Robert Browning wrote 'Meeting At Night' in 1845 while he was courting Elizabeth Barrett. The two exchanged many love letters and secretly eloped in 1846, despite her father's protests. Browning's urgent love for Elizabeth is clearly expressed in this poem, and it is considered the most sensual poem that he had written up to that point. Browning uses the senses of sight, smell, sound and touch to help convey his passion and excitement as he travels by boat during the night to secretly see his beloved.