Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in Kelloe, Durham, England on this day in 1806.
"I thought once how Theocritus had sung
Of the sweet years, the dear and wished for years,
Who each one in a gracious hand appears
To bear a gift for mortals, old or young:
And, as I mused it in his antique tongue,
I saw, in gradual vision through my tears,
The sweet, sad years, the melancholy years,
Those of my own life, who by turns had flung
A shadow across me. Straightway I was 'ware,
So weeping, how a mystic Shape did move
Behind me, and drew me backward by the hair,
And a voice said in mastery, while I strove, ...
Guess now who holds thee?'—Death,' I said. But there,
The silver answer rang ... Not Death, but Love'."
--"1: I thought once how Theocritus had sung" from SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE (1850)
Of the sweet years, the dear and wished for years,
Who each one in a gracious hand appears
To bear a gift for mortals, old or young:
And, as I mused it in his antique tongue,
I saw, in gradual vision through my tears,
The sweet, sad years, the melancholy years,
Those of my own life, who by turns had flung
A shadow across me. Straightway I was 'ware,
So weeping, how a mystic Shape did move
Behind me, and drew me backward by the hair,
And a voice said in mastery, while I strove, ...
Guess now who holds thee?'—Death,' I said. But there,
The silver answer rang ... Not Death, but Love'."
--"1: I thought once how Theocritus had sung" from SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE (1850)
First published in 1850 and considered some of the finest love lyrics in the English language, Sonnets from the Portuguese comprise 44 interlocking poems that Elizabeth Barrett Browning composed for her husband, Robert Browning. This wonderful illustrated edition includes 22 additional works as well. READ more here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/…/sonnets-from-the-port…/
'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways'.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning eloped with Robert Browning #onthisday in 1846. They met in May 1845 and while his attraction to her was almost instantaneous, her feelings for him took longer to develop. Six years his senior and a lifelong sufferer of ill health, Elizabeth needed to be convinced that his affection for her was sincere and reliable. She was also aware of all that she would risk if she married Browning as her father had forbidden his children from marrying and said he would disinherit those who did.
In Sonnets from the Portuguese, these initial fears and doubts can be seen but by the later sonnets, such as Sonnet 43, these fears have been replaced by feelings of love and excitement as Elizabeth became surer of the relationship. Elizabeth and Robert remained married for 15 years until 29 June 1861 when Elizabeth died in Robert’s arms after a long illness. http://bit.ly/2cCXAUT
Image © The Provost and Fellows of Eton College
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