"How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix" is Robert Browning's tale of heroism and memory. In this dramatic monologue, a soldier recounts a valiant ride he made to carry a critical message between the towns of Ghent and Aix. But he doesn't tell readers any of the details they might expect about this adventure—not even what the all-important message was! Instead, he remembers the sheer exhilaration of the journey, the fortitude of his horse Roland, and odd little impressions of the landscape along the way. The events and characters that don't make it into the history books, the poem suggests, are sometimes the most meaningful. This poem first appeared in Browning's 1845 collection Dramatic Romances and Lyrics.
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The Full Text of “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”
I.
1I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;
2I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;
3"Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;
4"Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through;
5Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,
6And into the midnight we galloped abreast.
II.
7Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
8Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
9I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
10Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,
11Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
12Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.
III.
13'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
14Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;
15At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;
16At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could be;
17And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half-chime,
18So, Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!"
IV.
19At Aershot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
20And against him the cattle stood black every one,
21To stare thro' the mist at us galloping past,
22And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
23With resolute shoulders, each hutting away
24The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray:
V.
25And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back
26For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
27And one eye's black intelligence,—ever that glance
28O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance!
29And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon
30His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.
VI.
31By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay spur!
32"Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her,
33"We'll remember at Aix"—for one heard the quick wheeze
34Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,
35And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,
36As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.
VII.
37So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,
38Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;
39The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,
40'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff;
41Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,
42And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight!"
VIII.
43"How they'll greet us!"—and all in a moment his roan
44Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone;
45And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight
46Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate,
47With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,
48And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim.
IX.
49Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall,
50Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,
51Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,
52Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer;
53Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,
54Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.
X.
55And all I remember is—friends flocking round
56As I sat with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground;
57And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,
58As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,
59Which (the burgesses voted by common consent)
60Was no more than his due who brought good news from Ghent.
The Full Text of “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”
I.
1I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;
2I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;
3"Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;
4"Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through;
5Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,
6And into the midnight we galloped abreast.
II.
7Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
8Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
9I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
10Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,
11Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
12Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.
III.
13'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
14Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;
15At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;
16At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could be;
17And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half-chime,
18So, Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!"
IV.
19At Aershot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
20And against him the cattle stood black every one,
21To stare thro' the mist at us galloping past,
22And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
23With resolute shoulders, each hutting away
24The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray:
V.
25And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back
26For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
27And one eye's black intelligence,—ever that glance
28O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance!
29And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon
30His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.
VI.
31By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay spur!
32"Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her,
33"We'll remember at Aix"—for one heard the quick wheeze
34Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,
35And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,
36As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.
VII.
37So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,
38Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;
39The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,
40'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff;
41Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,
42And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight!"
VIII.
43"How they'll greet us!"—and all in a moment his roan
44Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone;
45And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight
46Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate,
47With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,
48And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim.
IX.
49Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall,
50Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,
51Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,
52Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer;
53Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,
54Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.
X.
55And all I remember is—friends flocking round
56As I sat with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground;
57And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,
58As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,
59Which (the burgesses voted by common consent)
60Was no more than his due who brought good news from Ghent.
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Summary
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Themes
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Unsung Heroism and Humility
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Meaning and Memory
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”
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Lines 1-6
I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;
I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;
"Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;
"Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through;
Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,
And into the midnight we galloped abreast. -
Lines 7-12
Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,
Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit. -
Lines 13-18
'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;
At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;
At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could be;
And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half-chime,
So, Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!" -
Lines 19-21
At Aershot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
And against him the cattle stood black every one,
To stare thro' the mist at us galloping past, -
Lines 22-24
And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
With resolute shoulders, each hutting away
The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray: -
Lines 25-30
And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back
For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
And one eye's black intelligence,—ever that glance
O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance!
And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon
His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on. -
Lines 31-36
By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay spur!
"Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her,
"We'll remember at Aix"—for one heard the quick wheeze
Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,
And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,
As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank. -
Lines 37-42
So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,
Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;
The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,
'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff;
Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,
And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight!" -
Lines 43-48
"How they'll greet us!"—and all in a moment his roan
Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone;
And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight
Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate,
With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,
And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim. -
Lines 49-54
Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall,
Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,
Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,
Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer;
Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,
Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood. -
Lines 55-60
And all I remember is—friends flocking round
As I sat with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground;
And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,
As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,
Which (the burgesses voted by common consent)
Was no more than his due who brought good news from Ghent.
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Onomatopoeia
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Imagery
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Repetition
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Personification
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Simile
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Enjambment
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Asyndeton
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Parallelism
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Stirrup
- Watch
- Postern
- Abreast
- Girths
- Pique
- Cheek-strap
- Bit
- Whit
- Half-chime
- Thro'
- Hutting
- As some bluff river headland its spray
- Pricked out
- Askance
- Spume-flakes
- Aye and anon
- Flank
- Stubble
- Chaff
- Dome-spire
- Roan
- Croup
- Buffcoat
- Holster
- Jack-boots
- 'Twixt
- Burgesses
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Speaker
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“How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”
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More “How they Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix” Resources
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External Resources
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Browning's Voice — Listen to Browning himself reciting the poem's first lines aloud (and then forgetting what comes next!). This is the only known recording of Browning's voice.
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A Parody of the Poem — Read a parody of this poem—which became so famous it was often the butt of jokes. (Notice how the parodists pick up on this poem's frequent repetition of the word "galloped"!)
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to a lively reading of the poem (and get a feel for its galloping onomatopoeia).
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An Intro to Browning — Read a short introduction to Browning's life and work at the British Library's website.
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Browning at the Poetry Foundation — Visit the Poetry Foundation to read more of Browning's work.
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Browning's Legacy — Read an article about Browning's complex literary legacy. Browning's contemporaries often mocked his poetry, but he's remembered as an important and innovative poet.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Browning
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