"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

'Sonnet 43', better known as 'How Do I Love Thee?', is a classic romantic poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and one of her most recognized poems. It was written circa 1845–1846, and first published within Barrett's collection of 44 love poems titled 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was one of the most respected British poets of the Victorian era. She wrote poetry from around the age of six, and this was compiled by her mother, comprising what is now one of the largest collections extant of juvenilia by any English writer. She met great success thanks to her volume 'Poems' (1844), and is now remembered for such poems as 'How Do I Love Thee?'/'Sonnet 43' (1845) and 'Aurora Leigh' (1856). Currently, her most popular work is 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' (1850).