Sonnets from the Portuguese
I once thought the title meant that Browning had translated these poems
from some Portuguese poets. The title actually
refers to Robert Browning's nickname
for
her. She was short & had a dark complexion, so he called her
"My little Portuguese."
(http://web.archive.org/web/20000305075620/http://ccis09.baylor.edu/Library/LibDepts/ABL/EBB.html)
#21
-
She wants him to tell her he loves her until it sounds like "a cuckoo
song."
The cuckoo's song has two meanings.
-
It is repetitive.
-
The cuckoo reproduces by sneaking its eggs into the nest of some other
species & destroying its eggs. The parents unwittingly raise
the step-children as their own. Therefore, the man who heard the
cuckoo's cry was being warned that his wife was being unfaithful &
her children weren't his. He had been "cuckholded." (This
is
what the cuckhoo clock means. It
warns
men to watch their wives 24 hours a day.)
Line 14 - He should truly love her in his soul as well. That
makes
the repetition true.
#22
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She's so happy on earth with him that she doesn't want or need heaven.
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They should embrace their mortality.
#32
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The theme of this sonnet - "Will you still love me tomorrow?"
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Line 8 "Worn viol" - She was middle-aged when they fell in love.
Thought he'd want a younger man.
-
He brought her back to life. Perfect music can come from a worn
out
instrument in the right hands. His are the right hands.
#43
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She loves him a lot. (1 - 1000, 2 - 1000, 3 - 1000)
-
Lines 1-4. She loves him in the realm of ecstasy.
-
Lines 5-10. She loves him in the realm of the ordinary &
everyday.
-
Lines 12-13. The love & devotion that faded when she lost her
religious
beliefs have come back centered on him.