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Sonnets from the Portuguese: read and explore

Despite the title, these deeply personal poems are Browning's own work, not translations.

About this reading

Author
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Form
poem
Catalog year
1845

Choose this reading by interest and comfort with the language. This catalog does not assign a school grade. Preview the text before reading with a child; classic works can contain unfamiliar language and historical attitudes.

Read Sonnets from the Portuguese

Preview the language: Part 1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE *** Transcribed from the 1906 Caradoc Press edition by David Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk. SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE INDEX OF FIRST LINES I I thought once how Theocritus had sung II But only three in all God's universe III Unlike are we, unlike, O princely Heart! IV Thou hast thy calling to some palace-floor V I lift my heavy heart up solemnly VI Go from me. Yet I feel that …

Choose a phrase from this opening. What does it suggest, and which words support your interpretation? Read on to test your first impression.

A reading activity for Sonnets from the Portuguese

  1. Before opening the text, read the title and this catalog description: “Despite the title, these deeply personal poems are Browning's own work, not translations.” Write one question you hope the reading will answer.
  2. Read a short passage. Choose one sentence that helps you understand what is happening and explain which words support your interpretation.
  3. Choose one unfamiliar word. Guess its meaning from the surrounding words, then check a dictionary or discuss it with a reading partner.
  4. Return to your original question. Explain what the passage answered and what you still need to read to find out.

These are suggested discussion tasks, not a scored assessment or a claim that finishing the text establishes mastery.

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Source edition: Project Gutenberg record for Sonnets from the Portuguese. This link identifies the catalog source; it does not imply endorsement.

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Educators and independent learners

Learning goal: Read Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, then support an interpretation with words from the text.

Before you begin: Preview the language and historical context. Select a passage appropriate for your learners.

Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.

Catalog inclusion does not assign a school grade. Preview historical language and themes before using a work with children.

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Sonnets from the Portuguese — Read and Explore | Lesson Worlds