The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes
Line 1
The wind was a torrent
of darkness among the gusty
•The speaker of this poem opens strong, with
three big metaphors all in a row.
•First he compares the wind to a "torrent of
darkness." We imagine that "torrent" being a
black river, rushing and swirling along.
Line 2
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy
The next big metaphor compares the moon to a
"ghostly galleon." A galleon is a big old ship, the kind
that would have carried Spanish gold across the seas.
So the moon is a ship sailing through the sky.
•You see the mood he's aiming for here? This is a spooky
nighttime scene, a good setting for a sad, scary story.
Line 3
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor.
•Now he introduces the road in a metaphor, which is a major location
in this poem. On this dark, windy night, it shines bright and white,
a thin strip of light like a "ribbon of moonlight.“
•The bright road runs through a purple "moor" (those are the open,
grassy fields that you find a lot in England). They aren't really
purple of course, but the night and the moonlight must be making
them look that way.
“Purple Moor” could be
referring to a grass
common in the United
Line 4-6
And the highwayman came riding-Riding--riding-The highwayman came riding,
up to the old inn-door.
•Here comes our main guy – the highwayman. All these lines tell us is
that he's riding up to the old door of an inn.
•Of course they do it with a little more style than that. They
especially emphasize the repetitive rhythm of his "riding--riding-riding." You'll notice that this is a pretty simple story, but the
speaker works hard to make it gripping for the reader.
Line 7-8
lace at his chin,
 A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown
•This highwayman is a snappy dresser. He's got a French
hat on, and a bunch of lace tucked into the top of his
•His coat is made of velvet and it's claret-colored (that's
a deep red wine color).
•His breeches (pants) are made of doe skin (really soft
leather made from deer hide).
Line 9
•Apparently the pants fit tight, with no wrinkles, and his
boots are thigh high.
•Now if a man today tried to impress the ladies by wearing
thigh high boots and tight pants and lace, it probably
wouldn't work out so well.
•Remember, we use the characters’ clothes to give us a little
hint of the setting of the poem or story. We'd guess that it
takes place some time in the eighteenth century, but
definitely a long time before it was written (in 1906).
Lines 10-12
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.
•This guy is dressed up so fancily that he seems to
twinkle like a jewel.
•These lines also let us know that he's heavily armed,
with pistols and a rapier (a long thin sword).
•Plus the sky is "jeweled" too. Everything in this stanza
is glittering with beauty and excitement.
Lines 13-14
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark
 He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was
locked and barred.
• The highwayman comes into the dark courtyard of the
inn, making a lot of noise on the paving stones ("the
cobbles"). He uses alliteration to enhance the noise.
• He taps on the shutters that cover the windows, but
everything is locked up, so he doesn't get any
Lines 15-18
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
•Trying again, he gives a whistle, and the landlord's daughter Bess shows
•Apparently she's pretty good looking too, and the speaker spends some
time telling us about her black eyes and long black hair.
•When the highwayman shows up, Bess is braiding ("plaiting") a "love-knot"
into her hair. This love-knot would be some kind of ribbon, tied in a knot
to symbolize her love for (you guessed it!) the highwayman. The knot is
dark-red, a color associated with love and passion, but also, of course,
blood. More on that later.
Lines 19-21
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and
 His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like moldy hay,
•Now, all of a sudden, we turn away from the couple we just
met, and meet a third character. First we hear the creaking
sound of a "stable-wicket" (that means a door or gate in a
stable). Apparently someone is eavesdropping on the two
•It turns out to be Tim, the ostler (the guy who takes care of
the horses at an inn). Tim's a crazy-looking guy, with a
pinched white face, insane eyes, and hair that looks like
moldy hay.
Lines 21-23
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say--
•Crazy Tim is also in love with Bess, although it's hard to
imagine he has much of a chance. The speaker mentions
her "red lips" which helps to emphasize her beauty and the
contrast with poor Tim's white face.
•As Tim listens to the highwayman, the speaker tells us he is
"dumb as a dog." In this case "dumb" just means silent, but
the comparison to a dog is no accident. We're definitely
supposed to notice the difference between the beautiful
lovers and this pathetic, ugly servant.
Lines 25-26
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a
prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before
the morning light;
•Now it's back to the highwayman, who tells his
"bonny [pretty] sweetheart" that he's headed off
to do some robbing tonight.
