Question

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is in the public domain.


Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under theCC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Notes
Ideal (noun) : perfect or the best possible
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Question 2 of 2

Which of the following is NOT a statement the narrator would likely agree with?

Her love is limitless and impossible to measure.

Her love is pure, strong, and unconditional.

Her love stems from childhood grief and is thus flawed.

She will never stop loving them, even in the afterlife.

Answer 1

"Her love stems from childhood grief and is thus flawed."

Explanation: the poem does say the speaker's love includes "the passion put to use / In my old griefs" and "my childhood's faith," but she presents these as elements that deepen and strengthen her love, not as flaws. She describes her love as limitless, pure, and enduring (even after death).