M. A.

Parikh Fine Arts and Arts College, Palanpur

Department of English
Study Material
Semester-6
Paper- C.C.607- British Literature: 19th Century

Unit-3

The Last Ride Together

- Robert Browning

 Introduction:
The Last Ride Together is one of the greatest love poems written by Robert Browning
first published in 1855. It is a dramatic monologue (a poem in the form of Speech or narrative
by an imagined person in which speaker unintentionally reveals the aspects of their character
while describing particular situation or event) of rejected lover who expresses his underlying
love for his beloved.

The title of the poem gives the idea that this is their last time ride together and the
speaker is attempting to live fully in that moment. Though many readers take it as a love poem,
actually it shows the philosophical revelation of the poet on love and life, success and failure.
Unsuccessful in love, the speaker asks his mistress for one last ride with him. The poet’s
thoughts are expressed in the verses as the lovers begin on the ride. It’s a poem of
robust optimism.
The poem is divided into ten stanzas having eleven lines of each stanza. Browning’s
choice of words throughout the poem presents his sincere, honest, and deep love.
 About the Poet:
Robert Browning, born on May 7, 1812, London and died on December 12, 1889,
Venice. He was a major English poet of the Victorian age, noted for his mastery of dramatic
monologue and psychological portraiture. His poems are noted for irony, characterization,
dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax.

In 1846 Browning married the older poet Elizabeth Barrett and went to live in Italy. By
the time of her death in 1861, Browning had published the collection Men and Women (1855),
a collection of 51 poems and the poem The Last Ride Together is one of them.

His some of famous works are Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession (1833),

Paracelsus (1835), Sordello (1840), Dramatis Personae (1864), The Ring and the Book (1868-
1869). His epic poem The Ring and the Book (1868-1869), a verse novel containing 21,000
lines which made him a leading British poet.

 Analysis of the Poem:

“I said---Then, dearest, since 'tis so,

Since now at length my fate I know,
Since nothing all my love avails,
Since all, my life seemed meant for, fails,
Since this was written and needs must be---
My whole heart rises up to bless
Your name in pride and thankfulness!
Take back the hope you gave,---I claim
---Only a memory of the same,
---And this beside, if you will not blame,
Your leave for one more last ride with me.”

The poem The Last Ride Together opens with a situation where the speaker’s ladylove
wants to end their relationship. The lover laments his state in the lines of the poem. He says
that he now knows his feelings are not responded to by his beloved. All of his love has come
to nothing. He feels that his life’s purpose has failed. The lover believes that this was destined
to happen, that it was already written in his fate, that he would never find love. He knows it
was meant to be and nothing could have prevented it from happening.

Since all this has turned out the way it has, the rejected lover, blaming it on fate, is
trying to come to normal with the situation. Here the lover utters the word ‘Since’ five times
in consecutive lines. It seems that though he wants to accept his fate rather happily, there is
inner turmoil in his mind. Holding his fate responsible for what has happened, he is actually
trying to be optimistic, as there’s no point in moaning about things beyond your control.

The lover says despite what happened, he has no hard feelings for his mistress. On the
contrary, he blesses her with all of his heart. He feels both proud and thankful towards her for
being in his life. Now he only asks his beloved to “take back the hope” she gave, meaning to
end things once and forever so that he wouldn’t keep thinking about her. He wants to remember
and cherish only the good memories the two of them made and forget everything else.

Saying this he seeks her permission to go on one last ride with her. Here the word
‘more’ in the last line ‘your leave for one more last ride with me’ shows us that the poet has
taken her on such rides in the past.

“My mistress bent that brow of hers;

Those deep dark eyes where pride demurs
When pity would be softening through,
Fixed me, a breathing-while or two,
With life or death in the balance: right!
The blood replenished me again;
My last thought was at least not vain:
I and my mistress, side by side
Shall be together, breathe and ride,
So, one day more am I deified.
Who knows but the world may end tonight?”

In the second stanza, the man is waiting for his mistress’ answer. She is shown to wear
an expression of consideration which is highlighted by the words ‘bent that brow’. Her deep
dark eyes which are lingering with pride are full of pity for the poet. Her expression fixes him
for a moment (breathing-while or two) between life and death as he waits for her answer –
metaphorical enough, her acceptance would mean life to him while her refusal would be like
death for the lover.

Then comes the moment of happiness. His beloved has accepted his offer to go on a
last ride together with him. His strength rushes back to him again. So, his last thought at least
has not been in vain. He rejoices in his thought of riding side by side with her. The words
‘breathe and ride’ expresses his ecstasy with a certain erotic flavour. He considers himself
blessed (deified) to spend another day with his ladylove.

