthew Arnold, a Victorian-era poet and critic. The poem is based in ferry port of Dover, Kent. The poem highlights Arnold's conviction of people's losing faith in his era as Victorian-era was an age of realism, confusion and there was stress on morality. The poem starts with a lovely description of the natural surrounding and then Arnold comes upon the issue of losing of faith and he tells his beloved to hold on to him in this world which he describes as consist of no good things.
Stanza 1
It's evening time and the narrator sits by the sea, describes the sea as calm. Then he says that the tides are in their full limit and the moon is situated above the straits. The light first shines on the French coast and the light shuts off, then it sparkles the cliffs, lies on the English side, which spreads in vast area and tranquility prevails here too. He sends for his beloved to come to the window and tells her that he finds the breeze blowing in the night sweet. He shows her the sight in which sea seems to meet the land visible pale due to the moonlight and request her to listen the sound of "grating roar" coming from the pebbles movement due to waves drawing them back and forth. With the movement of waves, it seems that the shore "begins and cease" as it covers-uncovers from the tides again and again. As the waves returns on the shore, this musical "eternal note" brings sadness to the narrator.
Stanza 2
The narrator says that as Sophocles, a Great playwright (especially for his Tragedies) of the ancient Greece who a long time ago experienced the beautiful view of the Aegean sea and took inspiration about the relation of cloudy outward flow and flow of human misery. When he hears the sound of tides in the distant northern sea, he also finds this thought of Sophocles.
Stanza 3
The narrator says that "the sea of Faith" was once at the full potential and lies on earth'shore and he compare it with a bright garment instead of being wore by someone is rolled. In this "Sea of Faith", he hears only melancholy, long and withdrawing sounds and is pulling away as the faith is going away from the world so the sea will be in dejection and there will no remains but shingles (small pebbles) on earth.
The narrator wants to say that in his Age, there is a lack of faith and confusion prevails everywhere. Throughout the poem, we have come far away from the soft beginning lines which talk about calmness and in stanza 3, he talks about the losing of the faith and its consequences.
Stanza 4
In this stanza, the narrator talks to his beloved and tells her that they should be true and to each other and says that the world which they are witnessing like a land of dreams is new, beautiful and has numerable numbers. But in reality it has neither joy nor love, there is no light and uncertainty prevails and peace never achieved, no one helps when one suffers from intense pain. Then he says to her that they are present in a dark place where there is always confusion and alarm and ignorant armies who just follows orders strike.
Stanza 1
It's evening time and the narrator sits by the sea, describes the sea as calm. Then he says that the tides are in their full limit and the moon is situated above the straits. The light first shines on the French coast and the light shuts off, then it sparkles the cliffs, lies on the English side, which spreads in vast area and tranquility prevails here too. He sends for his beloved to come to the window and tells her that he finds the breeze blowing in the night sweet. He shows her the sight in which sea seems to meet the land visible pale due to the moonlight and request her to listen the sound of "grating roar" coming from the pebbles movement due to waves drawing them back and forth. With the movement of waves, it seems that the shore "begins and cease" as it covers-uncovers from the tides again and again. As the waves returns on the shore, this musical "eternal note" brings sadness to the narrator.
Stanza 2
The narrator says that as Sophocles, a Great playwright (especially for his Tragedies) of the ancient Greece who a long time ago experienced the beautiful view of the Aegean sea and took inspiration about the relation of cloudy outward flow and flow of human misery. When he hears the sound of tides in the distant northern sea, he also finds this thought of Sophocles.
Stanza 3
The narrator says that "the sea of Faith" was once at the full potential and lies on earth'shore and he compare it with a bright garment instead of being wore by someone is rolled. In this "Sea of Faith", he hears only melancholy, long and withdrawing sounds and is pulling away as the faith is going away from the world so the sea will be in dejection and there will no remains but shingles (small pebbles) on earth.
The narrator wants to say that in his Age, there is a lack of faith and confusion prevails everywhere. Throughout the poem, we have come far away from the soft beginning lines which talk about calmness and in stanza 3, he talks about the losing of the faith and its consequences.
Stanza 4
In this stanza, the narrator talks to his beloved and tells her that they should be true and to each other and says that the world which they are witnessing like a land of dreams is new, beautiful and has numerable numbers. But in reality it has neither joy nor love, there is no light and uncertainty prevails and peace never achieved, no one helps when one suffers from intense pain. Then he says to her that they are present in a dark place where there is always confusion and alarm and ignorant armies who just follows orders strike.