© 2014 Shmoop University, Inc. All rights reserved.   OK, so
"Meeting at Night" isn't your straightforward, "you're the
greatest woman ever" love poem. That isn't to say it isn't a
more subtle take on that type of poem. Let's not forget that the
odds are pretty good that "Meeting at Night" is about Robert
Browning's courtship of Elizabeth Barrett, and let's not also
forget that the poem is about one of those secret lovers'
meetings we all know so much about. Passion is everywhere in the
poem. Why else would the speaker choose to describe the waves as
"fiery" and mention other details like the match and the "warm
sea-scented beach"?  Questions About Love    1. Is the speaker
in love? If so, what makes you think so?   2. Does the person in
the farmhouse love the speaker? Are they equally passionate
about each other?   3. Is it fair to assume this poem is about
Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett? How does knowing about
the poet and his courting of Barrett influence your reading of
the poem?  Chew on This   Th