Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Grosset & Dunlap
Pages
92
Description
Sonnets from the Portuguese is the collection of love poems written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in the time leading up to her marriage to Robert Browning. Elizabeth hesitated in publishing the poems, as they were so personally revealing, but her husband persuaded her of their high worth. She decided to pass them off as translations, in order to obscure her authorship, and so the title of the collection came about. They were, and remain, immensely popular.
Description
Sonnets from the Portuguese, written ca. 1845–1846 and published first in 1850, is a collection of 44 love sonnets written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The collection was acclaimed and popular during the poet's lifetime and it remains so.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1850
Physical description
92 p.; 6.75 inches
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User reviews
LibraryThing member varwenea
Despite a strong recommendation from a dear friend whose taste in books I respect greatly, I resisted reading Victorian English poetry, insisting I would never understand it. My resistance weaned, and I am glad for it. This utterly charming set of poetry is heartfelt and uplifting, and I find
This set of highly personal poetry, written by Elizabeth throughout her courtship with Robert Browning, which began in 1845, eloped in 1846, was gifted to him in 1849. The uniqueness in their relationship drove this set of sonnets to be particularly celebratory. She was an accomplished poet with published works (early career woman), older than him by 6 years (unusual then), she was age 39 when they met (finding love late in life), she was an invalid (shame, feeling inadequate). He courted her for her and the beauty of her poetry, appreciating her mind and her as a person, which is always the best basis to start any relationship. She had great hesitations, partly due to feeling that she doesn’t measure up and some influence from her family, deeming him to be a gold digger. In the end, their love flourished, and we, the readers, are blessed to have this set of sonnets that remind us what Love is really about – all-encompassing, unconditional, whole-heartedly, with acceptance. ♥
Quotes (abbreviated):
Sonnet I: Her hope for love, but hope lost, given up.
The sweet, sad years, the melancholy years,
Those of my own life,………
“Guess now who holds thee!” --- “Death” I said.
But there
The silver anaswer rang, --- “Not Death, but Love”
Sonnet VII: To be in love, surprised, and her world changing on account of it. (It’s such a beautiful new experience for her.)
…………, where I, who thought to sink,
Was caught up into love,………
And this… this lute and song… love yesterday,
(The singing angels know) are only dear
Because thy name moves right in what they say.
Sonnet VIII: Feeling inadequate in the relationship. (To me, this is such a classic amongst even solid relationships, doubting oneself, constantly wondering if you measure up, despite how much love is flowing both ways.)
What can I give thee back, O liberal
And princely giver, who hast brought the gold and purple of thine heart…
………… am I cold,
Ungrateful, that for these most manifold
High gifts, I render nothing back at all?
No so; not cold, ---- but very poor instead.
Sonnet X: Burning with Love. She is enthralled, enraptured, consumed with love.
Yet, love, mere love, is beautiful indeed
And worthy of acceptation…………
And love is fire. And when I say at need
I love thee… mark!... I love thee – in thy sight
I stand transfigured…………
Sonnet XIV: She asked to be loved, simply for love’s sake and not for anything that may change or out of pity. (I find this to be such a logical and basic thought that doesn’t seem to be considered much.)
If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love’s sake only. Do not say
“I love her for her smile ---her look---her way
Of speaking gently,………”
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee,………
………….Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity’s wiping my cheeks dry,---………
But love me for love’s sake, that evermore
Thou may’st love on, through love’s eternity.
Sonnet XX: She has doubts and wants reassurance. (I am guilty of requiring reassurance. Perhaps guilty is too strong a word. I simply believe that every relationship should have continued reassurance. No man or woman should be made to assume they are loved while drudging through the stress of daily life, and some times, shamed for wanting assurance. It should be freely given, via a gentle touch, a kind smile, a twinkle in your eyes.)
Say over again, and yet once over again,
That thou dost love me…………
Beloved, I, amid the darkness greeted
By a doubtful spirit – voice, in that doubt’s pain
Cry, “Speak once more---thou lovest!”………
Say thou dost love me, love me, love me---toll
The silver iterance!---only minding, Dear,
To love me also in silence with thy soul.
