SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” This line opens a famous sonnet from her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese, which became widely known in the Victorian Age and has been cherished ever since. These sonnets were written in secret between 1845 and 1846 during her courtship with Robert Browning and, due to their personal nature, were not intended for publication. Robert, however, considered them of relevant literary value and the poems were first published in 1850 with a title chosen as to make the poems appear as if they were translations. The present edition is based on the original set of 43 sonnets first published in the 1850 edition of Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The sonnet beginning “My future will not copy fair my past”, sonnet XVII in the British Library manuscript, was not included for its autobiographical character. The sonnets were reprinted three times during her lifetime. In the 1856 edition, Sonnet XVII has been added as Sonnet XLII, and appears in this edition at the end of the book.