Now the lover, showing wild optimism, wishes that the world ends that very night –
“Who knows but the world may end tonight?” That would be the only way for him to stay with
his beloved forever.

“Hush! if you saw some western cloud

All billowy-bosomed, over-bowed
By many benedictions---sun's
And moon's and evening-star's at once---
And so, you, looking and loving best,
Conscious grew, your passion drew
Cloud, sunset, moonrise, star-shine too,
Down on you, near and yet more near,
Till flesh must fade for heaven was here!---
Thus leant she and lingered---joy and fear!
Thus lay she a moment on my breast.”

In the third stanza of The Last Ride Together, the speaker goes on describing how the
poet feels when his mistress comes close to him. He compares the way his mistress leans and
lingers around him to a cloud. He says that she is like a western cloud with a sea waves like
pattern – a cloud blessed by the light of the sun, the moon and the evening star – all at once.
This suggests his desire to make it sound pure and ethereal. The persona wants to convey the
feeling that everything in love feels like blessed.
 Just the way loving someone with a true heart makes one awake and conscious of the
world, and that passion draws all the wonderful things of nature like clouds, moon, and starlight
to make one feel like they are in heaven, so the lover felt when his mistress comes close to him
and leans over. He feels a pain of both joy and fear as she lies a moment resting her head on
his breast. His mistress has given him more than he asked for and he is thankful for it. The
whole stanza is a calming and soothing one.

“Then we began to ride. My soul

Smoothed itself out, a long-cramped scroll
Freshening and fluttering in the wind.
Past hopes already lay behind.
What need to strive with a life awry?
Had I said that, had I done this,
So might I gain, so might I miss.
Might she have loved me? just as well
She might have hated, who can tell!
Where had I been now if the worst befell?
And here we are riding, she and I.”

The fourth stanza of The Last Ride Together reflects on the poet’s philosophy of life.
Browning believes that life is ever-changing and that people must not stick to the past, but try
to move on. As you can see in the very first line of this stanza, the two lovers finally begin on
their ride.

As they ride, the lover feels his soul smooth itself out, meaning that the feelings that
were cramped inside him finally give way to thought. He feels fresh like as he goes through
the wind, like a long-cramped scroll fluttering in the wind.

The lover feels himself escape from his past hope of being with his mistress. He has got
over it. He questions the use of sticking to life’s failures and missed opportunities. People often
think about what could have happened had they said things differently or done things
differently. He argues that he might have cleared some things but missed some other. He
wonders what he would do if she hated him, if the worst had happened to him. So, seeing it as
what it is and letting go of the past he sticks to the present moment – the present where they
are happy riding together.

“Fail I alone, in words and deeds?

Why, all men strive and who succeeds?
We rode; it seemed my spirit flew,
Saw other regions, cities new,
As the world rushed by on either side.
I thought,---All labour, yet no less
Bear up beneath their unsuccess.
Look at the end of work, contrast
The petty done, the undone vast,
This present of theirs with the hopeful past!
I hoped she would love me; here we ride.”

The philosophical reflection of the poet continues in this stanza. The lover again
questions if he is the only one who fails. He has seen all men strive for things they desire, but
none who succeeded. As they ride on, he feels his spirit elated.

The speaker thinks of the distant regions and cities as they ride on. It shows that he is
lost in his own thoughts. Here, the line ‘the world rushed by on either side’ may indicate that
the world is in a rush, but his status hasn’t changed much in spite of the ladylove’s rejection.
He is indeed happy.

The poet argues that everyone ‘labours’ for success, yet most face failures. At the end
of work, we often see people achieve much less than what they had hoped for. The vast undone
works contrast sharply with the small done. We see people’s ordinary present contrasting with
their high-flying hopes in the past. Thus, the lover justifies his achievement in love. He desired
his mistress’ love but has this last ride now. This is not a complete failure; it’s indeed some
achievement.

“What hand and brain went ever paired?

What heart alike conceived and dared?
What act proved all its thought had been?
 What will but felt the fleshly screen?
We ride and I see her bosom heave.
There's many a crown for who can reach,
Ten lines, a statesman's life in each!
The flag stuck on a heap of bones,
A soldier's doing! what atones?
They scratch his name on the Abbey-stones.
My riding is better, by their leave.”

Like the past two stanzas of The Last Ride Together, this one also involves the poet’s
expression of philosophical ideas. The lover again argues that the hand and brain never went
perfectly paired, meaning action and thought are not necessarily always the same. People think
to do something perfect but end up doing the other way. Likewise, the poet says he has never
heard of anyone expressing the true feelings of the heart. He asks, what will, or desire ever
took the bodily form of reality?

