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.
XVIIMy poet, thou canst touch on all the notes
God set between His After and Before,
And strike up and strike off the general roar
Of the rushing worlds a melody that floats
In a serene air purely. Antidotes
Of medicated music, answering for
Mankind’s forlornest uses, thou canst pour
From thence into their ears. God’s will devotes
Thine to such ends, and mine to wait on thine.
How, Dearest, wilt thou have me for most use?
A hope, to sing by gladly? or a fine
Sad memory, with thy songs to interfuse?
A shade, in which to sing—of palm or pine?
A grave, on which to rest from singing? Choose.
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Chicago: "XVII," Sonnets from the Portuguese Original Sources, accessed September 10, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=8FC1ETUVTQMMWUE.
MLA: "XVII." Sonnets from the Portuguese, Original Sources. 10 Sep. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=8FC1ETUVTQMMWUE.
Harvard: 1850, 'XVII' in Sonnets from the Portuguese. Original Sources, retrieved 10 September 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=8FC1ETUVTQMMWUE.
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