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310 ratings, 4.20 average rating, 30 reviews
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published
1998
(first published 1993)
by Yestermorrow Inc
binding
Hardcover
isbn
1567230253
(isbn13: 9781567230253)
description
First published in 1850 and considered some of the finest love lyrics in the English language, Sonnets from the Portuguese comprise 44 interlocking po...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 397)
Read in May, 2007
XXIII
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-dumps falling round my head?
I marveled, my Belovèd, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine--
But...so much to thee? Can I pour thy wine
While my hands tremble? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love! Look on me--breathe on me!
...more
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead,
Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine?
And would the sun for thee more coldly shine
Because of grave-dumps falling round my head?
I marveled, my Belovèd, when I read
Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine--
But...so much to thee? Can I pour thy wine
While my hands tremble? Then my soul, instead
Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range.
Then, love me, Love! Look on me--breathe on me!
...more
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Read in October, 2008
This is an early example of what now is called a sonnet cycle, as pretty much all of the poems are concerned with her secret love with Robert Browning. The forty-four poems are basically confessional and range in emotions, from despairing to elated to fretful. What I like so much about them (other than the fact that they're all tightly written sonnets) is that they're so indicative of female emotions because they fluctuate to extremes. Also, this collection includes one of the most famous poems ...more
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What can I add to:
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
...more
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
...more
Read in December, 2008
I actually read this on google books, so really I read it in the Harvard library by proxy--very exciting.
On one hand I am disturbed by how much Barrett Browning feels diminished by love and on the other hand I am impressed by how evocative her writing is.
On one hand I am disturbed by how much Barrett Browning feels diminished by love and on the other hand I am impressed by how evocative her writing is.
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I cannot express how lovely I find this collection of poems. Well constructed and beautifully written, it is among my favorite books of all time, probably my favorite collection of poetry. I'm partial to the sonnets as I find them traditionally romantic. I guess the conservative poet in me likes the meter and rhyme. When I first read this collection I was a third-year at UVA and was in major seduction with Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf and glossed by this treasure. Years later, I see what I co...more
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I adore E.B.B.'s writing. The first time I read her sonnets was in high school (long time ago, now!), and immediately took a liking to her expression of love.
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Read in January, 1996
recommends it for:
romantics
What I do and what I dream include thee... as the wine must taste of its own grapes.
She knew love.
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Read in March, 2008
Reading these poems with no frame of reference is really enjoyable, but reading them with some idea of the context of their construction and their aim makes them more enjoyable. Meaning, I appreciated that she was writing about a romance that was mutual, deep, and devoted. It felt mature. It wasn't someone in the first throes of love or lust, and it wasn't about a lonesome figure pining after an unattainable object of affection.
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Romantics!
These sonnets are really beautiful, and they are even more compelling if you know the love story of Robert and Elizabeth Barret Browning. The letters between the two poets really helps to englighten the reader to what Elizabeth Barret Browing was thinking during their courtship and what inspired her to write these awe-inspiring poems.
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Read in February, 2008
I recieved this collection as a child and I remember how beautiful I thought it was. I enjoy re-reading it from time to time. It's not on the par with some of my other favorites, but I'd still recommend it for those pining away.
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i love the elizabeth barrett browning's sonnet... "how do i love thee, let me count the ways..." this book was given to me as a wedding present from a friend. i pull it out when i'm missing my husband.
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Read in November, 2004
recommends it for:
The sentimental
I don't find Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry as interesting as her husband's but she is more of a conventional poet than he was and I really prefer poetry that reads like prose. Personal preference.
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It's romantic and mushy... but how can you not LOVE her?! Keeping in mind her secret courtship with Robert Browning makes them that more enjoyable.
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Read in January, 1996
I got this book because I had read about it in another book. And fell in love with her writing. So lovely. Everyone should read these!
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I actually have a lovely old vintage hardback. I love volumes of poetry more when they're old and weathered. I can't help myself.
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Ahhh...sitting with your lover and a glass of wine, reading Elizabeth Barrett Browning to each other. Now that's romance!
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this woman is so completely amazing. you can read the same poem 5 times and still savor and see more genius.
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Read in January, 1976
a beautiful self indulgent please, to be read only when in the throes of a fresh new relationship
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quotes from this book
"I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears of all my life."
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