30 Beautiful Love Poems Begging to Be Shared We're all heart eyes for these romantic verses.
SUBSCRIBE
SIGN IN
30 Beautiful Love Poems Begging to Be Shared
We're all heart eyes for these romantic verses.
By Elena Nicolaou
Jan 11, 2021
"I love you" writing and pink typewriter.NISERINGETTY IMAGES
Turn on the radio at any given moment, and chances are you'll hear a love song. In the pages of poetry books, a fixation on love is just as prevalent. We humans love love—and poets have spent centuries coming up with ways to express all of its forms in movies, literature, and beyond.
If you're in search of a love poem for the special person in your life (your husband, or wife, perhaps), your only challenge is volume. There are simply so many excellent options, from famous romantic poems you've likely heard before (think: the work of e.e. cummings) and beautiful modern options you may not have (like "Poem to First Love" by Matthew Yeager).
And, since Valentine's Day is around the corner, and coming up with the right words to fill a card or couples Instagram caption is a real art form, we've assembled some of the sweetest stanzas and shorter quotes to help you express your amour, whether for him, her, or anyone else you adore. Below, find a few of our favorite love poems about falling deeply, longterm relationships, unrequited love, moving on, and more.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Heart Balloon
LIBERTAD LEAL PHOTOGRAPHY
1 of 30
"Love Sonnet XI" by Pablo Neruda
The action verb of this sonnet is not "I love," so much as it is "I want." The poem—one of many love sonnets the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was known for—conveys a deep sense of all-encompassing longing. No matter where the narrator goes, his mind is on the same thing.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
France, Paris, couple holding hands at river Seine
WESTEND61GETTY IMAGES
2 of 30
"How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
This is one of the most famous short love poems in existence, showing that feelings felt in the 1800s are the same as the ones experienced now. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways," Browning begins as she extolls the expressions and manifestations of her affection.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
View of a rocking chair on a porch in southern Louisiana, USA
MINT IMAGESGETTY IMAGES
3 of 30
"When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats's exploration of enduring love makes this one of the most famous love poems to date. The couple in this poem is together for the long haul, even as the rest of their lives (and their bodies) change: "One man loved the pilgrim soul in you / And loved the sorrows of your changing face."
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Red and pink paper hearts on the pink envelope
JASENKA ARBANAS
4 of 30
"[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]" by e.e. cummings
This is one of the most instantly recognizable love poems for a reason. It captures that feeling of being totally intertwined with another person: You feel responsible for their heart. Love, through e.e. cummings' eyes, becomes a miracle, a secret of the universe.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Two affectionate penguins
JOEL SIMON
5 of 30
"Come, and Be My Baby" by Maya Angelou
If your partner is facing hardship, this short love poem by legendary author Maya Angelou, provides a gentle reminder that you'll always be there for them. It's especially relevant to read during times of national turmoil: "The paper is full of every kind of blooming horror / And you sit wondering / what you're gonna do. / I got it. / Come. And be my baby," Angelou writes in one of her best quotes on love.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
beautiful red rose on sweet pastel background feeling love
SKAMAN306GETTY IMAGES
6 of 30
"A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns
"A Red, Red Rose" by the Scottish poet Robert Burns is an appropriate choice for anyone in a long distance relationship, as it conveys a deep love and a promise to always return home.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Sunset at the pier
DANIELA DUNCANGETTY IMAGES
7 of 30
"Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare
In what is one of the most well-known love poems of all time, Shakespeare pays his lover a wonderful compliment by comparing them to a beautiful summer day.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Written on the sand, heart shape at the water's edge
BY IAISIGETTY IMAGES
8 of 30
"Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name" by Edmund Spenser
The meaning of Edmund Spenser's Elizabethan-era sonnet certainly endures today. It's about preserving the legacy of love in writing. How meta!
