Sonnet 14

Poet: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Type: Poetry
Source: "Sonnets from the Portuguese"
Year Published: 1850

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Sonnet 14

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only.
Do not say 'I love her for her smile—her look—her way
Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day'—
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee,—and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,—
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.

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A classic and one of the commonly used poems in schools. Elizabeth here shows in her verses what true love is really all about.

In the first few lines, the poet tells her beloved to love her not because of her smile or other things that could easily be changed, or might even fade. She even said that those kind of things could be changed to suit the beloved's likeness. Which is why if you understand clearly, it suggests that the beloved, with these reasons, could fall for another girl who could make her smile or look likeable to the beloved.

The next verses, she says that she wishes to be loved for love's reason. That it is great if you love someone because that's how you feel and not because of reasons that could easily be changed. For if this so, then an eternal love is definitely possible.