sonnet 29

• "i think of thee!"

  • poet addresses poem to her lover, creating personal intimacy and showing it is a love poem
  • pronouns "i" and "thee" are in the same line but not next to each other - displays their separation; but they are also only separated by a few words which shows her longing to be closer to him and also shows that the distance can be overcome
  • poet's longing to be with him is conveyed further in the use of exclamation mark which highlights passion, personal intimacy and desperation
  • could also be seen as defensive, perhaps as a response to an accusative letter
• "my thoughts do twine and bud about thee"

  • repetition of idea of thinking ("think" and "thoughts") highlights how she can only be with him in her imagination because of the physical distance between them; barrier in their love
  • th sound in "thoughts" and "think" makes her sound thirsty as if she is craving and lusting for his love
  • extended metaphor of lover being a tree and her thoughts about him are a vine
  • "tree" and "thee" in the same line; internal rhyme mirrors her joy ("ee" sound)
• "as wild vines, about a tree”

  • metaphor highlights uncontrollable nature of their growth & how her thoughts are feeding off him
  • comparison to natural imagery shows how the desire and passion of her love is natural, especially during a time where women were meant to suppress their sexual desires
  • natural imagery also shows how her love evolves and changes over time just like plants
  • "wild vines" is a metaphor for couple's intimacy; she fantasises about being wrapped around him; he is tree (phallic symbol) and she is wild for him
• "put out broad leaves, and soon there's nought to see"

  • she's thought about him so much that she can no longer see him, only the image she has created of him; she is so consumed by her own desires
  • "nought to see" also implies she is unable to think of anything other than him
  • her thoughts have changed so much ("vines" to "broad leaves"); her desire and love for him has grown out of control
• "except the straggling green which hides the wood"

  • "hides the wood" implies she is worried their love for each other will conceal their true selves
• "yet, o my palm-tree, be it understood"

  • use of pronoun "my" shows dependency on each other
  • "palm-tree" has exotic and biblical connotations, so this may be representative of either the novelty or timeless nature of their relationship
  • palm branch's symbolism of triumph and victory in christianity
  • "palm tree" is a metaphor for greatness of poet's lover and her feeling of triumph having found him
  • exoticism of "palm-tree" imples sense of beloved being something rare and treasured
• "be it understood i will not have my thoughts instead of thee who art dearer, better!"

  • alliterative sibilance in "thoughts" and "thee" which creates negative tone towards beginning of poem
  • exclamation shows magnitude of love and passion
  • declaration that they won't accept thoughts over actual presence of beloved underscores intensity of longing and the value of physical proximity and tangible connection to beloved
• "rather instantly renew thy presence"

  • adverb "instantly" connotes a sense of urgency; speaker cannot wait for her lover to come to her in a physical sense
  • alliterative r sound has animalistic connotations and mimics sound of animals; demonstrates wildness she feels due to her desire
  • imperatives show the power and new-found confidence her arousal has given her; she has lost all her inhibitions (particularly in context of victorian society she was living in)
• "as a strong tree should, rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare"

  • extended metaphor of tree; sexual innuendoes
  • "as a strong tree should" shows how she is questioning his masculinity and using this as a way to persuade him to come to her
  • simile comparing to "strong tree" suggests sense of beloved as a source of strength, stability and nourishment for the speaker; someone who has the power to revive and sustain them emotionally
  • "rustle" - auditory imagery has natural connotations showing natural and inevitable nature of their love
• "and let these bands of greenery which insphere thee drop heavily down"

  • her thoughts are presented as suffocating
• "burst, shattered, everywhere!"

  • triadic structure marks turning point in poem
  • his arrival will blow her mind: explosions involve lots of heat which reflects the passion of their love
• "because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee and breathe within thy shadow a new air, i do not think of thee - i am too near thee"

  • opposite of start of poem; implies her imagination has led her to believe she has had the sexual intimacy she wanted with him and that he is actually present so she no longer need to "think of [him]"
  • eventually breaks free of her obsessive thoughts and they're able to love each other
• structure:

  • sonnet form: traditionally written about love
  • enjambment and caesura shows her inability to control her thoughts
• who were the poems in this poem collection written for?

  • written about robert barrett browning but probably written for herself as she didn't show them to him until many years after they eloped
• possible poem comparisons:

  • love's philosophy
  • porphyria's lover
• themes:

  • longing
  • fulfilment
  • distance
  • desire
  • nature
  • obsession
• extended metaphor of tree:

  • shows natural and inevitable nature of relationship
  • presents speakers' feelings as something deeply rooted and inextricable; something that has taken over their mind in a beautiful yet potentially dangerous way (like an invasive plant species)