•He promises her that he'll be back by morning,
with gold in hand.
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
him all day.
Lines 31-33
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could
reach her hand, But she loosened her hair in
the casement. His face burnt like a brand
 As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling
over his breast;
•Now we hear about the kiss goodbye, which is a pretty romantic
moment in the poem.
•The highwayman stands up in his saddle, and reaches up (Bess must be
leaning out of a high window), just barely grabbing her hand. Then
she lets her hair down from the window (the casement), a little like
Rapunzel. He blushes bright red, like hot iron ("a brand") when her
sweet smelling hair tumbles over him.
Lines 34-36
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight,
and galloped away to the West.
•The highwayman kisses Bess's hair, and the speaker makes a
big deal about its "sweet black waves."
•Notice that he also mentions the moonlight three times in
three lines – it's a big part of the atmosphere of this poem
(the mood).
•Then the highwayman grabs the reins of his horse and takes
off to do some robbing. That ends the first scene in this
Lines 37-39
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple
isn't back.
•The speaker takes a moment to notice the landscape again,
ribbon across the purple moors, almost the same words as
he used in line 3.
Lines 40-42
A red-coat troop came marching—
Marching--marching-King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.
of British soldiers comes marching up to the door.
sometime before 1830 (when George IV died).
the highwayman.
Lines 43-44
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale
 But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of
her narrow bed.
•Even though they're on the side of the law, these guys are
clearly a bunch of jerks. They don't even talk to Bess's dad
(the innkeeper), but they do drink his beer. On top of that,
they gag Bess and tie her to the bed.
•The speaker is letting us know who the villains of this story
Line 45
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at
their side.
•Now the soldiers set up an ambush for the
highwayman. They wait up in Bess's window (our
speaker seems to really like using the word
"casement" instead of window), with their muskets
•This is a dangerous trap for the highwayman – these
guys will shoot to kill. What story element?
Line 46-48
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that
he would ride.
•The highwayman could be shot and killed from any
•The worst thing of all though, is that Bess can see the road
through the window from where she's tied up. That's why
there is "hell at one dark window." The cruelty of the
soldiers and the pain of her situation have put Bess in a
terrible situation.
Line 49-50
They had tied her up to attention, with
many a sniggering jest.
 They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel
beneath her breast.
•Not only do the soldiers tie Bess up "at attention" (as if she
was a soldier standing up at attention), they make fun of
her too. They make "sniggering jests" (mean little jokes).
•Then they tied up a gun next to her, with the barrel
pointing right at her chest. Maybe they did this to scare
her, to keep her in line, although the speaker doesn't
exactly say.
Lines 51-54
Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the doomed man say- Look for me by moonlight;
 Watch for me by moonlight;
 I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
•Then they tell her to "keep good watch," which is a pretty cruel
joke, since she'll be watching her boyfriend get murdered.
Then they kiss her, just to be mean.
•Bess can think only of her "doomed" highwayman, and she
remembers his promise to come back by moonlight. The
speaker repeats lines 28-30 just to remind us what the
highwayman said.
Lines 55-60
 She twisted her hands behind her;
but all the knots held good.
 She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood.
 They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by
like years,
 Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
 Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
 The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
•We think this scene feels like it's straight out of an action movie. The bad
guys have the heroine tied up, and she struggles to get free. At first it
seems impossible, but eventually she manages it and slips out of the
•That's what happens here, except Bess isn't trying to escape. She's
reaching for the trigger of the gun. She strains and struggles and the
speaker really makes it seem like it's taking forever. Finally, at
midnight, she grabs the trigger.
The tip of one finger touched it. She strove
no more for the rest.
 Up, she stood up to attention, with the
muzzle beneath her breast.
•She just gets the tip of her finger on the trigger, and
she stops there. She stands up, at attention, with
the tip of the gun under her breast.
•By now we should be pretty curious about what Bess
is up to. She's clearly got a plan, but we don't know
what it is yet.
Lines 63-66
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.
•She doesn't want the soldiers to hear, so she holds still. Besides, there's nothing
to do now but wait. From what Bess can see, the road is empty and "bare in
the moonlight."
•See that moonlight cropping up again? It's everywhere in this poem.
•All Bess feels is the blood in her veins, throbbing "to her love's refrain."
