Question

When Our Two Souls... (Sonnet 22) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher, Until the lengthening wings break into fire At either curvèd point,—what bitter wrong Can the earth do to us, that we should not long [5] Be here contented? Think. In mounting higher, The angels would press on us and aspire To drop some golden orb of perfect song Into our deep, dear silence. Let us stay Rather on earth, Belovèd,—where the unfit [10] Contrarious moods of men recoil away And isolate pure spirits, and permit A place to stand and love in for a day, With darkness and the death-hour rounding it. "When our two souls... (Sonnet 22)" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Question Use the poem “When our two souls…” (Sonnet 22) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to answer the question. In 3–5 sentences, analyze an aspect of the poem by explaining different layers of meaning or areas where the meaning is ambiguous.

Answer 1

In Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "When our two souls…" (Sonnet 22), the imagery of two souls standing "face to face" suggests an intimate, transcendent connection that transcends earthly challenges, yet the poem simultaneously grapples with the idea of isolation and separateness in the human experience. The contrasting desires for celestial elevation—represented by the angels and "golden orb of perfect song"—versus a grounded love on earth reflects an ambivalence toward spiritual aspiration versus the tangible, albeit flawed, nature of human relationships. The phrase "rather on earth" indicates a preference for the complexities of earthly love over an idealized, abstract communion, suggesting that the richness of human emotion, with its inherent struggles encapsulated in "contrarious moods," is valued more than the ethereal pursuit of perfection. This tension between the desire for higher realms of love and the pull of earthly realities creates a layered exploration of how love can simultaneously elevate and confine.