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How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways. Love Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."
'Sonnet 43', better known as 'How Do I Love Thee?', is a classic romantic poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and one of her most recognized poems. It was written circa 1845–1846, and first published within Barrett's collection of 44 love poems titled 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was one of the most respected British poets of the Victorian era. She wrote poetry from around the age of six, & this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer. She met great success thanks to her volume 'Poems' (1844), and is now remembered for such poems as 'How Do I Love Thee?'/'Sonnet 43' (1845) and 'Aurora Leigh' (1856). Currently, her most popular work is 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).
'Sonnet 43', better known as 'How Do I Love Thee?', is a classic romantic poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and one of her most recognized poems. It was written circa 1845–1846, and first published within Barrett's collection of 44 love poems titled 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was one of the most respected British poets of the Victorian era. She wrote poetry from around the age of six, & this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer. She met great success thanks to her volume 'Poems' (1844), and is now remembered for such poems as 'How Do I Love Thee?'/'Sonnet 43' (1845) and 'Aurora Leigh' (1856). Currently, her most popular work is 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).
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First published January 1, 1845
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About the author
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
1,001 books702 followersElizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most respected poets of the Victorian era.
Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Browning was educated at home. She wrote poetry from around the age of six and this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15 Browning became ill, suffering from intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life, rendering her frail. She took laudanum for the pain, which may have led to a lifelong addiction and contributed to her weak health.
In the 1830s Barrett's cousin John Kenyon introduced her to prominent literary figures of the day such as William Wordsworth, Mary Russell Mitford, Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and Thomas Carlyle. Browning's first adult collection The Seraphim and Other Poems was published in 1838. During this time she contracted a disease, possibly tuberculosis, which weakened her further. Living at Wimpole Street, in London, Browning wrote prolifically between 1841 and 1844, producing poetry, translation and prose. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and her work helped influence reform in child labour legislation. Her prolific output made her a rival to Tennyson as a candidate for poet laureate on the death of Wordsworth.
Browning's volume Poems (1844) brought her great success. During this time she met and corresponded with the writer Robert Browning, who admired her work. The courtship and marriage between the two were carried out in secret, for fear of her father's disapproval. Following the wedding she was disinherited by her father and rejected by her brothers. The couple moved to Italy in 1846, where she would live for the rest of her life. They had one son, Robert Barrett Browning, whom they called Pen. Towards the end of her life, her lung function worsened, and she died in Florence in 1861. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband shortly after her death.
Browning was brought up in a strongly religious household, and much of her work carries a Christian theme. Her work had a major influence on prominent writers of the day, including the American poets Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson. She is remembered for such poems as "How Do I Love Thee?" (Sonnet 43, 1845) and Aurora Leigh (1856).
Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Browning was educated at home. She wrote poetry from around the age of six and this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15 Browning became ill, suffering from intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life, rendering her frail. She took laudanum for the pain, which may have led to a lifelong addiction and contributed to her weak health.
In the 1830s Barrett's cousin John Kenyon introduced her to prominent literary figures of the day such as William Wordsworth, Mary Russell Mitford, Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and Thomas Carlyle. Browning's first adult collection The Seraphim and Other Poems was published in 1838. During this time she contracted a disease, possibly tuberculosis, which weakened her further. Living at Wimpole Street, in London, Browning wrote prolifically between 1841 and 1844, producing poetry, translation and prose. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and her work helped influence reform in child labour legislation. Her prolific output made her a rival to Tennyson as a candidate for poet laureate on the death of Wordsworth.
Browning's volume Poems (1844) brought her great success. During this time she met and corresponded with the writer Robert Browning, who admired her work. The courtship and marriage between the two were carried out in secret, for fear of her father's disapproval. Following the wedding she was disinherited by her father and rejected by her brothers. The couple moved to Italy in 1846, where she would live for the rest of her life. They had one son, Robert Barrett Browning, whom they called Pen. Towards the end of her life, her lung function worsened, and she died in Florence in 1861. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband shortly after her death.
Browning was brought up in a strongly religious household, and much of her work carries a Christian theme. Her work had a major influence on prominent writers of the day, including the American poets Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson. She is remembered for such poems as "How Do I Love Thee?" (Sonnet 43, 1845) and Aurora Leigh (1856).
