Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold – Summary, Translation, and Analysis (Simple Explanation)

 Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold – Summary, Translation, and Analysis (Simple Explanation)

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Read a simple and complete explanation of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. Includes poet biography, poem text, Hindi translation, difficult word meanings, summary, theme, poetic devices, and analysis.

About the Poet – Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) was a famous English poet and critic of the Victorian Age. He was born in Laleham, England. Arnold worked as an inspector of schools and was known for his serious and thoughtful poetry. His works often discuss faith, doubt, and the conflict between science and religion. Some of his famous poems include Dover Beach, The Scholar-Gipsy, and Thyrsis. Arnold’s poetry shows deep sadness about the loss of faith in modern life. He is remembered as one of the most moral and reflective poets of his time.

About the Poem – Dover Beach

Dover Beach is one of Matthew Arnold’s most famous poems. It was written around 1851 and published in 1867. The poem describes a quiet night on the coast of Dover, England, looking across the English Channel toward France. The poet feels beauty and peace in nature but soon becomes sad when he thinks about the loss of faith in the modern world. The poem shows how life can feel empty and uncertain without belief and love.

Text of the Poem – Dover Beach

The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits;—on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl’d.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Hindi Translation of the Poem (Simple Version)

समुद्र आज रात शांत है।
ज्वार भरा हुआ है, चाँद साफ़ चमक रहा है।
फ़्रांस के तट पर रोशनी झिलमिलाती है और गायब हो जाती है।
इंग्लैंड की चट्टानें विशाल और शांत खाड़ी में चमक रही हैं।
खिड़की पर आओ, रात की हवा मधुर है।
सिर्फ़ लहरों की आवाज़ सुनो, जो कंकड़ को घसीटती और फेंकती हैं।
यह आवाज़ बार-बार आती और जाती है,
और एक अनंत उदासी का संगीत लाती है।

सोफ़ोक्लीज़ ने भी बहुत पहले एजीयन सागर के किनारे यही आवाज़ सुनी थी,
और उसे मानव जीवन के दुखों की याद आई थी।
हम भी यही सोचते हैं जब यह आवाज़ सुनते हैं।

कभी “विश्वास का सागर” पूरी धरती को ढँक लेता था,
पर अब उसकी आवाज़ उदास और दूर जाती हुई सुनाई देती है,
मानो वह रात की हवा में विलीन हो रही हो।

हे प्रिये, चलो हम एक-दूसरे के प्रति सच्चे रहें,
क्योंकि यह दुनिया जो सुंदर और नई दिखती है,
वास्तव में इसमें न खुशी है, न प्रेम, न प्रकाश,
न निश्चितता, न शांति, न दर्द से राहत।
हम ऐसे मैदान में हैं जहाँ अंधकार में सेनाएँ टकरा रही हैं।

