Longing (poem) by Matthew Arnold

Longing                                                                                                      Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold is a great poet and critic in English literature. His poem “Longing” is a typical love poem expressing the lover’s intense longing for the presence of his belove. With the fire of love burning in his heart, the lover asks her to come to him in his dreams at night so that he can wipe out all his worries and miseries of day time.

“Longing” is one of the best lyric poems written by Matthew Arnold and the theme revolves round an ardent lover’s dream about his beloved. The true note of the poem is sadness. It is pensive melancholy essentially romantic in origin. In this short poem, the speaker gives expression to the passionate longing of his heart. The poet calls his lady love to come to him in his dream at night so that all his sufferings and sorrow and pain will be vanished and he will be refreshed again. He considers her as an angel from a heavenly place and her charming smile relaxes him and relieved him from all miseries of day time. Throughout the day he has been waiting with a burning desire for her presence in his dream at night. Now he wants his dream to be converted to reality. He wants her real presence and combs his hair and to kiss him passionately and asks him “My love, why are you suffering?” The poem ends with the ardent longing of the speaker that his dream girl must be real to him and gives him spiritual comfort.  

his heart.