Question

Referring closely to the poem Dover Beach:

Describe the moonlit scene described by the poet at the beginning of the poem.

Answer 1

Mathew Arnold depicts the serenity of the sea at night. He captures an exquisite image. “The tide is full, the moon lies fair”. In the distance, he can see the French coast shining. He then concentrates on the English cliffs, saying, “Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay”. The poet exclaims, “Sweet is the night-air!” and describes the long line of spray where the sea meets “the moon-blanched land.”

However, the tranquility is broken by the grating roar of pebbles which the waves fling, “Begin, and cease, and then again begin, with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in”. The cliffs the speaker mentions are largely chalk, which is white, making them glimmer in the moonlight. They also have a sheer drop, with the coastline ending abruptly and giving way to the sea.

The sea that the speaker looks out upon is the English Channel, which divides England from France. The scene is outwardly beautiful-the cliffs are very impressive.

“Which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new.”

But very soon, the poet notices the pebbles and shingles instead of smooth sand. The sea cries a melancholic song as though it is the tragic song of human reality.