How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.
These lines, written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her sonnet "How Do I Love Thee?," capture the depth and intensity of the speaker's love for the object of their affection. The speaker speaks of loving the person "to the depth and breadth and height" of their soul, and with a love that is constant and enduring, "by sun and candle-light." The speaker also speaks of loving the person freely, purely, and with all the emotions of their life, and even says that they will love them "better after death."
This love is not just a superficial or fleeting emotion, but a deep and enduring commitment to the person. It is a love that is nourished and sustained by the actions and feelings of the speaker, and it is a love that transcends all obstacles and boundaries.
In today's world, it can be easy to get caught up in the superficial aspects of love, such as physical attraction or the thrill of a new relationship. But the love described in this sonnet is a love that is rooted in the deepest parts of the speaker's being, and it is a love that is nourished and sustained by the speaker's commitment to the person. It is a love that is enduring and eternal, and it is a love that can bring joy and fulfillment to those who experience it.