The narrator addresses her lover directly, which makes the poem seem personal.
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"my thoughts do twine and bud"
Natural imagery shows how her thoughts focus on him like a vine wraps around a tree, showing that her thoughts are constantly growing and developing.
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"wild vines, about a tree"
This quote is a metaphor, the narrator is the "wild vines" and her lover is the "tree". This is emphasised by the internal rhyme of "thee" and "tree"
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"I do not think of thee"
Reversal of the first line highlights the difference between thinking about him and being with him.
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"burst, shattered, everywhere".
The use of three different words to describe the way his presence replaces her thoughts emphasises her excitement. Caesura also contributes to this dramatic effect.
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"I am too near thee"
She doesn't have to think about him when she's with him, he's better than anything she's capable of imagining. "thee" rhymes him with himself, this shows her obsession with him.
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Narrative
The sonnet is a declaration of passionate love from the narrator to her lover. She talks about how she obsesses over him but all her thoughts can not replace him. Then she begins to long for him.
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Context
She wrote the poem in 1845-46 and it was about her soon to be husband Robert Browning. The poem was meant to be private and may be why it’s deeply intimate but her husband convinced her to publish it.
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Form
Sonnet form is traditionally used for love poetry. This sonnet is loosely written in the Petrarchan form, with eight lines, followed by six lines. The octave usually presents a problem and the sestet provides a solution. It is different in this poem.
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Structure
The transition from the problem to the solution reflects the difference between the narrator thinking about her lover and being with him. This is emphasised by the reversal of the first and last lines.
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Language about Nature
The narrator uses an extended metaphor throughout the poem, the narrator's lover is a tree and her thoughts are "wild vines" which cover him. This shows her thoughts are constantly growing and unrestrained.
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Excited Language
The use of exclamation marks shows how the narrator takes joy in thinking about her lover and feels excitement at the thought of being with him. Plosive sounds and dynamic verbs emphasise how much she wants to be with him.
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Author
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
"my thoughts do twine and bud"
Back
Natural imagery shows how her thoughts focus on him like a vine wraps around a tree, showing that her thoughts are constantly growing and developing.
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