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Explore the history and diversity of love poetry with this curated list of 65 poems from various authors and genres. Whether you need a romantic ode, a heartbreak anthem, or a friendship celebration, you'll find a poem that speaks to your heart.
- Reedsy
- “Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats. Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths.
- “I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti. I wish I could remember that first day, First hour, first moment of your meeting me, If bright or dim the season, it might be.
- “Your Hands” by Angelina Weld Grimké. I love your hands: They are big hands, firm hands, gentle hands; Hair grows on the back near the wrist . . . . I have seen the nails broken and stained.
- “Love Song” by Dorothy Parker. My own dear love, he is strong and bold. And he cares not what comes after. His words ring sweet as a chime of gold, And his eyes are lit with laughter.
- “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds” (Sonnet 116), by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) This poem is not a personal appeal but a universal definition of love, which the poet defines as constant and unchangeable in the face of any circumstances.
- “Bright Star,” by John Keats (1795-1821) Keats brings an almost overwhelming sensuality to this sonnet. Surprisingly, the first eight lines are not about love or even human life; Keats looks at a personified star (Venus?
- “To His Coy Mistress,” by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) Yet another seduction attempt in verse, perhaps this poem doesn’t belong on a list like this, since it isn’t about love at all.
- “Whoso List to Hunt,” by Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) Supposedly written about Anne Boleyn, wife of King Henry VIII, this bitter poem compares his beloved to a deer fleeing before an exhausted hunter, who finally gives up the chase, because, as he says, “in a net I seek to hold the wind.”
Explore a diverse selection of love poems from ancient Greek to modern, from Shakespeare to Sappho, from wedding to erotic. Find poems for any occasion, mood, or relationship, or browse by theme, poet, or form.
- Victoria Cornell
- “Come, And Be My Baby” by Maya Angelou. The highway is full of big cars. going nowhere fast. And folks is smoking anything that’ll burn. Some people wrap their lies around a cocktail glass.
- “To My Dear Loving Husband” by Anna Bradstreet. If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee. If ever wife was happy in a man,
- “Variations on the Word Love” by Margaret Atwood. This is a word we use to plug. holes with. It’s the right size for those warm. blanks in speech, for those red heart-shaped.
- “Always for The First Time” by André Breton. There is a silk ladder unrolled across the ivy. There is. That leaning over the precipice. Of the hopeless fusion of your presence and absence.
Jun 1, 2022 · Below, find a few of our favorite love poems about falling deeply, long-term relationships, unrequited love, moving on, and more.
Discover the passion, politics and playfulness of love poetry from various perspectives and voices. Read selections by Kim Addonizio, Rigoberto González, Ange Mlinko and more.
