35 Amazing Love Poems to Share With Your Loved Ones
35 Amazing Love Poems to Share With Your Loved Ones
Forget expensive Valentine's Day gifts for him, shouting to hear each other at a crowded restaurant, forking over your life savings for Valentine's Day chocolates of indeterminate flavors or desserts that only last as long as the Galentine's Day episode of Parks & Recreation. A carefully written, heartfelt love letter will show your main squeeze how much they mean to you, whether you've been together for two months or 20 years. Spritz it with a little perfume like the middle schooler we all are inside and seal it with a kiss, and you've got a Valentine they'll treasure for years to come.
The more personalized you can make your love letters, the more your romantic sentiments will ring true. But not all of us have the silver tongue of Pablo Neruda or the descriptive powers of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. That's why we found the best love poems in literature to give you some inspiration before you pen your own Valentines. As you'll learn from the greats, really digging down into the special qualities that made you fall head over heels for the target of your affections goes a long way. So does getting very granular about just what your love feels like, and a few well-crafted metaphors never hurt either.
"Love Sonnet XI" by Pablo Neruda
Famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda has earned a reputation as one of the most romantic writers of all time. And once you read this swoon-worthy sonnet, we think you'll agree.
"Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare
As if any list of poems would be complete without a Shakespearean sonnet. This one is better known by its first line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
"Desire Poem" by Alice Walker
We love the image of cultivating love in this Walker poem that sweeps us up in its powerful movement. Maybe the gardener in your life will, too.
RELATED: The 20 Best Gardening Gifts to Impress Your Favorite Plant Ladies (and Gents)
"A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns
Another poem that often appears on Valentine's Day cards and has been set to music several times, this Robert Burns classic gets right to the heart of romantic love.
!["[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]" by E.E. Cummings](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FaYbdmuw3dcY8JaTToaqCg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/good_housekeeping_561/575b63b092915955c946d9e6790b3238)
"[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]" by E.E. Cummings
You may know E.E. Cummings as the poet who eschews traditional punctuation, but he's also a master of love language. This beautiful poem proves it.
"Atlas" by UA Fanthorpe
Sometimes, the most meaningful things your loved one does are the smallest, most mundane ones. This stirring poem celebrates those.
"How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Perhaps one of the most famous love poems of all time, you've probably heard this one's iconic first lines. The rest is just as quotable.
"Variations on the Word Love" by Margaret Atwood
You probably know Atwood best for The Handmaid's Tale or one of her other richly painted fiction stories. But she's also a heartfelt poet. Here's one of our favorites.
"I Love You" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
This contemporary poem describes the feeling of falling in love as a young person beautifully. It's perfect for a new relationship, or reminding your longstanding lover of those early days.
"I loved you first: but afterwards your love" by Christina Rossetti
Shakespeare wasn't the only one who penned gorgeous sonnets. This one has a lilting rhythm that makes us want to waltz with our favorite dance partners.
!["[Again and again, even though we know love’s landscape]" by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rXZwtdp2VGvkruntqMU7dg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/good_housekeeping_561/997c546c76744ca99c1b43451aaf292b)
"[Again and again, even though we know love’s landscape]" by Rainer Maria Rilke
For love that has gone the distance, this classic by Rilke says it all. Read it to your longtime sweetheart, to remind each other why you've stayed together for years and years.
"Poem to an Unnameable Man" by Dorothea Lasky
If you've ever been in the kind of love that shakes you to your core, this powerful poem will speak to you. Sometimes, love has a fire that overtakes everything.
"Dear One Absent This Long While" by Lisa Olstein
For those in long-distance relationships or anyone who hasn't seen their loved ones in a long time, this poem full of longing will speak to your heart.
"And Thou art Dead, as Young and Fair" by Lord Byron
This grief-stricken poem about someone who has loved and lost will hit you right where it hurts. But it may also bring comfort to someone grieving a loved one.
"Seduction" by Nikki Giovani
This down-to-earth poem almost feels like a friend relaying a sassy encounter over a glass of wine. We love how it nods to the way politics can play out in relationships.
"Mad Girl's Love Song" by Sylvia Plath
Unrequited love is a tale as old as time, and nobody tells it as well as Plath. Start here to get inspired to dive into the rest of her formidable canon.
"When I Too Long Have Looked Upon Your Face" by Edna St. Vincent Millay
This beautiful poem by one of the best women poets of our time addresses the way love can sometimes be overwhelming, comparing her lover to looking into the sun.
"I Am Not Yours" by Sara Teasdale
Rich with imagery that calls to mind the feeling of becoming overtaken by love, this short poem captures so much in so little space.
"Good Bones" by Maggie Smith
If you don't already follow Maggie Smith's delightfully uplifting Twitter account, what are you even doing? This poem feels like a warm, cozy bath.
"Valentine" by Carol Ann Duffy
Shrek isn't the only one to compare the layers of an onion to something far deeper. This offbeat poem will make you look at them in an entirely new way.
"Naming the Heartbeats" by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Couples with children know their love for each other is different than that for their kids, and those of us with pets know animal love is another thing, too. This poem puts words to that perfectly.
"Before You Came" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
This poem masterfully describes the way falling in love can change your perspective on everything, turning the most ordinary objects into something new.
"Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove
In beautiful prose, this modern love poem flips all of the cliches on their head. If you prefer your poetry more straightforward than flowery, you'll adore this one.
"Love Poem" by Audre Lorde
A Black lesbian feminist icon, Lorde is one of our most treasured poets. Passion streams through this one, which is a wonderful introduction to her work.
"For Keeps" by Joy Harjo
You can almost feel the wind in your hair as this love poem by the 2019 United States Poet Laureate carries you away.
"A Conceit" by Maya Angelou
This classic Angelou poem celebrates a simple gesture that carries so much meaning. Read it to your special someone while sitting hand-in-hand.
"Yours" by Daniel Hoffman
Nature-lovers, this is the poem for you. If you step outside and see beauty in everything, you'll appreciate the imagery Hoffman weaves here.
"Romantics" by Lisel Mueller
Just about all of us are guilty of conjecture about a celebrity couple. This poem, about lovebirds Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann, addresses that very phenomenon.
"Poem to First Love" by Matthew Yeager
If movies like When Harry Met Sally make your heart thump, so will this poem that includes analogies to the Chrysler Building and Hank Aaron's home runs.
"Another Valentine" by Wendy Cope
This one's for those who are in love all year 'round and somewhat skeptical of Valentine's Day in general. Cope proves not all love poems have to be sappy.
"Love Comes Quietly" by Robert Creeley
Short but so powerful, Creeley's treatise on love proves that it doesn't have to be exhaustive to really make an impact.
"Love After Love" by Derek Walcott
Not all romantic poems involve couples. This gentle reminder to fall back in love with yourself after a breakup resonates so deeply.
"To the Desert" by Benjamin Alire Saénz
We can feel the longing in every line of this beautiful poem. Just when you think there aren't any more metaphors for love, poets find a few more.
"Scaffolding" by Seamus Heaney
Heaney won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his vivid, lilting poetry that often brings readers to Ireland with him. This is the perfect poem for any couple that's been through hard times.
"How to Love Your Introvert" by Kevin Yang
Introverts know that their love language might be a little quieter than extroverts'. If that's you, you'll see yourself in this frank visual poem.
Find some inspiration from the greats.