The Last Ride together

The Last Ride Together

The Last Ride Together is a poem by English poet Robert Browning, first published in his 1855 collection Men and Women. His major works got published after his marriage with Elizabeth Barrett, which consisted of fifty one poems. The Last Ride Together is a ten-stanza poem primarily focused on themes of love and loss. The title represents the last time the former couple takes a carriage ride together.

   The poem begins with the narrator blaming his fate that his romance has come to an end. He bemoans that everything he has tried has failed and his love affair has come to an end. But in midst of all his desolations he cherishes the moment spent with his lady and praises her. He wishes to go for a ride with her before they depart. After much struggle the couple manage to go on a ride before they depart. The narrator speaks about the wonderful feelings when they go on a ride. He says about how time flied, about the passion and the ecstatic feelings when she touched him.

    The narrator leaves the past hopes that what was and starts enjoying what are with him now. He feels relaxed when he leaves the past behind. He stops thinking how things would get better or worse and starts enjoying the time with his lady. He compares himself with others who strive for many things but don’t get everything and fails. He does so to hide his grief of his ending love affair in front of his eyes.  He hopes for a better future.

      At the end the narrator surrenders himself in front of the situations and thinks that it has to end here. He becomes sad and thinks that life with his lover is far from him as Heaven is far from him.