Sonnet 43
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 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.
Today I had an online workshop led by Denise Duhamel (it was great--we wrote 3 poems and got a prompt for a 4th). The theme was sonnets--traditional and not--and this was one of the poems we looked at. I was surprised that I had not already posted it here on my blog. I also need to relate that Denise called this (I am paraphrasing) the ultimate in love bombing. I love this because, yes! This poem is a little over the top as far as emotions!
But that's what's so much fun about it. Just reading it makes me swoon a little! This is a whole self love, the honeymoon phase, the knight in shining armor feeling.
This Italian (or Petrachan) sonnet was written by EBB for poet Robert Browning. Their entire love story is worthy of some swooning, and is truly a tale of love finding everyone, no matter how old or your circumstances (not true, of course, but it's a nice idea).
Besides the rhyme and adherence to form, I love that this poem starts to dip into some not-so-romantic territory (lines 10-12 most likely refer to the deaths of two brothers and her loosening up a bit on her evangelical religion, as Browning was an atheist) and then ends with a promise for eternity: if God lets me, I will love you even harder after we die.
Let's keep in mind, though, that Browning sent her fan mail first. So the Love Bombing was going both ways.
A short history of them both, and their love story, can be found on this site, as well as many others. Why there aren't movies and TV limited series and updated versions and hit songs about these two, I do not know.
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