Refrain is an interesting word there. It's a term for a repeated phrase in a poem,
and there are plenty of those here. It could also be any repeated sound, say
the sound of Bess's heart, or maybe the pounding of hooves. Stay tuned…
Lines 67-68
 Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it?
The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
 Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance?
Were they deaf that they did not hear?
•Right after hearing about love's refrain, we hear (at
the same time as Bess) an actual refrain, the steady
repeating sound of horses' hooves. That's bad news,
because it means the highwayman is coming back.
•It's not clear right away if the soldiers have heard the
tlot-tlot sound of the hooves. The tension is high.
What stage of plot are we in?
Lines 69-72
 Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the
brow of the hill,
 The highwayman came riding,
 Riding, riding!
 The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up,
straight and still!
•Now the highwayman comes riding along the road ("the
ribbon of moonlight") and appears over the top of the hill.
•There's a little refrain, an echo of lines 4-5 with that "riding,
•Now the soldiers have heard for sure, and they start
getting their guns ready ("looking to their priming").
Lines 73-74
echoing night!
 Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
•The speaker really draws out the highwayman's approach.
We hear the sound of the hooves again and again, the
only sound in the cold night.
•He comes closer and closer, and Bess's face shines in the
darkness. This is a simile. What is the poet trying to
emphasize with this simile? Passion? Fear? Anticipation?
Lines 75- 78
 Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep
 Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
 Her musket shattered the moonlight,
 Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.
•Now Bess makes her move. She opens her eyes, takes a
breath, pulls the trigger, and shoots herself in the chest.
•It's a desperate move, but she did it for love, to warn the
highwayman about the waiting soldiers. She gave her life
to try to save him. What stage of plot?
Lines 79-80
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know who
 Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her
own red blood.
•The highwayman hears the warning, even though he
doesn't know where it came from, and he takes off back
to the west.
•The speaker takes a moment to focus on the tragic scene
of Bess, bent over the musket, soaked in blood. Pretty
grim, huh?
Lines81- 84
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew gray to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in
the darkness there.
•Finally, the highwayman does hear what happened,
although it's not clear how he finds out. His face goes gray
when he hears the news.
•We get another short review of poor Bess's death. A lot of
this poem's impact is based on repetition.
Lines 85-86
Back, he spurred like a madman,
shouting a curse to the sky,
 With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier
brandished high!
•When he hears how Bess died, the highwayman makes a
dumb move. He goes back.
•The speaker makes it clear that he's almost crazy with
sadness and anger. He curses and rides as fast as he can,
swinging his sword as he goes.
Simile and hyperbole impact the meaning by emphasizing
the highwayman’s anger and desperation.
Lines 87-90
was his velvet coat,
 When they shot him down on the highway,
 Down like a dog on the highway,
•Then (you guessed it) the highwayman dies. He gets shot down by the British
•We get lots more little refrains in these lines including reminders of what the
highwayman is wearing (like in lines 7-9).
•We also hear that he is shot "down like a dog." Sharp poetry detectives will
remember that the speaker used that same word to describe Tim, the crazy
ostler, in line 24. Maybe there's a connection there. Maybe Tim had something
to do with the highwayman's death? Any thoughts?
Lines 91-101
And still of a winter's night, they say,
when the wind is in the trees,
 When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
 When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
 A highwayman comes riding- Riding--riding- A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
 Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
 He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and
 He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting
 But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
 Bess, the landlord's daughter.
•Now we get the neat little ghost story ending. Even
though Bess and the highwayman are dead, their
spirits come back to haunt the night and play out
this scene again and again.
•The speaker drives this home by repeating the first
stanza (lines 1-6) and the third stanza (lines 13-18)
almost word for word.
•The big difference is that now it's in the present
tense. This really adds to the feeling of repetition.
This isn't just a thing that happened once, it
happens again and again, and could even be
happening right now.
Line 102
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into
her long black hair.
•We end with the image of Bess braiding her hair.
In a way, it's almost like she never died, like she
has a new life in this spooky ending. It takes the
edge off the tragedy. The ghost story becomes
almost comforting.
The Color Red
Symbol Analysis
This poem is packed with colors: black, purple,
brown, white, tawny, etc. The most important
color, though, is red. It comes in a bunch of
shades, and shows up at different moments. It's
hard for us not to connect it with the blood that
soaks through this entire story, and also to see it
as a symbol of passion and violence in general.
With your partner, find as many lines that
reference the color red as you can!

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