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
couple
WESTEND61
9 of 30
"To My Dear Loving Husband," by Anne Bradstreet
The narrator of this poem knows she has a good thing going on with her "dear and loving husband." So good, in fact, that she's thinking toward spending eternity with him. The poem confronts the end of their relationship with the hope that there is an afterlife for them to share together.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Directly Above Shot Of Coffee By Love Text Over White Background
FERNANDA CARNEIRO / EYEEM
10 of 30
"Variations on the Word Love" by Margaret Atwood
The dictionary definition of love fails to capture all of the word's intricacies. Margaret Atwood's poem shows the many meanings this four-letter word has for people, and how it often fails to express exactly what we want it to imply.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Clouds and sky
MANUEL BREVA COLMEIROGETTY IMAGES
11 of 30
"[love is more thicker than forget]" by e.e. cummings
In this short poem, e.e. cummings parses the mysteries of love and points to the fact that there are so many he can't express. Still, while he can't name it, love is a force as big as the sky, the sea, and the world around us.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
couple
TETRA IMAGES
12 of 30
"I Love You" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"I Love You" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is a proposal: How about we be this happy forever? "While the pale stars shine above, / And we’ll live our whole young lives away / In the joys of a living love," the narrator says in the poem. We don't know what comes next for the young couple, but this sure is a good foundation.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Crescent moon against clear sky at night.
JOSE A. BERNAT BACETEGETTY IMAGES
13 of 30
"Echo" by Carol Ann Duffy
There are love poems and then there are aftermath-of-love-poems. "Echo" by Carol Anne Duffy falls into the latter category. Though melancholy, this is a wonderful poem for anyone yearning for their loved one.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
painted heart on wall and spilt paint
BILL SYKES
14 of 30
"I Loved You First: But Afterwards Your Love" by Christina Rossetti
Idyllic love poem alert! Christina Rosetti's poem describes the beautiful feeling of "oneness" that occurs when a person reaches a sense of understanding—almost complete understanding—with another.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Night sky
CHRISTOPH HETZMANNSEDERGETTY IMAGES
15 of 30
"Poem to an Unnameable Man" by Dorothea Lasky
"I was wiser too than you had expected / For I knew all along you were mine," Dorothea Lasky writes in this epic poem, which uses cosmic imagery to describe a romantic love that is almost fated to occur—even when it catches people off guard.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Audio cassette
GIANLUCABARTOLI
16 of 30
"Lines Depicting Simple Happiness" by Peter Gizzi
"Lines Depicting Simple Happiness" is written as if the author is trying to chase happiness in words. It's ineffable, it's always out of reach—but at least he's basking in its presence.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Germany, Hesse, Frankfurt, Tree and falling leaves
WESTEND61GETTY IMAGES
17 of 30
"Dear One Absent This Long While" by Lisa Olstein
Absence runs through this poem. It's not only that the narrator misses her loved one—it's that the birds do, and so do the trees. "Yours is the name the leaves chatter / at the edge of the unrabbited woods," she writes. If you're in a long distance relationship, this poem is for you.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
A young woman watches the sunset in Hawaii
ZEB ANDREWSGETTY IMAGES
18 of 30
"She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Byron
Byron's famous poem is an ode to a woman who has stolen his heart.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Blue-colored classic guitar in a room with a concrete wall
BUSà PHOTOGRAPHY
19 of 30
"Mad Girl's Love Song" by Sylvia Plath
This modern poem may be most relatable when going through a breakup, as it's about a struggle to come to terms with an unrequited love. The process is ongoing. Poems like this one help.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Full Frame Shot Of Snowflakes On Glass
RASTKO BELIC / EYEEMGETTY IMAGES
20 of 30
"I Am Not Yours" by Sara Teasdale
Not all love poems are about idyllic love. Some are about the longing for love. In "I Am Not Yours," the poet describes her desire for the opposite kind of relationship than the lopsided one she's in.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Spring Cardinal
JOEL BAILEYGETTY IMAGES
21 of 30
"To Be In Love" by Gwendolyn Brooks
