Dover Beach

General CommentNot sure if it is coincidence but Dover beach is a poem by Matthew Arnold, which is by some considered a precursor to, or early modernist work. I remember studying it at school in the same module as Eliot. Maybe the lyricist made a similar connection.

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Link(s)The third verse is a reference to T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrrock.

"LeT us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats 5
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…. 10
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo. "

Which seems ironic.
In the potem I thought the discussions of Michaelangelo was about high society chit-chat that avoided any meaningful interactions among people.......

I love the line " The world is no one's dream..."
Which sums up why the 2 of them can never be together.

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Link(s)The third verse is a reference to T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrrock.

"LeT us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats 5
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…. 10
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo. "

Which seems ironic.
In the potem I thought the discussions of Michaelangelo was about high society chit-chat that avoided any meaningful interactions among people.......

I love the line " The world is no one's dream..."
Which sums up why the 2 of them can never be together.

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My Interpretationjubjub and MamboMan, I think your insights are spot-on. This is one of those bittersweet "star-crossed lovers" odes. The one thing they want most is to be together, and they can't be. The poetry references (title included) seem like shared niche interests or little inside jokes -- the kind of things that can make another person seem like your soulmate.

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