Reading the sonnets published by Browning really made me "feel" the passion behind her work. Being able to feel these emotions and so eloquently put them on paper had to be rewarding and gratifying. I can only imagine how Robert Browning felt being the object of this beautiful peice of work.
My favorite sonnet written by Browning is Sonnet 43. Browning starts out with a brief question and them answers it with the remaining verses:
"How much 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." (Lines 1 - 4)
Ideally, if you've experienced true love, knowing that someone loves you holistically to this degree can only be a breathtaking experience.
She goes on to say:
"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. ( Lines 7 - 9)
I interpret "freely" to mean without any pressure from anyone to do so; willingly. The mention of "pure" means innocently and simple; the purest form of expression. Lastly, I interpret "passion put to use" as blending the physical, emotional, and spiritual connections together to create raw passion.
The last line "I shall but love thee better after death" (Line 14) shows she believes her love will transcend life into death.
I believe this is a "timeless" piece of work!
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You're so right. It's impossible not to feel her passion reading these works. That's an interesting thought, too. Now I wonder how Browning felt! I think her definition of love was right on, so the word "breathtaking" would be very accurate. Finally, good interpretations. You translated it really clearly.
ReplyDeleteAngela,
ReplyDeleteVery good explication of this famous poem (or at least a poem with a very famous first line). You do a nice job here of speculating on possible meanings of specific passages you quote. Note that you misquote the opening line, though: you say "How much do I love thee?" while the poem actually asks "How do I love thee?" It might be interesting to explore what difference that one added word makes!