“The Last Ride Together” is a poem by Robert Browning that explores the themes of love, rejection, and acceptance. The poem centers around a rejected lover who wishes to spend one last ride together with his beloved, even though his proposal has been declined. Read More English Summaries.
The Last Ride Together Summary
The Last Ride Together by Robert Browning Introduction
It is a poem of the sublimation of unrequited love in a state of the noblest resignation to the decree of fate. It depicts the emotions of a last ride, permitted to the speaker by his beloved.
The Last Ride Together Summary in English
Apparently, the steadfast love of a man has been rejected by the lady. She does not return his feelings. The lover does not blame her but merely claims the memory of having hopefully loved her and requests her to have one last ride with him. He is overjoyed when she consents.
The ride now begins. He feels that his soul has been freed from sadness and is fluttering freshly in the wind. Past hopes of love and happiness matter no more. There was no point in thinking of what might have been if he had acted or spoken in some other manner. For all one knows, his beloved might then have even hated him; now she is only indifferent to him. At least, he has the chance to ride with her.
The lover goes on to reflect about the lot of human beings in general. There is always a wide gap between aspiration and accomplishment. As he rides, he feels as if his soul has gained a new insight. So many men work hard but still have to face failure. He had hoped that the lady would love him, while his achievement is only a last ride with her. But because it is a universal feature of human life, that is seldom fully realised in action. Even the poet and the sculptor fail in achieving their ideals of beauty. The lover is comparatively more successful; he is at least enjoying his beloved’s company on a last ride and feeling an ecstatic moment.
The Last Ride Together Summary
One cannot be sure of what is right or good for man in this world. If his pursuit in love had been successful and he had achieved perfect happiness on earth, there would have been nothing to look forward to in heaven. His failure, thus, is a blessing in disguise. He can now die with the hope of fulfillment in the next life. He considers that heaven and his beloved are the ideals which lie beyond the ride.
The poem ends on a striking and bold fancy of the lover. He suddenly reflects on the possibility of the ride continuing forever, so that the moment may be transformed into eternity. The poem ends on a climax of optimism.