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Sonnets from the Portuguese
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Biographical SummaryElizabeth Barrett Browning (March 6, 1806–June 29, 1861), English poet, was, in her day, one of the most popular poets in England and the United States. Though her poet-husband, Robert Browning, has since been recognized by critics as the greater talent of the two, she was a prolific writer who rivaled Tennyson and Wordsworth in influence during her lifetime. She is best remembered today for her relationship with Robert Browning through her Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), which recounts the tale of their romance.
XIXThe soul’s Rialto hath its merchandize;
I barter curl for curl upon that mart,
And from my poet’s forehead to my heart
Receive this lock which outweighs argosies,—
As purply black, as erst to Pindar’s eyes
The dim purpureal tresses gloomed athwart
The nine white Muse-brows. For this counterpart, . . .
The bay crown’s shade, Beloved, I surmise,
Still lingers on thy curl, it is so black!
Thus, with a fillet of smooth-kissing breath,
I tie the shadows safe from gliding back,
And lay the gift where nothing hindereth;
Here on my heart, as on thy brow, to lack
No natural heat till mine grows cold in death.
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Chicago: "XIX," Sonnets from the Portuguese Original Sources, accessed August 11, 2022, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4YPRG48YLFYTFB8.
MLA: "XIX." Sonnets from the Portuguese, Original Sources. 11 Aug. 2022. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4YPRG48YLFYTFB8.
Harvard: 1850, 'XIX' in Sonnets from the Portuguese. Original Sources, retrieved 11 August 2022, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4YPRG48YLFYTFB8.
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