Sonnet XLIII: How Do I Love Thee?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)



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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
142

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCABBADEFGFG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 615
Words 129
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. more…

All Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems | Elizabeth Barrett Browning Books

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    "Sonnet XLIII: How Do I Love Thee?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10330/sonnet-xliii:-how-do-i-love-thee?>.

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