portuguese sonnets elizabeth barrett browning

Should God choose to take their life away, then they will love their beloved even more after death. The persona ends the sonnet by asserting that they love them with every fiber of their being- their breath, their smiles, their tears, and all of their life. They love them with their childhood faith, with a love they had lost with their lost saints. The persona here states that they love them with the passion that accompanied their past sufferings. I shall but love thee better after death.

Smiles, tears, of all my life and, if God choose, In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. Sestet: I love thee with the passion put to use Again, the love for them is pure and complete as the virtue of men who shun praises directed towards them. They further proceed to state that their loving them was a free choice, just as the rights men strive for. Then, the persona goes on to state how they love their beloved as they needed to be loved every day, both during the day and at the night. They firstly state that they love their beloved to every nook and cranny their soul could possibly reach, when reaching out for ‘ends of being’, that is, death, and ‘ideal grace’, referring to God. The poem begins with the persona listing the ways in which they love their beloved. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee freely, as men strive for right Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight I love thee to the depth and breadth and height Explanation of the Sonnet: Octave: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Famous works of hers include ‘Aurora Leigh’, ‘The Runaway Slave At Pilgrim’s Point’, and ‘Bianca Among The Nightingales’. Noted to be the spouse of Robert Browning, she is famed for penning poetry from the age of 11.

About the Poet:Įlizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) was a prominent English poet. Each sonnet in this collection, including this poem, is directed toward her beloved husband Robert Browning, who also happened to be an eminent Victorian poet at that time. ‘Sonnet 43’ is a poem written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Portuguese sonnets elizabeth barrett browning