100 Difficult Words with Meanings

Word	Meaning (English)	Meaning (Hindi)
Tide	Rise and fall of sea	ज्वार
Straits	Narrow sea channel	जलडमरूमध्य
Gleams	Shines faintly	चमकना
Vast	Very large	विशाल
Tranquil	Peaceful	शांत
Spray	Mist of sea water	समुद्री फुहार
Blanched	Turned white	सफेद होना
Grating	Harsh sound	कर्कश ध्वनि
Pebbles	Small stones	कंकड़
Strand	Shore	तट
Tremulous	Shaking	कांपता हुआ
Cadence	Rhythm	लय
Eternal	Forever	शाश्वत
Sadness	Unhappiness	दुख
Sophocles	Greek playwright	यूनानी नाटककार
Ægean	Sea between Greece and Turkey	एजियन सागर
Turbid	Muddy, unclear	गंदला
Ebb	Flowing back	भाटा
Misery	Suffering	दुख
Faith	Belief	विश्वास
Girdle	Belt	पेटी
Melancholy	Sad feeling	उदासी
Withdraw	Move back	पीछे हटना
Shingles	Pebbly beach	कंकड़युक्त किनारा
Drear	Gloomy	उदास
Certitude	Certainty	निश्चितता
Alarms	Sudden warnings	खतरे की आवाज़ें
Ignorant	Uninformed	अज्ञानी
Clash	Fight	टकराव
Retreating	Moving away	पीछे हटना
Confused	Unclear	भ्रमित
Tranquil bay	Calm sea area	शांत खाड़ी
Fair	Beautiful	सुंदर
Fling	Throw	फेंकना
Begin	Start	शुरू करना
Cease	Stop	बंद होना
Thought	Idea	विचार
Ebb and flow	Rise and fall	उतार-चढ़ाव
Fold	Wrap	लपेटना
Shore	Edge of sea	तट
Bright	Shining	चमकीला
World	Earth	संसार
Love	Deep affection	प्रेम
Dream	Imagination	सपना
Beautiful	Lovely	सुंदर
Light	Brightness	प्रकाश
Pain	Suffering	पीड़ा
Help	Support	सहायता
Peace	Calmness	शांति
Struggle	Fight	संघर्ष
Flight	Escape	भागना
Darkling	Dark	अंधकारमय
Plain	Field	मैदान
Various	Different	विभिन्न
New	Recent	नया
True	Honest	सच्चा
Neither	Not one	न यह न वह
Joy	Happiness	आनंद
Note	Sound	स्वर
Long	Lasting	लंबा
Bring	Carry	लाना
Hear	Listen	सुनना
Mind	Brain	मन
Human	Man	मानव
Distant	Far	दूर
Northern	From north	उत्तरी
Earth	Planet	पृथ्वी
Lay	Lie down	रखना
Bright	Shining	उज्ज्वल
Once	In the past	कभी
Around	Surrounding	चारों ओर
Fold	Curve	मोड़
Withdraw	Take back	वापस लेना
Breath	Air taken in	सांस
Night-wind	Wind at night	रात्रि की हवा
Naked	Without cover	नग्न
World	Globe	दुनिया
Dream	Vision	स्वप्न
Seems	Appears	प्रतीत होना
Really	Actually	वास्तव में
Joy	Happiness	प्रसन्नता
Help	Assistance	सहायता
Pain	Sorrow	पीड़ा
Army	Soldiers	सेना
Confused	Mixed up	उलझा हुआ
Alarms	Disturbances	चेतावनी
Struggle	Conflict	संघर्ष
Flight	Running away	भागना
Ignorant	Unaware	अज्ञानी
Clash	Hit together	टकराना
Night	Darkness	रात्रि
Roar	Loud sound	गर्जना
Pebbles	Stones	कंकड़
Cadence	Flow of rhythm	लयबद्धता
Eternal	Endless	अनंत
Sadness	Sorrow	उदासी
Misery	Grief	दुख

Summary of the Poem

Dover Beach describes a peaceful sea view at night. The poet feels calm while looking at the sea and moonlight. But soon, he hears the sad sound of waves, which remind him of human suffering. He compares the sea to the “Sea of Faith,” which once gave hope and comfort but is now slowly disappearing. The world seems beautiful, but it lacks faith, love, and peace. The poet asks his beloved to stay true and faithful, as love is the only support in this uncertain world.

Theme of the Poem

1. Loss of Faith: The poem shows how science and modern thinking have weakened people’s faith in religion.

2. Human Suffering: The sea’s sound symbolizes human pain and sadness.

3. Need for Love: In a world without faith and peace, only true love can bring comfort.

4. Illusion vs Reality: The world looks beautiful but hides darkness and confusion.

Poetic Devices

• Imagery: “The sea is calm tonight” creates a peaceful picture.

• Metaphor: “Sea of Faith” compares faith to a sea.

• Alliteration: “Sweet is the night-air.”

• Personification: The sea “brings” sadness.

• Simile: “The world, which seems…like a land of dreams.”

• Enjambment: Lines flow without full stops, showing continuous emotion.

• Symbolism: The sea represents life and faith.

Analysis of the Poem

Matthew Arnold uses the natural beauty of Dover Beach to express deep sadness about modern life. The calm sea contrasts with the poet’s inner conflict. He feels that once faith surrounded humanity like a protective sea, but now people live in doubt. The poet warns that life is full of struggles and confusion, like soldiers fighting in darkness. He suggests that only honesty and love between people can give meaning and peace in this uncertain world.