Poem: How Do I Love Thee
—- 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.

Summary

In the octave, the speaker asks herself about the ways of her love for her beloved. She wants to count her love for her beloved. She loves her lover to the limit of God’s infinite space and His endless kindness which cannot be seen but can be felt with the soul.

In the set, the speaker says that her love for her beloved is as essential as “oxygen” or “water” etc. She spontaneously requires every moment of day and night. Her love for her beloved is free from every kind of bitterness. She feels it in her main soul. She loves her beloved genuinely and does not expect any praise in return. Her passion for her beloved is as intense as her old sufferings. Her love is as blind as the faith she had in her childhood. She loves her beloved with the innocence of her life. She loves him with every atom of her life such as breath, smiles, and tears. Then she expects that she will love him better after death.

Rhyme Scheme

A rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse
Being an Italian sonnet the rhyme scheme of the poem is abba abba cdcdcd.

“ways”=a
“height”=b
“sight”=b
“Grace”=a
“everyday’s”=a
“candlelight”=b
“Right”=b
“Praise”=a
“use”=c
“faith”=d
“lose”=c
“breath”=d
“choose”=c
“death”=d

Here the last word of the 1st line is “ways” and the last words of the 4th,5th, and 8th are “Grace”, “every day’s”, and “Praise”. All the words have the same sound. So we can mark it “a”.

Again, the last words of the 2nd,3rd,6th, and 7th are “height”, “sight”, “candlelight”, and “Right”. All the rest have the same sound. So we can mark it “b”.Then the last words of the 9th,11th, and 13th are “us”, “lose”, and “choose”. They also have the same sound. So we can mark it “c”.

And finally, the last words of the 10th,12th, and 14th are “faith”, “breath”, and “death”. So we will mark it “d”. So at last we can find out that the rhyme scheme of the poem is abba abba cdcdcd.

Mood and Tone

The tone is a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength. And the mood is the writer’s attitude toward the subject. The poem begins in a loving way with a deep tone. As the poem progresses, it is shifting from its most religious tone to a focus on more apparently secular human interests and becomes passionate. Then it shifts to a more serious tone. The tone towards the end of the sonnet transposes into one of resignation conveyed by the phrases “love thee better after my death. A contrast of tone throughout the poem is suggested by the poet’s determination and almost secularism towards the end. Such a juxtaposition of tone underscores the poet’s fervor, and simultaneously her acceptance of Christianity presiding over her fate.

Structure

The poem is a sonnet. A sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of fourteen iambic pentameter lines intricate by a rhyme scheme. Like any sonnet, it has 14 lines. It is written in the form of the Petrarchan sonnet. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two parts: an octave (first eight lines) and a sestet (last six lines). The octave of a Petrarchan sonnet presents a problem and the sestet solves the problem. The octave of the sonnet lists the depth of the poet’s love hyperbolically and the sestet discusses a more mature love that transcends all. The rhyme scheme of the octave suits the rhyme scheme of the Petrarchan sonnet: abba abba. The rhyme scheme of the set of the Petrarchan sonnet varies and the rhyme scheme of the sestet of the poem is cd cd cd. Thus, it is a Petrarchan sonnet.

Theme

The theme is the central idea in a piece of writing. The whole body explains the theme.

The theme of the poem is the intense love of the poet for her beloved or husband. Her love for him knows no bounds. She loves him to the limit of God’s grace. She loves him genuinely and unconditionally and does not expect praise in return. She says to her beloved or her husband that he is her everyday need. She wants to be with him all hours of the day and night. She wants to love him better even after death. Thus, her love for him is intense and passionate. She shows divine love to her beloved.

Authors Position

When an author writes to persuade, he/she will have his/her own position on the subject. The author’s position is an author’s opinion about the subject. It may be subjective or objective.

Subjective means where the writer can use his/her own feelings, emotion, and own choice.

Objective means where the writer can’t use his/her own feelings, emotions, and own choice.

“How do I Love Thee” is an objective poem. Because here the poet shows her love through a speaker. She doesn’t include herself in the poem. So it’s an objective poem.

Figures Of Speech

Figures of Speech mean the use of ornamental elements in a piece of writing.

Apostrophe:
The apostrophe is a figure of speech in which something or someone is addressed.
*”How do I Love Thee”?
Here the poet addresses her beloved.

Simile:
A simile is an indirect comparison between two far-faced things with the help of ‘as’ or ‘like’.
* “As men strive for Right “.
* ” I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise”.

Assonance:
Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound.
* “reach”, “feeling”, “Being”, “ideal”.
Here “e” is repeated one more time. So it’s an example of assonance.

Imagery:
Imagery means a collection of some images. It turns our five senses to the subject
matter. We can feel it imaginary.
* “sun and candlelight”.