If thou must love me ,
Let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only
Do not say 'I love her for her
Smile ... her look ... her way
Of speaking gently , ...
For a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine ,
And certes brought a sense of
Pleasant ease on such a day' --
For these things in themselves ,
Beloved , may be changed , or
Change thee , -- and love ,
So wrought , may be unwrought so .
Neither love me for thine own
Dear pity's wiping my checks dry , --
A creature might forget to weep ,
Who bore thy comfort long , and
Lose thy love thereby !
But love me for love's sake , that
Evermore thou mayst love on ,
Through love's eternity .

" Sonnets From The Portuguese XIV "
--- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
( 1806 - 1861 )