Longing
The narrator in this poem is longing for his love to return once again in his dreams, and if she does, he will be cheered up again in the morning. This is stated in stanzas one and seven. In doing this she would fulfill his longing that he experiences during the day. He wants her to be as sweet and kind as she has been to him – as she has done thousands of times – with the people she is with now. That may be in simply a new country, or perhaps his love has died. Either way, he longs for her to “smile on thy new world”. He needs comforting from her, and yearns for her to “part my hair, and kiss my brow” in his dreams. The narrator is longing for his love once again.
The title of this poem is directly related to the theme: longing. The narrator longs to be well during the day when he is without his love, he longs to be comforted by her, he longs for her to show love to those she is with now, and he longs to see her once again.
The only obvious literary device used in Matthew Arnold’s poems is rhythm and rhyme. Each stanza consists of two lines, which rhyme with each other: this is part of the rhythm and structure. The rhythm has an emphasis on the end word of each line because it’s the one that rhymes. I am assuming that the narrator or voice of this poem is Matthew Arnold himself. He lost three of his children and possibly other people he loved in his life, which this poem could be addressing. It is unclear, as it is never stated however.
The tone of this poem is hopeful. It displays his emotions in a way that brings hope to his depressed condition. He believes that she will be able to rid him of his sorrow, if only he could be with her again. The mood is slightly pitiful. The reader feels pity for the narrator and also wishes he could be with her to please him and ease the pain that he is clearly suffering without her. The poem almost gives the reader a longing for her as well.
It is a well-written poem that brings various emotions to the reader and portrays Matthew Arnold’s image of longing very successfully.