Sonnet XXXVIII: She writes of the first kiss, the second kiss, the third kiss. (The beauty of increasing passion between two lovers…)
First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write;………
………….The second passed in height
The frist, and sought the forehead, and half missed,
Half falling on the hair…………
The third upon my lips was folded down
In perfect, purple state; since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, “My love, my own.”
Sonnet XXXIX, in its entirety: To be accepted for who she is, she expresses gratitude. (This is easily the most powerful sonnet, despite the popularity of ‘how do I love thee, let me count the ways’. There is not a single person who does not desire to be accepted for who he/she is. To have found that lover/mate/partner in life is a treasure that ought to be celebrated.)
Because thou hast the power and own’st the grace
To look through and behind this mask of me,
(Against which, years have beat thus blanchingly
With their rains,) and behold my soul’s true face,
The dim and weary witness of life’s race, -
Because thou hast the faith and love to see,
Through that same soul’s distracting lethargy,
The patient angel waiting for a place
In the new Heavens, - because nor sin nor woe,
Nor God’s infliction, nor death’s neighborhood,
Nor all which other’s viewing, turn to go,
Nor all which makes me tired of all, self-viewed, -
Nothing repels thee … Dearest, teach me so
To pour gratitude, as thou dost, good!
Sonnet XLII: She starts a new future, gladly. (Such a powerful conviction and will to know this is what she wants, especially in light that her father has disowned her and her family has abandoned her due to her marriage.)
My future will not copy fair my past---
I wrote that once; and thinking at my side
My ministering life………
I seek no copy now of life’s first half:
Leave here the pages with long musing curled,
And write me new my future’s epigraph,
New angel mine, unhoped for in the world!
Sonnet XLIII, in its entirety: The most famous – to have love that is complete, free, pure, passionate, and also enduring even after death.
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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myself rooting for their love and for Elizabeth Barrett Browning herself. My only wish was for Elizabeth to have lived longer than her 55 years. But to have loved brilliantly for even only 15 years till a person’s end is still more than anyone can hope for. This set of highly personal poetry, written by Elizabeth throughout her courtship with Robert Browning, which began in 1845, eloped in 1846, was gifted to him in 1849. The uniqueness in their relationship drove this set of sonnets to be particularly celebratory. She was an accomplished poet with published works (early career woman), older than him by 6 years (unusual then), she was age 39 when they met (finding love late in life), she was an invalid (shame, feeling inadequate). He courted her for her and the beauty of her poetry, appreciating her mind and her as a person, which is always the best basis to start any relationship. She had great hesitations, partly due to feeling that she doesn’t measure up and some influence from her family, deeming him to be a gold digger. In the end, their love flourished, and we, the readers, are blessed to have this set of sonnets that remind us what Love is really about – all-encompassing, unconditional, whole-heartedly, with acceptance. ♥
Quotes (abbreviated):
Sonnet I: Her hope for love, but hope lost, given up.
The sweet, sad years, the melancholy years,
Those of my own life,………
“Guess now who holds thee!” --- “Death” I said.
But there
The silver anaswer rang, --- “Not Death, but Love”
Sonnet VII: To be in love, surprised, and her world changing on account of it. (It’s such a beautiful new experience for her.)
…………, where I, who thought to sink,
Was caught up into love,………
And this… this lute and song… love yesterday,
(The singing angels know) are only dear
Because thy name moves right in what they say.
Sonnet VIII: Feeling inadequate in the relationship. (To me, this is such a classic amongst even solid relationships, doubting oneself, constantly wondering if you measure up, despite how much love is flowing both ways.)
What can I give thee back, O liberal
And princely giver, who hast brought the gold and purple of thine heart…
………… am I cold,
Ungrateful, that for these most manifold
High gifts, I render nothing back at all?
No so; not cold, ---- but very poor instead.