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October 5, 2011
Sonnet 43 is my favorite from Elizabeth Barret Browning's collection of love poetry titled "Sonnets From The Portuguese." She was inspired to write this collection when she met and fell in love with Robert Browning, who was also a renowned poet in Great Britain in his time. This poem greatly expresses what Elizabeth felt for husband.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
The first four lines pretty much say that the poet loves the subject in more ways than she can explain. Lines 5 and 6 say that she loves her significant other so much that he is not like a "basic need" ("most quiet need," says she in line 6)-- like the air she breathes and the water she drinks. The "quiet need," however, may also refer to sexual urges, particularly in the Victorian period when women's sexuality was commonly repressed. Line 7 says that she loves him as men fight for good and for their rights; line 8 expresses that she feels such pure love even amidst the decadence of the world around her. Line 10 tells him that she loves him so faithfully as with the innocent faith of a child. Line 11 says she has loved him just the same even amidst all her past doubts. Line 12 suggest that she reveres him as she once revered the deity of her former religion, or "lost saints" (12). Yet, the last line concludes by suggesting that this is but too short for their epic love, and that she wishes there'd be an afterlife in which to continue loving each other.
The metaphors used to explain her feeling are simply charming!
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
The first four lines pretty much say that the poet loves the subject in more ways than she can explain. Lines 5 and 6 say that she loves her significant other so much that he is not like a "basic need" ("most quiet need," says she in line 6)-- like the air she breathes and the water she drinks. The "quiet need," however, may also refer to sexual urges, particularly in the Victorian period when women's sexuality was commonly repressed. Line 7 says that she loves him as men fight for good and for their rights; line 8 expresses that she feels such pure love even amidst the decadence of the world around her. Line 10 tells him that she loves him so faithfully as with the innocent faith of a child. Line 11 says she has loved him just the same even amidst all her past doubts. Line 12 suggest that she reveres him as she once revered the deity of her former religion, or "lost saints" (12). Yet, the last line concludes by suggesting that this is but too short for their epic love, and that she wishes there'd be an afterlife in which to continue loving each other.
The metaphors used to explain her feeling are simply charming!
May 6, 2015
In “How do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways” Elizabeth Barrett Browning explains her love to her significant other in a way that not many can. Love is a feeling that sometimes is too hard to identify and can be easily confused with lust, and whenever true love exists some words can sometimes lack the depth of the true feelings behind it. However, Elizabeth Barrett has no problem in explaining, as she uses figurative language to explain and transmit her love.
Since the beginning of the poem we see how Elizabeth love is immense and strong. She first comperes it to the depth, breadth and height her soul can reach. Then she compares it to be as freely and purely as men that strive for right and turn from praise. Lastly, she explains that she loves thee with all of what she has been throughout her life and that if god permits it she will love thee more in the afterlife.
Elizabeth Barrett always explains her love in figurative language and never by using dull words. With all the metaphors that she uses in her poem, we readers get to imagine the depth of her love instead of guessing how she really feels. For example, when she mentions that she loves thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all her life, us readers can imagine how much a person has ever smiled and cried throughout their lives and really understand the amount of love behind it. After reading Barrett’s biography I can conclude that this poem was more likely dedicated to her husband Robert Browning because even thought she was not allowed to get married she still did in secret and lived happily ever after with him in Italy.
This poem has definitely become one of my favorite ones. Even though it is a short poem, the content in it makes it extremely powerful. After reading it I couldn't help but to feel emotional because of all the beautiful ways Barrett described her love. This poem would be perfect for someone to dedicate to their significant others such as family members and lovers during valentines or special dates.
Since the beginning of the poem we see how Elizabeth love is immense and strong. She first comperes it to the depth, breadth and height her soul can reach. Then she compares it to be as freely and purely as men that strive for right and turn from praise. Lastly, she explains that she loves thee with all of what she has been throughout her life and that if god permits it she will love thee more in the afterlife.
Elizabeth Barrett always explains her love in figurative language and never by using dull words. With all the metaphors that she uses in her poem, we readers get to imagine the depth of her love instead of guessing how she really feels. For example, when she mentions that she loves thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all her life, us readers can imagine how much a person has ever smiled and cried throughout their lives and really understand the amount of love behind it. After reading Barrett’s biography I can conclude that this poem was more likely dedicated to her husband Robert Browning because even thought she was not allowed to get married she still did in secret and lived happily ever after with him in Italy.
This poem has definitely become one of my favorite ones. Even though it is a short poem, the content in it makes it extremely powerful. After reading it I couldn't help but to feel emotional because of all the beautiful ways Barrett described her love. This poem would be perfect for someone to dedicate to their significant others such as family members and lovers during valentines or special dates.
