If thou must love me, let it be for nought

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 ease on such a day.
For these things in themselves, beloved, may
be changed, or change for thee, and love, so wrought,
may be unwrought so. Neither love me for
thine own dear pity's wiping my cheek 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 may'st love on, through love's eternity.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Just reading the title I expect the poem will be about love.

In addition it is written in first person, because in the title, that is the first line too, there is the personal pronoun “you” (thou).

The text is a sonnet. It is organized in 14 lines and probably it is an English sonnet, consisting of three quatrains and a couplet.

The poem is a monologue of the speaking voice referred to her love. The speaking voice says to her love to love her for nothing, just for the sake of love, because that is the only love that can last. She says that he has not to love her for her smile, her look, her way of speaking or for her thoughts because that kind of love can change and disappears.

The function of the first quatrain is to explain the problem. In fact the speaking voice tells about what she thinks and hopes about the way her love loves her. The third and fourth lines are a direct speech. The man doesn’t speak with his own word, but the poetess reports the words that her husband hasn’t to say. The fifth and sixth lines are like the last two lines described.

Then the function change. The woman explains why the man doesn’t love her for her aspects or for something that she is.

In the last two lines there is the conclusion. The poetess gives the solution to the problem.

Rhyme scheme is ABBA in the first and in the second quatrain, and ABAB in the last six lines.

In the third lined there is the repetition of the possessive adjective “her”, to underline the importance of the lady.

I think the poetess will tell the reader the difference between true love and love for appearance. In fact she speaks about material love, when her man love her only for her eyes, or way to speak, and the love she would like to be loved, that is love  unconditional, that last forever.