Meeting at Night

Here are two more of the BBC Essential Poems (to Fall in Love With). Unfortunately I can't obtain this DVD as it's only available in Europe, so thanks (FilmographySam).

Meeting at Night by Robert Browning and Proposal by Tom Vaughan are read by Samuel West, known in our household as the unfortunate Leonard Bast.

Meeting at Night by Robert Browning

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 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!

The Proposal by Tom Vaughan

Let's fall in love-
In our mid-thirties
It's not only
Where the hurt is.

I won't get smashed up
Should you go
Away for weekends-
We both know

No two people
Can be completely
All-sufficient.
But twice weekly

We'll dine together
Split the bill,
Admire each other's
Wit. We will

Be splendid lovers,
Slow, well-trained,
Tactful, gracefully
Unrestrained.

You'll keep your flat
And I'll keep mine-
Our bank accounts
Shall not entwine.

We'll make the whole thing
Hard and bright.
We'll call it love-
We may be right.