August 2, 2020
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
January 25, 2022
The one before the last and most celebrated sonnet of the sequence Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), celebrates the joy and confidence that the speaker has achieved in this last section of sonnets.
It is outstanding, not because of the sentimentality with which the sonnet has been imbued over the last century, but because it culminates all that has gent before.
The woman who speaks these lines is calmly fearless in stating her love; there is no shrinking from self- express ion, no self-deprecation, no prostration before the male lover.
The speaker is defiantly the focus of the sonnet: she is the subject voice; she is the lover. Within this love relationship, the woman has moved from silent object to sharing the speaking voice of the subject poet.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace….
The speaker has claimed the conservative mode of the courtly lover, listing the ways in which she loves her partner. The focus is vital, though, and too often unnoticed.
This is not a list of male lover’s gifts and graces to her. She is the lively, initiaing giver.
She is not the simple unsophisticated figure, of much male literature; rather she must count the ways by which she loves. The whole sonnet enumerates the countless levels at which the multifaceted woman feels and acts.
The second line designates her admiration of the way the patriarchal structure has been disrupted in their relationship.
The line uses the portrayal that Paul uses to suggest the immensity of Christ’s lve: “that you...may have power to comprehend ...what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3: 18-19).
Instead of the usual portrayal of the male lover as Christ, the speaker uses the description as a metaphor for herself. She now has the love to bestow in virtually limitless abundance.
Moreover, the second phase of the biblical text is also echoed in the sonnet in lines 3-4. The speaker loves as far as her soul will go, and this extent far surpasses that of conventional patriarchal love sight and knowledge.
The Irigarayan motif of the gaze, used within patriarchy to fix and appropriate the woman object, is here overturned; this woman’s love goes beyond sight, instead feeling to the limits of existence.
That “feeling” is both emotional and tactile, touching instead of watching.
As Stephenson writes: “The male lyric classically relies upon distance to impose a space between lover and unattainable beloved which is never actually traversed; the lover views his beloved across this space, and frustrated desire is expressed primarily with the use of the visual metaphor. A number of recent critics have suggested that women’s love poetry in distinction, depends more upon the tactual that the visual.”
The sonnet makes gestures towards inspirational realms. The woman feels out of sight for “the ends of Being and ideal Grace”; in all probability this indicates the end of human existence and the entrance into a pseudo-Platonic ideal realm which is also a heaven of Christian grace.
But here the woman only reaches; she does not atttain.
The impossibility - and silence- of that earlier fantasy love of transcendence is suggested here as an ideal, but the woman does not remove herself from the human relationship that she has now. That relationship is clearly rooted in the mortal present.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
Her love is also as basic as the needs of daily life, specifically the most basic human need for light that dispels darkness.
The rather sanctimonious sentiments of lies 7 and 8 are nevertheless important in claiming the high moral ground for their love. In them, the speaker shows the fundamentally pure basis to their relationship.
This has been a continuing theme in the sonnets, the need to show that this relationship that disrupts society’s conventions is both valid and morally right.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!
The deepest aspect of the woman’s love is her past. And so she recalls it here, noting that the ‘passion’ that she used to expend upon grief is now redirected. ‘Old griefs’ are the sorrows that have been well-aired throughout the sonnets- bith societal and familial. Hand-in-hand with these. however, must go the breaking of childhood ‘faith’: the sureness and expectations of youth that have been crushed by societal pressures and structures. The reference to ‘lost saints’ suggests her dead family loved ones, now translated into sainthood in heaven.
The wider significance of the lines focuses on the process of crushing disillusionment and suppression that turns the child of abilities and voice into the silent Victorian woman. This was very real process for Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who saw her domestic walls closing in around her as she reached womanhood.
But with this new love relationship comes a return of the voice and opportune it and so a commensurate love. The past is vindicated and answered by the present.
So the speaker concludes this section by surmising all that she has described: she loves with every aspects of her being- her tears and her smiles and even the life within her, her breath.
The sonnet has shown us the whole woman, “all of my life!”, and now it concludes with an even stronger hope: “and, if God choose. I shall but love thee better after death.”
Because this relationship is so right and has divine blessing, the speaker can express the hope that it will last even beyond the grave.
In this, the most triumphant sonnet of the sequence, the woman seizes victory: God-ordained, woman-written victory.
