How
do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
By
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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 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.
WARNING!-
THE FOLLOWING BLOG IS DRIPPING WITH “ROMANTICAL” IDEALS! =D
“How
do I love thee? Let me count the ways” is one of the best romantic sonnets ever
known to man in my opinion. I was 14 when I first read this poem and I was
immediately struck by the beauty and truthfulness of Browning’s words. From
that time on I thought that most poems were about love and romance. It is now five years later and I realize that
this generalization is far from the truth. Now that I have read many many poems about
epic hero’s, nature, sadness, political arguments, and other genre’s that can
be sad or somewhat boring I have realized how unique this poem is. This poem
literally is a love a poem! Browning wrote this poem for her husband Robert
Browning during their somewhat secret courtship.
The
poem has the basic sonnet format. It has 14 lines and is written in iambic pentameter.
The main difference is that the rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDC DCD instead of
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Browning styled this sonnet in the Italian style which is
also known as the Petrarchan sonnet. An
interesting tidbit I learned about this poem is that it had no title. In
Browning’s published book, Sonnets to the
Portuguese the sonnets are numbered.
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” is also known as Sonnet 43. So in cases
like this the poem’s title comes from the first line of the poem.
The
poem starts out with a seemingly simple question, “How do I love thee?”, However
when you really think about this question it is one that has many answers and
many different meanings depending on the person. Browning answers this question
in her own way. But I feel that her reasons for loving Robert Browning hold
true to the idea of an eternal love for someone else.
Browning
gives her reasons eloquently in lines two through thirteen. I am going to explain these lines by telling
you about the thoughts that came to my brain when reading them. Lines two through
four reminded me of a common thing that children do when they say how much they
love someone. They stretch their arms out as far as they can and say, “I love
you this much!!!” Lines five through six remind me of how when you love someone
you think about them all the time! You think about them during the day and at
night. Browning represents the day and the night when she wrote, “by sun and
candlelight.” Lines seven through eight show that this love she has is pure, abundant,
and feels as natural as man’s desire to be free. Lines nine and ten portray a
love that is passionate and true. The writer has had heartaches in life but she
loves this person with the innocence of a child. The next few lines are about having
faith that your beloved will not let you down like others have in the past. The
final words of the poem are simple and eloquently written, “I love thee with
the breath,/ Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,/ I shall but
love thee better after death.” These simple words are so powerful to me.
Browning was declaring that she loved Robert Browning as much as life itself. Also
her words about loving him even after death show that she wants a love that is
unending.
Elizabeth
Barrett Browning wrote this poem for her beloved Robert Browning, but I feel
that all of us should search for a love like theirs. I would hope that when we
ask ourselves, “How do I love thee?” that we will want to say all of the things
that Browning’s wrote. We will want to count the ways we love our beloveds well
into eternity. =)
Have you read the sonnet series that this poem comes from? I like it for itself but like it even better in the context of all the sonnets, because they trace the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert back to its beginnings and show Elizabeth moving from a place of uncertainty and self-consciousness to confidence and happiness.
ReplyDeleteGiven that this is a sonnet, where would you situate the volta or dramatic turn? Do you see one in here?
Mikail choosing this poem is so you. It makes so much sense that you would enjoy this poem and choose to write about. You're insights and explanations are awesome and helpful. It's so interesting to read about this poem with the romantic tone it was meant to have and not have it used as a comic exaggeration like it is in movies. I instantly think of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, have you seen that movie?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your blog! What an awesome point and very informational; thank you for sharing. you are right, these lines are familiar to many and very recognizable but until you posted this, I don't believe I had ever read the entire poem. It not only speaks true for Browning's love for her husband but even in modern literature, it could stand the test of time to many. I liked the way you looked at it from a readers standpoint, the viewpoint also of Browning herself and also of other readers. You make many good points and I enjoyed reading your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteOh,opps! I forgot to add....
ReplyDeletesuper cute title! It was what caught my attention right away :)
Thanks Sarah! =) haha and you are rightit is so me! And no i havnt!
ReplyDeleteThanks Hannah! It is one of my favorite poems ever! I am glad you liked my analysis. I was afraid that I went a little too "romantical" And thanks I decided to name it after the first thought I always have affter I read it.
This was wonderful! I liked how you compared the love as something childish. For some, I know that idea might seem odd, but I think it makes it that much more pure, innocent, and true. You don't have any of those dramas and questions of the future that you find in the 'typical' adult romance. I just had to point out that it was a wonderful point of view. Now I want to start reading the poem in the context of the rest.
ReplyDelete