And then she goes on to describe her love as freedom, "I love thee freely, as men strive for Right" and purity, "I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise." It seems as though she is proclaiming not only her freedom in loving Robert but that she freely loves him and purely.
In the next lines she speaks of this love as a renewal of herself and, in a sense, she feels reborn from her "old griefs" and, again she speaks of her love as pure "…and with my childhood's faith." She also speaks of being once lost, "I love thee with a love I seemed to lover with my lost saints" and that when she places all of herself in her newfound love in Robert, "smiles, tears, of all my life!" So if God will permit, her love will not die with her but live on and- free from all of human's limitations- love him even better after she is gone, "and if God choose, I shall...
The gate by which this movement is issued comes in lines 7-9, as love becomes "free" and "pure," unlimited now by the "level" of the builder or the numbers of the mathematician. Now, she loves like the "saints" (12), who exist by God's grace, which she hopes shall allow her to continue to love even "after death" (14). Thus, Elizabeth incorporates a religious idea into a poem that centers
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now