It is outstanding, not because of the sentimentality with which the sonnet has been imbued over the last century, but because it culminates all that has gent before.
The woman who speaks these lines is calmly fearless in stating her love; there is no shrinking from self- express ion, no self-deprecation, no prostration before the male lover.
The speaker is defiantly the focus of the sonnet: she is the subject voice; she is the lover. Within this love relationship, the woman has moved from silent object to sharing the speaking voice of the subject poet.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace….
The speaker has claimed the conservative mode of the courtly lover, listing the ways in which she loves her partner. The focus is vital, though, and too often unnoticed.
This is not a list of male lover’s gifts and graces to her. She is the lively, initiaing giver.
She is not the simple unsophisticated figure, of much male literature; rather she must count the ways by which she loves. The whole sonnet enumerates the countless levels at which the multifaceted woman feels and acts.
The second line designates her admiration of the way the patriarchal structure has been disrupted in their relationship.
The line uses the portrayal that Paul uses to suggest the immensity of Christ’s lve: “that you...may have power to comprehend ...what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3: 18-19).
Instead of the usual portrayal of the male lover as Christ, the speaker uses the description as a metaphor for herself. She now has the love to bestow in virtually limitless abundance.
Moreover, the second phase of the biblical text is also echoed in the sonnet in lines 3-4. The speaker loves as far as her soul will go, and this extent far surpasses that of conventional patriarchal love sight and knowledge.
The Irigarayan motif of the gaze, used within patriarchy to fix and appropriate the woman object, is here overturned; this woman’s love goes beyond sight, instead feeling to the limits of existence.
That “feeling” is both emotional and tactile, touching instead of watching.
As Stephenson writes: “The male lyric classically relies upon distance to impose a space between lover and unattainable beloved which is never actually traversed; the lover views his beloved across this space, and frustrated desire is expressed primarily with the use of the visual metaphor. A number of recent critics have suggested that women’s love poetry in distinction, depends more upon the tactual that the visual.”
The sonnet makes gestures towards inspirational realms. The woman feels out of sight for “the ends of Being and ideal Grace”; in all probability this indicates the end of human existence and the entrance into a pseudo-Platonic ideal realm which is also a heaven of Christian grace.
But here the woman only reaches; she does not atttain.
The impossibility - and silence- of that earlier fantasy love of transcendence is suggested here as an ideal, but the woman does not remove herself from the human relationship that she has now. That relationship is clearly rooted in the mortal present.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
Her love is also as basic as the needs of daily life, specifically the most basic human need for light that dispels darkness.
The rather sanctimonious sentiments of lies 7 and 8 are nevertheless important in claiming the high moral ground for their love. In them, the speaker shows the fundamentally pure basis to their relationship.
This has been a continuing theme in the sonnets, the need to show that this relationship that disrupts society’s conventions is both valid and morally right.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!
The deepest aspect of the woman’s love is her past. And so she recalls it here, noting that the ‘passion’ that she used to expend upon grief is now redirected. ‘Old griefs’ are the sorrows that have been well-aired throughout the sonnets- bith societal and familial. Hand-in-hand with these. however, must go the breaking of childhood ‘faith’: the sureness and expectations of youth that have been crushed by societal pressures and structures. The reference to ‘lost saints’ suggests her dead family loved ones, now translated into sainthood in heaven.
The wider significance of the lines focuses on the process of crushing disillusionment and suppression that turns the child of abilities and voice into the silent Victorian woman. This was very real process for Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who saw her domestic walls closing in around her as she reached womanhood.
But with this new love relationship comes a return of the voice and opportune it and so a commensurate love. The past is vindicated and answered by the present.
So the speaker concludes this section by surmising all that she has described: she loves with every aspects of her being- her tears and her smiles and even the life within her, her breath.
The sonnet has shown us the whole woman, “all of my life!”, and now it concludes with an even stronger hope: “and, if God choose. I shall but love thee better after death.”
Because this relationship is so right and has divine blessing, the speaker can express the hope that it will last even beyond the grave.
In this, the most triumphant sonnet of the sequence, the woman seizes victory: God-ordained, woman-written victory.
February 15, 2023
Loved the description in this poem.
December 18, 2022
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
She describes what i feel every waking hour these days…
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
She describes what i feel every waking hour these days…
December 15, 2018
My favorite sonnet ever.