Have you ever been in a relationship rollercoaster? Yeah, so has the great poet Gwendolyn Brooks—and she shares the wonderful highs and not-so-wonderful lows with us in this poem.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Bouquet of Purple Roses Lying On Table, Interior Design, Decor, Romance, Self Love, Thoughtfulness
JENA ARDELL
22 of 30
"[Again and Again, Even Though We Know Love’s Landscape]" by Rainer Maria Rilke
This is an excellent love poem for an anniversary, because it tells the recipient that your love, though ordinary, is special—simply because it keeps going. The poem celebrates the everyday life two people share.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Empty Road At Sunset
JEFF KINSEY / EYEEMGETTY IMAGES
23 of 30
"Before You Came" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
This poem explains how great love can change your whole perspective on even the most ordinary things. Faiz looks at the vast change before and after a special person came into his life. "Now everything is like my heart / a color at the edge of blood," he writes.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Hand reaching out for woman on a field
WESTEND61GETTY IMAGES
24 of 30
"Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove
This modern poem uses cliches about love to better explain the emotions associated with falling deeply for someone.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
agriculture plant seeding growing step concept in garden and sunlight
WITTHAYA PRASONGSINGETTY IMAGES
25 of 30
"For Keeps" by Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo, one of our favorite Native American authors, sets this love poem in the majesty of the outdoors. Though two individuals are quite small in the grand scheme of things, their love is also part of the grand scheme of things. Reading it, you can't help but feel connected to the wide world.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Goldfish in separate fishbowls looking face to face
ADAM GAULT
26 of 30
"Poem I Wrote Sitting Across the Table From You" by Kevin Varrone
This short love poem serves as a wonderful way to let someone know you wouldn't go anywhere without them. The title denotes a level of closeness that remains through the poem's last line.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Beautiful heart shaped lake and forest
SERTS
27 of 30
"Yours" by Daniel Hoffman
The narrator of "Yours" uses nature metaphors to illustrate how integral his love is to him. "Your love is the weather of my being / what is an island without the sea?"
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
High Angle View Of Modern Cityscape
MARIAN KILINSKI / EYEEMGETTY IMAGES
28 of 30
"Poem to First Love" by Matthew Yeager
This heartfelt poem explores the power of young love, and how "improbable" it is to encounter someone you love—and who loves you back. Especially for the first time.
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Rear View Of Woman Sitting On Bench At Lakeshore
BERND FRIEDEL / EYEEMGETTY IMAGES
29 of 30
"The More Loving One" by W. H. Auden
This poem is about love and pain—particularly how lonely unrequited feelings can be. Still, it has an optimistic slant that may help anyone suffering feel less alone. Ultimately, Auden says, he would choose to be the "more loving one."
READ NOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Snowy walk
PHOTO BY MARIANNA ARMATAGETTY IMAGES
30 of 30
"Love Comes Quietly" by Robert Creeley
If you're going to memorize any of these poems, start with "Love Comes Quietly." This short poem is a testament to how love (in any form, romantic or otherwise) can reshape a life and make a person wonder how they ever managed alone.
READ NOW
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
This commenting section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information on their web site.
MORE FROM
Books
11 of the Best Mental Health Books
Excerpt: Katherine Johnson's My Remarkable Journey
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
A Short Story About a Garden and a New Romance
10 Captivating Books By Colson Whitehead
Interview: Stacey Abrams
Review: Maggie Shipstead's GREAT CIRCLE
The Forgotten Chinese Passengers of the Titanic
34 Beach Reads to Help You Escape
A Short Story About a New Mom Who Runs Away
The Best LGBTQ Books of 2021 So Far
About UsContact UsSubscribeCustomer ServiceNewsletterPress RoomGive a GiftBeing Green
Oprah Daily participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
©2021, Oprah Daily LLC. All rights reserved.
Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection Your California Privacy Rights Interest-Based Ads Terms of Use Site Map
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Comments
Post a Comment