Lately, I've been missing Ireland. A lot. Several of my friends from school are currently living there for the semester and hearing about their experience has brought to mind so many memories.
Several weeks ago, I wrote a reflection for a class on Matthew Arnold's poem, "Dover Beach." Even now, a year after being in Ireland, I'm still processing my experience:
When I first read “ Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, my response was to immediately read it again. Something about the setting, the descriptions of the sea, and the melancholy tone brought out memories of my semester in Ireland last spring. Prior to living in Ireland, I had been to beaches many times. But my beach experiences were always marked by sweltering temperatures, brightly colored umbrellas, and nearby swimming pools. Never, until my time in Ireland, had I known the “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” of the “distant northern sea.”
In this poem, Arnold writes of the suffering and sadness of the world, brought to mind by the sound of the ocean waves on the rocky beach. As he listens, he thinks of “the turbid ebb and flow of human misery.” My favorite lines of the poem occur in the last stanza:
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain.
Last spring was a challenging time in my life. Although I may not have experienced suffering, I was out of the country for the death of someone I loved and many close friends were in the midst of horribly painful situations. Each time I called home, only to receive more difficult news, I would go out and walk along the sea, listening to the sound of the waves and thinking, like Arnold, that life on this earth is fraught with confusion and struggles.
I think the reason that I love the beginning line of the last stanza, “Ah, love, let us be true to one another,” is that it invokes thoughts of all my prayers to God as I would walk along the shore. Arnold wrote this poem on his honeymoon and, therefore, addressed this portion to his new bride. It is a plea to stay united, not only in the beautiful times of life when dreams are coming true, but also in the uncertain and tragic times. I remember standing by the sea at night, overlooking the dark calmness in front of me, only able to see the water because of lights glimmering on a far-off shore, listening to waves scraping against the pebbled beach, and calling out to God. I remember asking him why the difficult times existed. And I remember asking him to stay with me and for his presence to be felt in the lives of those back home that were experiencing much greater challenges.
Matthew Arnold’s poem creates a beautiful picture, but, for me, this picture is associated with an even more beautiful time in my life. Even though the poem does not speak of God or of how to deal with earthly troubles, the vivid imagery sparks memories of a setting that caused me to think through life’s issues. What I love about Arnold’s poem is not only his detailed descriptions, but also the conclusions I was able to draw from his words.
