A poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (England, 1806-1861)
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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.
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(Acknowledgement: This poem was taken from pg. 33 in “Americans’ Favorite Poems: The Favorite Poem Project Anthology”, edited by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz.)
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Blogger’s Note:
A renown type of sonnet is the love sonnet; indeed, “The Sonnets” by Shakespeare, the literary mastermind who originally designed the form, spent most of his sonnets discussing love. Thus, classically, the topic of love is one designed and, likely, best suited for, the sonnet.
There are many different types of love sonnets, and many people even go as far as to design their own (a completely different take on the topic and form), such as in Kim Addonizio’s “So What”, in which she “satisfies the general requirements of the form while alluding to science and music in order to riff on a classical subject for the sonnet: love” (Clark 130). In fact, because it is so unique in its own right, Addonizo’s poem is a regular reference for me when I write my own sonnets. It stretches my mind and asks me to think of all the possibilities for the sonnet I’m writing, a common check for me to see if I’ve explored every avenue and examined every known and unknown aspect.
In terms of classical love sonnets, however, I often find myself conflicted about which one I like the best. I have always preferred Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43”, however, for its smooth rhythms and iambic pentameter, as well as because it seems to capture the type of love I have often felt for people in my own life and the type I aspire to in the future. It also inspires me to write my own love sonnets, worthy of the depth, passion and sentiment Barrett Browning expresses here.
Work Cited:
Clark, Kevin. The Mind’s Eye: A Guide to Writing Poetry. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. Print.
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The Rose 