Dover Beach - a National Poetry Month post

[kellyrfineman]

Today's poem has been on my mind off and on for several weeks now. It came to the fore again last Friday, when the corona of sonnets in which I had a hand, Cutting a Swath, hit the interweb. Tanita over at Finding Wonderland wrote my favorite sonnet of the lot (and that is saying something). Included in her sonnet (#5, incidentally) is the phrase "

Comments

[jamarattigan]

I have always loved this poem, and asked my husband (on our first date), to take me to see the white cliffs of Dover. Majestic, like Arnold's words.

[kellyrfineman]

"There'll be blue clouds over
the white cliffs of Dover . . . "

My grandmother used to sing that one. Not much more of it than what I just shared, by the way, but I've always associated Dover with her for that reason. Someday, I will visit England.

[lizjonesbooks]

Screwy but interesting! I love it! Never thought much about the meter, but as I read your post, I'd have to agree.
This has long been a favorite of mine for the lovely images, and for the content of the last stanza.

[kellyrfineman]

That last stanza is gorgeous, is it not? Some folks theorize that what the poem consists of is three failed sonnets, but I believe that Arnold knew exactly what he was up to. His more regular rhyme scheme in the final stanza makes perfect sense to me, given what he's up to - still with a bit of waves to it, but more of the calm, rippling kind than the ones rushing in and out (which is why more lines than not are in iambic pentameter, and why the rhyme is more predictable, in my opinion.)

[anonymous]

What a great poem to have off and on for several weeks, running in one's head.

Jules, 7-Imp

[kellyrfineman]

I decidedly owe Tanita big-time for that!