Meeting Point
By Louis Macneice
Time was away and somewhere else,
There were two glasses and two chairs
And two people with the one pulse
(Somebody stopped the moving stairs):
Time was away and somewhere else.And they were neither up nor down;
The stream’s music did not stop
Flowing through heather, limpid brown,
Although they sat in a coffee shop
And they were neither up nor down.The bell was silent in the air
Holding its inverted poise—
Between the clang and clang a flower,
A brazen calyx of no noise:
The bell was silent in the air.The camels crossed the miles of sand
That stretched around the cups and plates;
The desert was their own, they planned
To portion out the stars and dates:
The camels crossed the miles of sand.Time was away and somewhere else.
The waiter did not come, the clock
Forgot them and the radio waltz
Came out like water from a rock:
Time was away and somewhere else.Her fingers flicked away the ash
That bloomed again in tropic trees:
Not caring if the markets crash
When they had forests such as these,
Her fingers flicked away the ash.God or whatever means the Good
Be praised that time can stop like this,
That what the heart has understood
Can verify in the body’s peace
God or whatever means the Good.Time was away and she was here
And life no longer what it was,
The bell was silent in the air
And all the room one glow because
Time was away and she was here.
Summary of Meeting Point
- Popularity of “Meeting Point”: ‘Meeting Point’ was written by Louis Macneice, one of the iconic Irish poets and writers. It is a love poem, published in 1940. The poem captures an extraordinary and exalting experience of people being in love. The speaker highlights how two lovers touch the intensity of love and later, get poles apart. Though the speaker narrates this experience in a unique.
- “Meeting Point” As a Representative of Lost Love: This poem is about the love that has turned into a memory. The poem begins with the pictorial description of the place where the two lovers are alone in a public place, sharing an intimate moment that gradually transports them out of place and time. Absorbed in the intimacy of love, they assume that everything around them stops. They seem to have a meeting in an imaginary world where there is no hustle and no spark of the real world. The moment of their intense connection is so important that they plan things for their future together. Even the bell in the air does not disturb the harmony and peace of their magnificent union. Since hours of pleasure are too short, these two lovers fail to keep themselves on the same page. Regardless of what the future brings for them, they will always exist in this intense moment of deep connection.
- Major Themes in “Meeting Point”: The changing nature of the relationship, imagination versus reality, and time are the major themes of this poem. The speaker beautifully conveys this idea that even time stops for the people who find happiness in the slightest things and moments. The poem presents the timeless meeting of two lovers and it seems that in these few moments they have lived their whole lives. However, the poem takes a dramatic shift when the speaker discusses how this beautiful love bond breaks when one of them decides to move on, leaving only the casual yet everlasting memory.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Meeting Point”
literary devices are tools that allow writers to choose their words to create their unique style. The writers also convey their ideas, feelings, and emotions to the readers. Louis Macneice has also exploited some of them. The analysis is as follows,
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /i/ in “Not caring if the markets crash” and the sound of /o/ in “God or whatever means the Good”.
- Alliteration: It means to use consonant sounds in the initials of successive words. For example, the sound of /c/ in “The camels crossed the miles of sand” and the sound of /f/ in “Her fingers flicked away the ash”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sounds of /t/ and /s/ in “That what the heart has understood” and the sound of /r/ in “Not caring if the markets crash.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“The waiter did not come, the clock
Forgot them and the radio waltz
Came out like water from a rock:
Time was away and somewhere else.”
- Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. Louis exaggerates about the beauty of love. For example,
“God or whatever means the Good
Be praised that time can stop like this.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “The stream’s music did not stop”, “Her fingers flicked away the ash” and “The waiter did not come, the clock.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. “Time” has been used as an extended metaphor in the poem to show how some special moments can be capable to control uncontrollable time.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Meeting Point”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, “ash/crash”, “clock/rock” and “plates/dates.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABABA rhyme scheme and this pattern continues until the end.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “Time was away and she was here” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called ‘refrain’. The verse, “Time was away and she was here” is used as a refrain in this poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are eight stanzas in this poem with each comprising five lines, also known as a quintet.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are useful for lovers while recalling the special and unforgettable moments of their lives.
“Time was away and somewhere else,
There were two glasses and two chairs
And two people with the one pulse.”