September 8, 2021
A father, son and dog on a fishing trip set to the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s 43rd sonnet from “Sonnets From The Portuguese” and illustrated by Mati McDonough.
September 29, 2018
This poem is beautiful. I really feel I have no business saying anything about it whatsoever, but tradition is tradition at this point. . .
I have arranged my thoughts on this poem into a haiku:
"In love's purest form,
It's simple and intrinsic,
Touching everything."
I have arranged my thoughts on this poem into a haiku:
"In love's purest form,
It's simple and intrinsic,
Touching everything."
October 12, 2016
Most people were given this book to read during school years, pick them up again and take a beautiful journey into the well written verse.
April 8, 2021
This was an absolutely beautiful sonnet and Elizabeth Barrett Browning has a talent with words.
March 20, 2018
This is one of the most brilliant and beautiful love poems ever written, and I would argue the most beautiful love poem ever composed from a woman to her man.
Read
December 30, 2023How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2025
This sonnet is interesting because there is correlation, rhyming and contrast all in the same poet. Correlation by relating two words to illustrate how much the person expresses the depth of the love. The rhyming helps the relation of two words but still maintaining the "rules" of a poem. Lastly, the contrast juxtapositions two words that shouldn't be able to show the readers the ways to love but it works, it makes it more impactful. Ie. "by sun and candle-light", this contrast is used to show the extreme ends of love. The very negative and the very positive. The bright light and the dim light. To love one through this is the biggest form of love.
April 15, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The beginning of this poem was okay but after like 3 lines or so it just ran down the hill. In my opinion it happens a lot in poems and short stories.
The writing style was very bad in this one. As it usually happens in lesser known poems like this one.
The plot in this one was just even more boring then the writing style. Because it is another poem about death and god. In 2022 this topic for poems are way too overused.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The beginning of this poem was okay but after like 3 lines or so it just ran down the hill. In my opinion it happens a lot in poems and short stories.
The writing style was very bad in this one. As it usually happens in lesser known poems like this one.
The plot in this one was just even more boring then the writing style. Because it is another poem about death and god. In 2022 this topic for poems are way too overused.
July 16, 2025
Og female yearner
I like the fact that even though written in Petrarchan sonnet, it goes against the tradition of unrequited love of Pertrarch and represents transcendence through fulfillment instead of suffering. Everything she had experienced -negative and positive- are reinvested in the passion of this mutual,infinite,selfless,spiritual love.
I like the fact that even though written in Petrarchan sonnet, it goes against the tradition of unrequited love of Pertrarch and represents transcendence through fulfillment instead of suffering. Everything she had experienced -negative and positive- are reinvested in the passion of this mutual,infinite,selfless,spiritual love.
May 12, 2021
"I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."
These last lines stuck the cord real hard. One of the finest piece of poem
With my lost saints. I love with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."
These last lines stuck the cord real hard. One of the finest piece of poem
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2022
I once read the whole of “Aurora Leigh”, but I can’t say I remember it! Favourite: “I thought once how Theocritus had sung”, which echoes her own life, from despair and invalidism to an unlooked-for happy ending. I didn’t realise until recently though, that Robert was six years younger!
October 6, 2023
So much packed in this little collection...without a doubt a new favorite. Can't wait to read more from her. The best from this collection has to be 'from Aurora Leigh' and 'Sonnets from the Portuguese'
December 18, 2024
Sonnet 43, better known as the "How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways..." poem, is pretty straightforward. Browning explains the ways in which she'll love thee, even after death. It has a soft, lilting, cadence to it and is brief but beautiful. Browning definitely has a way with words.
April 23, 2019
Somewhere in my past I must have studied this as it sprang to mind in part today. Having looked up the whole poem it's still as good as I remembered.
March 1, 2021
Interpreted through illustrations with childlike innocence for the young reader without trivialising the traditional messages a mature audience might understand.
April 22, 2021
A famous 1st line and very short, yet I find I didn't understand this poem. "I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints." What does this mean, does she not actually love him?!
January 28, 2022
beautiful.
February 9, 2022
Not a big sonnet fan, but this is one of my favorites
June 17, 2022
What a cute little love letter
December 27, 2022
‘Sonnet 43’ – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
A love letter. “I shall but love thee better after death.” ***
A love letter. “I shall but love thee better after death.” ***
February 13, 2023
New fav poem alert
February 15, 2023
Now I just need someone to love
August 5, 2023
Damn. The love is so deep 😭
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