I think of thee!—my thoughts do twine and bud
About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,
Put out broad leaves, and soon there’s nought to see
Except the straggling green which hides the wood.
Yet, O my palm-tree, be it understood
I will not have my thoughts instead of thee
Who art dearer, better! Rather, instantly
Renew thy presence; as a strong tree should,
Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare,
And let these bands of greenery which insphere thee,
Drop heavily down,—burst, shattered everywhere!
Because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee
And breathe within thy shadow a new air,
I do not think of thee—I am too near thee.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Notes on "I think of thee!—my thoughts do twine and bud"
This is poem number XXIX (29) of Sonnets from the
Portuguese, written by Elizabeth Barrett for Robert Browning in the 1840s, during their courtship. At this stage of
their courtship, Elizabeth had apparently abandoned her earlier fears and pretend or real coyness, and became just
another happy young woman in love.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) is now best remembered for her
"Sonnets from the Portuguese," a cycle of sonnets written during her courtship with Robert Browning.
In fact however, she was an accomplished poet before she met Browning.
Most of her poems were not about romantic love.
They were topical poems about political issues such as child labor, slavery and the Italian national cause.
Elizabeth Barrett was a "hopeless" invalid and recluse, six years older than Robert Browning. They were happily married and had a son.
The fame of the poets, and the fairy-tale story of the girl who was thought to be doomed to be an old maid,
rescued from a loveless existence and brought back to life and
the world by a gallant suitor, kindled the imagination of the public.
Copyright - All original materials at this Web site are copyright by the authors and/or by the principals of yu-hu.com. Do not copy materials without permission. Please refer to copyright notice.
Comments and Submissions - If you would like to comment, or if you would like to send us your poems or poems of others to be included here, we would love hear from you. In submitting your work or work of others you agree to the conditions for submissions.
If you agree, then click below or type the address from the graphic into the address field of your e-mail program:
