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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 27 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: MY OWN BELOVED, WHO HAST LIFTED ME
Last Line: THAT LOVE, AS STRONG AS DEATH, RETRIEVES AS WELL.
Subject(s): LOVE; SPIRITUAL LIFE; WOMEN & RELIGION;

My own Beloved, who hast lifted me
From this drear flat of earth where I was thrown,
And, in betwixt the languid ringlets, blown
A life-breath, till the forehead hopefully
Shines out again, as all the angels see,
Before thy saving kiss! My own, my own,
Who camest to me when the world was gone,
And I who looked for only God, found thee!
I find thee; I am safe, and strong, and glad.
As one who stands in dewless asphodel
Looks backward on the tedious time he had
In the upper life, -- so I, with bosom-swell,
Make witness, here, between the good and bad,
That Love, as strong as Death, retrieves as well.



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