Sonnet X: Burning with Love. She is enthralled, enraptured, consumed with love.
Yet, love, mere love, is beautiful indeed
And worthy of acceptation…………
And love is fire. And when I say at need
I love thee… mark!... I love thee – in thy sight
I stand transfigured…………
Sonnet XIV: She asked to be loved, simply for love’s sake and not for anything that may change or out of pity. (I find this to be such a logical and basic thought that doesn’t seem to be considered much.)
If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love’s sake only. Do not say
“I love her for her smile ---her look---her way
Of speaking gently,………”
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee,………
………….Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity’s wiping my cheeks dry,---………
But love me for love’s sake, that evermore
Thou may’st love on, through love’s eternity.
Sonnet XX: She has doubts and wants reassurance. (I am guilty of requiring reassurance. Perhaps guilty is too strong a word. I simply believe that every relationship should have continued reassurance. No man or woman should be made to assume they are loved while drudging through the stress of daily life, and some times, shamed for wanting assurance. It should be freely given, via a gentle touch, a kind smile, a twinkle in your eyes.)
Say over again, and yet once over again,
That thou dost love me…………
Beloved, I, amid the darkness greeted
By a doubtful spirit – voice, in that doubt’s pain
Cry, “Speak once more---thou lovest!”………
Say thou dost love me, love me, love me---toll
The silver iterance!---only minding, Dear,
To love me also in silence with thy soul.
Sonnet XXXVIII: She writes of the first kiss, the second kiss, the third kiss. (The beauty of increasing passion between two lovers…)
First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write;………
………….The second passed in height
The frist, and sought the forehead, and half missed,
Half falling on the hair…………
The third upon my lips was folded down
In perfect, purple state; since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, “My love, my own.”
Sonnet XXXIX, in its entirety: To be accepted for who she is, she expresses gratitude. (This is easily the most powerful sonnet, despite the popularity of ‘how do I love thee, let me count the ways’. There is not a single person who does not desire to be accepted for who he/she is. To have found that lover/mate/partner in life is a treasure that ought to be celebrated.)
Because thou hast the power and own’st the grace
To look through and behind this mask of me,
(Against which, years have beat thus blanchingly
With their rains,) and behold my soul’s true face,
The dim and weary witness of life’s race, -
Because thou hast the faith and love to see,
Through that same soul’s distracting lethargy,
The patient angel waiting for a place
In the new Heavens, - because nor sin nor woe,
Nor God’s infliction, nor death’s neighborhood,
Nor all which other’s viewing, turn to go,
Nor all which makes me tired of all, self-viewed, -
Nothing repels thee … Dearest, teach me so
To pour gratitude, as thou dost, good!
Sonnet XLII: She starts a new future, gladly. (Such a powerful conviction and will to know this is what she wants, especially in light that her father has disowned her and her family has abandoned her due to her marriage.)
My future will not copy fair my past---
I wrote that once; and thinking at my side
My ministering life………
I seek no copy now of life’s first half:
Leave here the pages with long musing curled,
And write me new my future’s epigraph,
New angel mine, unhoped for in the world!
Sonnet XLIII, in its entirety: The most famous – to have love that is complete, free, pure, passionate, and also enduring even after death.
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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LibraryThing member justicefortibet
Receiving this as a gift on my 18th birthday from my best friend was one of my "Coming of Age" moments. It opened a wonderful world of being able to express all of those emotions that were inundating me, mentally and physically. I can never thank her enough.
LibraryThing member Elpaca
First book gift I gave to Mike. After 28 years, still sits on his night stand.n yes, he reads it. Occasionally.
LibraryThing member Michael.Rimmer
I had not expected this collection of love poems to be so melancholic. Although a degree of self-doubt and uncertainty goes along with any lovers thoughts, the tone here is of such low self-esteem, such self-recrimination that it strikes me that the poet was suffering from depression. But through
In the end, the poet is redeemed and transformed by love, but it seems to have been a close-run thing.
There's such beautiful imagery in every poem that it's almost impossible to select one out above the others, but I particularly like Sonnet V:
I lift my heavy heart up solemnly,
As one Electra her sepulchral urn,
And, looking in thine eyes, I overturn
The ashes at thy feet. Behold and see
What a great heap of grief lay hid in me,
And how the red wild sparkles dimly burn
Through the ashen greyness. If thy foot in scorn
Could tread them out to darkness utterly,
It might be well perhaps. But if instead
Thou wait beside me for the wind to blow
The grey dust up,...those laurels on thine head,
O my Belovëd, will not shield thee so,
That none of all the fires shall scorch and shred
The hair beneath. Stand further off then! go!
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the darkness, there are sparks of hope, that maybe love will come, will be true and will rescue.In the end, the poet is redeemed and transformed by love, but it seems to have been a close-run thing.
There's such beautiful imagery in every poem that it's almost impossible to select one out above the others, but I particularly like Sonnet V:
I lift my heavy heart up solemnly,
As one Electra her sepulchral urn,
And, looking in thine eyes, I overturn
The ashes at thy feet. Behold and see
What a great heap of grief lay hid in me,
And how the red wild sparkles dimly burn
Through the ashen greyness. If thy foot in scorn
Could tread them out to darkness utterly,
It might be well perhaps. But if instead
Thou wait beside me for the wind to blow
The grey dust up,...those laurels on thine head,
O my Belovëd, will not shield thee so,
That none of all the fires shall scorch and shred
The hair beneath. Stand further off then! go!
Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I think that I might have liked these more when I was younger...
LibraryThing member mamashepp
I must say that I was slow to warm up to the poems and don't think I would have liked them as well without having read the Introduction first. Lovely, very personal. You can really see the path of the love affair between EBB and Robert Browning.
LibraryThing member books-n-pickles
No time for proper reviews right now, as I'm at the end of my last class of grad school and I have a huge pile of short books I've snuck in since February that I need to rate.
While I don't know Barrett Browning's whole story, I do find what I know to be quite meaningful to me. I appreciated the
I also, to my surprise, very much liked sonnet 6. It really doesn't hold up under a feminist reading--"I feel I shall stand / henceforward in they shadow"--but the overall point of the poem, that no aspect of her life will be untouched by her lover going forward, is beautifully expressed: "What I do / and what I dream include the, as the wine / must taste of its own grapes." If it weren't for that last religious line, I might go for this one for the wedding. Maybe I will anyway...there's nothing to say we can't stop early!
[Dates are a total guess because I totally forget.]
[I almost feel guilty posting this lame review to my feed and forcing people I know to see it.]
While I don't know Barrett Browning's whole story, I do find what I know to be quite meaningful to me. I appreciated the
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slow progression of the poems from disbelief to love, with all the confused and delightful nuances in between. Yes, I did find myself loving over-quoted sonnet number 14, and we may even read it at our wedding (nothing's settled). But again, I find the touch of melancholy and the knowledge that it was so successfully overcome particularly apt in our case. I also, to my surprise, very much liked sonnet 6. It really doesn't hold up under a feminist reading--"I feel I shall stand / henceforward in they shadow"--but the overall point of the poem, that no aspect of her life will be untouched by her lover going forward, is beautifully expressed: "What I do / and what I dream include the, as the wine / must taste of its own grapes." If it weren't for that last religious line, I might go for this one for the wedding. Maybe I will anyway...there's nothing to say we can't stop early!
[Dates are a total guess because I totally forget.]
[I almost feel guilty posting this lame review to my feed and forcing people I know to see it.]
Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
As I read this slim volume of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnets, I thought, "They don't write them like they used to." Browning's sonnets thrill readers with the language of another time and place but show her feelings and thoughts on love and also express her faith. The font on the volume I
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read was "set up by hand in Goudy Mediaeval type by Arthur and Edna Rushmore at The Golden Hind Press in Madison, New Jersey. Mxmxxxii." The font was as elegant as the poetry! Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
3½ stars. I might have appreciated these more when I was younger...
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