The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scrath
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!
On October 27th 1845, Elizabeth Barrett saw 'Meeting at Night' in printer's proof and wrote to Robert Browning: "You throw largesses out on all sides without counting the cost: how beautiful".
On September 12th 1846 they were married secretly leaving almost immediately for the milder climate and cheaper living in Italy.
