Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
9:56 AM
If you asked me to recommend a book of poetry, I’d recommend Sonnets from thePortuguese. Many times, poetry can be unintelligible and difficult to tackle – Sonnets from the Portuguese is neither.
They are
written in a direct way which makes them easy to understand. They are about
love, which is relatable.
Elizabeth
Barrett Browning wrote these poems to her husband, the also poet, Robert
Browning. The title has a double explanation. Elizabeth was dark complexioned
so her husband used to call her “my Portuguese”. It is also a reference to the
16th century Portuguese poet Camoens and his love Catherine.
You can
read the poems as a documentation of her relationship with Robert Browning, but
we can’t forget that they are poems written by a poet to another poet. So
there’s a lot of richness in them also.
The first poem is to me one of the most interesting and sets the tone for the whole
series. She is old and had been sick and bed-ridden for many years. While contemplating her "sweet, sad years", a mystic Shape pulls her by the hair and asks: "'Guess now who holds thee?' - 'Death,' I said. But, there,/ The silver answer rang, - 'Not Death, but Love.'"
Isn't it
interesting how she presents love as a source of rejuvenation and life?
I said the other day Elizabeth was my new hero. Unlike so many writers who tend to focus on the negative in their lives, she brings her "melancholy years" to light only as a comparison to the happiness Robert Browning brought her.
I said the other day Elizabeth was my new hero. Unlike so many writers who tend to focus on the negative in their lives, she brings her "melancholy years" to light only as a comparison to the happiness Robert Browning brought her.
The poems
show both Robert and herself were an active part in her happiness. Her life was saved not only because of him, but because she loved him back. Imagine how easy it would be for
a sick 40-year-old woman to simply dismiss him because he is a handsome 6 year-younger poet and her father didn’t
approve of the marriage.
While
reading the poems I was amazed at how she could be both physically fragile and
interiorly strong.
When
Elizabeth gave her husband the sonnets he said it was the best thing after
Shakespeare’s sonnets. Robert was a poet himself so, if that compliment is not
love I don’t know what is.
What do you think of the Brownings' story?
Image via The Omniscient Mussel
What do you think of the Brownings' story?
Image via The Omniscient Mussel
0 comments
Thanks for commenting! Do come back because I usually reply to comments here.