They are riding and the lover can see her mistress’ bosom heave. As you may have
noticed, here the words are consistent with the implied sensual nature of the poem. The poet
then compares his life with that of a statesman and a soldier. A statesman’s life can be summed
up in just ten lines. He asks what a soldier’s work achieves if not death and sadness. A soldier
is remembered only by a flag on his grave and a small abbey stone in his name. Compared to
that he who loves is remembered forever. He, therefore, says his life as a lover is by far better
than theirs.

“What does it all mean, poet? Well,

Your brains beat into rhythm, you tell
What we felt only; you expressed
You hold things beautiful the best,
And pace them in rhyme so, side by side.
'Tis something, nay 'tis much: but then,
Have you yourself what's best for men?
Are you---poor, sick, old ere your time---
Nearer one whit your own sublime
 Than we who never have turned a rhyme?
Sing, riding's a joy! For me, I ride.”

Now the lover compares his situation to poets. He poses a question before the poets asking
them what all their poems mean. He remarks that the poet’s brain beats into rhythm. The
speaker further claims that the poet merely tells what people already feel. The poet finds the
beauty in things the best and uses them in poetry, pacing them in rhyme.

This is some, or rather, much achievement – a remarkable trait of the poet. But does the
poet apply in his own life all that is best for men? Rather, the poet grows ‘poor, sick and old’
prematurely. Does he enjoy his own beautiful findings a bit more than the others like the lover
who never wrote a poem? He concludes riding is a joy for him better than the poet’s musing.
And so he rides.

“And you, great sculptor---so, you gave

A score of years to Art, her slave,
And that's your Venus, whence we turn
To yonder girl that fords the burn!
You acquiesce, and shall I repine?
What, man of music, you grown grey
With notes and nothing else to say,
Is this your sole praise from a friend,
``Greatly his opera's strains intend,
``Put in music we know how fashions end!''
I gave my youth; but we ride, in fine.”

This time the focus shifts to a sculptor and a musician. The speaker says that the sculptor
gave twenty (a score) years to art and became art’s slave. The statue the sculptor makes is like
Venus, the roman goddess of beauty, art and knowledge to him. But, to common people like
the lover, a mortal girl with flesh and blood holds more charm than the sculptor’s creation.

Likewise, he says of the music composer that he has spent all his life making notes and
nothing else. For his music, he receives some praise from his friends. His music hits the deck
in the opera. But we have seen how musical trends grow outdated – how fashions end – making
the musician’s success short-lived. The lover considers his life better than them and is content
with the ride.

“Who knows what's fit for us? Had fate

Proposed bliss here should sublimate
My being---had I signed the bond---
Still one must lead some life beyond,
Have a bliss to die with, dim-descried.
This foot once planted on the goal,
This glory-garland round my soul,
Could I descry such? Try and test!
I sink back shuddering from the quest.
Earth being so good, would heaven seem best?
Now, heaven and she are beyond this ride.”

This stanza of The Last Ride Together, with some obscurity, implies a kind of
metaphysical reasoning: Achieving everything in this life would leave nothing for the next life.
The lover says that it is difficult to know what is best for men. But every man should keep
something for the other life.

If the speaker gets his desires all fulfilled and enjoys supreme bliss in this worldly life,
he would not find joy in heaven (Earth being so good, would heaven seem best?). By having
this ride, he feels he has achieved enough and won the garland of victory for now. His failure
in love here means success in the other world. He genuinely believes that he will reunite with
his mistress again in heaven (Now, heaven and she are beyond this ride).

“And yet---she has not spoke so long!

What if heaven be that, fair and strong
At life's best, with our eyes upturned
Whither life's flower is first discerned,
We, fixed so, ever should so abide?
What if we still ride on, we two
With life for ever old yet new,
Changed not in kind but in degree,
 The instant made eternity,---
And heaven just prove that I and she
Ride, ride together, for ever ride?”

The poet comes out of his own ruminations and observes his mistress. He notes that she
has not spoken a word yet. However, her company has been a heavenly bliss for him. Man has
always looked upwards in search of heaven in the sky. This heaven is symbolic of the best man
can imagine. So, his riding with his mistress is heavenly enough for him on this earth.

The lover feels he need not go to heaven if he continues to ride like this with his
beloved. He wishes that this very moment could become an eternity so the last ride together
can be for ever and ever. That way, this earth would prove to be a heaven for him.

(Source Taken: https://englicist.com/notes/the-last-ride-together-robert-browning-

summary#:~:text=Stanza%20One%3A,love%20has%20come%20to%20nothing.)