The gray 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; 4 As I gain the cove with pushing prow, And quench its speed i’ the slushy sand

The gray 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; 4 As I gain the cove with pushing prow, And quench its speed i’ the slushy sand. Then a mile of sea-scented beach; Three fields to cross till a farm appears; 8 A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch And blue spurt of a lighted match, And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears, Than the two hearts beating each to each! 12 by Robert Browning 1. Describe the journey of the speaker. 2. Using letters of the alphabet, mark the rhyme scheme on this poem. 3. What is a “prow” in line 4? Use a dictionary. 4. Why is the speaker being sneaky? Why the “tap at the pane” at the end of the poem? 5. Find several examples of the following sound devices in the poem, and list them with line numbers. a. alliteration: b. alliteration: c. consonance: d. consonance: e. assonance: f. assonance: Refer to the definitions and examples below: alliteration: repetition of initial (first) consonant sounds in a line of poetry (dark, doorless) consonance: repetition of final consonant sounds in a line of poetry (stumble, fall) assonance: repetition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry (pursue, who)