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 everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
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.
1. What is this poem about?
This poem is about Elizabeth expressing her deepest love to the loved-one in various ways. She describes her love to be unmeasurable by not mentioning the extend of the "depth and breadth and height" [Line 2]. She expresses her love to be more important or necessary than "sun and candlelight" which provides light at day and night, and which are essential for living [Line 6]. Moreover, her love is free [7], pure [8], passionate [9], emotional [13] and immortal [14].
2. How is the poet saying?
Elizabeth employs intimate, passionate tone to describe the extension of her love. She chooses simple and ordinary diction except the word "thee" which is an ancient word used in Shakespeare's times that means "you." She uses anaphora i.e. she repeats the phrase "I love thee..." several times in each stanza to give emphasis to her love. She also uses simile to show how her love is free and pure in the second stanza.
3. Unifying theme: True love is unmeasurable, most precious, free, pure, passionate, and eternal.
Remember
by Christina Rosetti
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
1. What is this poem about?
This poem is about a person who is going through a tragic circumstance and soon going to die. Before she dies, she is expressing how she wants her loved-ones to remember her. She wants them to remember her of the happy times, not to be grieved over while remembering her.
2. How is the poet saying?
Rosetti writes this poem in ordinary and simplistic ways. The emotions of sadness and love are strongly conveyed. There is repetition of phrase "Remember me" to provide emphasis. The poem consists images. For instance, the arriving moment of death is visually described by "silent land" which could be heaven [2]; unable to hold hand anymore [3]; and unable to come back to stay [4].
3. Unifying Theme: Living people should remember the dead-ones with the memories of love and happiness they both shared, not with grief.
