Complexity of Love in Sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett

“XXXV” is one of the Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning; written in first person narrative, and centralized based on the complexity that love involves such as loss and change. Browning writes this poem as if she is speaking to a person whose love she desires, or possibly someone she will eventually meet; but as she questions different aspects of love, she searches to answer if the benefits are worth the potential hardships.

Opening with the inquiry of love being in congruence with the loss that can come along with it-- “If I leave all for thee” (Line 1). This first line is directed to the person she loves, implying that she may have to leave behind everything she has in order to love them. As she ponders the sacrifice to be made, she has more questions: “And be all to me? Shall I never miss”(Line 2); which is asking if the love will be an adequate, worthwhile substitution for the life she currently lives.

Expanding on her expectations for this love, “Home-talk and blessing and the common kiss”(line 3), she mentions the commonalities one is used to; “Home-talk”, alludes to companionship, and “the common kiss” invokes nurturing. Compromises having to be made for love is what is being insinuated in: “That comes to each in turn, nor count it strange” ( line 4).

“When I look up, to drop a new range”(line 5), is touching upon the reality that sets in after the exciting “honeymoon” phase of a relationship ends. “When I look up” suggests the end of the new and exciting phase of love and perceiving the person loved as human; “new range” to the reality that can bring hardship to a loving relationship, such as disagreements.

Line 6 uses images of objects as metaphors: “Of walls and floors, another home than this?” do not advert to literal walls, floors, or a home; walls represent a sense of security, floors assimilate stability, and home portraying comfort. The next lines go on to express interest in knowing whether or not this person she loves will perform these needs of security, stability, and comfort: “ Nay, wilt thou fill that place by me which is”( line 7).

“Filled by dead eyes too tender to know change?”(line 8) ascribes to the reluctance she feels towards the idea of someone truly loving her. “Dead eyes” used as a metaphor for her outlook; how her attitude is negative because love has caused her pain and she is uneasy about it as a result. The line “ too tender to know change”, shows the ambiguity she feels as she questions whether someone who has been negatively affected by love is capable of love or being loved again.

Reflecting takes place in lines 9 and 10: “That’s hardest. If to conquer love, has tried,/ To conquer grief, tries more, as all things prove;” portraying the idea that she has tried to love before, but heartache always follows. Her attitude changes slightly in line 11, “For grief indeed is love and grief beside”, it seems that she is accepting that despair is a part of love and love is a part of despair; one cannot have one without having to experience the other. However, her cynical view comes back, “Alas, I have grieved so I am hard to love.”(line 12), she is afraid that since she has experienced the pain of loss in love, that this has made loving her a difficult task.

Hopeful beckoning is displayed in “Yet love me-- wilt thou? Open thine heart wide,”(line 13), seems to be giving this person who she loves opportunity to love her. “Open thine heart wide” illustrates that this person will have to love without judgement, now that she has warned them of all the challenges that are involved in loving her.

Ending on the prospect of love potentially being beneficial, the last line uses the personification of a dove that represents the innocence of love: “And fold within the wet wings of thy dove”(line 14). “Wet wings” represents cleansing or healing that can be found when one embraces love; while a dove is portrayed as the innocence that may be found if she gives love a chance once again.