Ah, good old amore. With Valentine’s Day in the air, we can’t help but to feel moved by this strange and beautiful feeling. There are a thousand ways to express love: perhaps through a box of chocolates, a rose bouquet, or a cuddly stuffed animal. However, a simple and unique way to celebrate love can be done through poetry. Is there anything more romantic than poems? Exactly! It would be amazing to write a poem for your SO (Significant Other), and I encourage you to try it, but sending them a poem from the grand and wonderful collection that already exists is just as good. So, here is a list of poems that you can send to that special someone on Valentine’s Day or any day!
- Love’s Philosophy – Percy Shelley
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King of romantic poetry, Percy Shelley delivers this bold poem about how so many things in life are bound to be together, so “Why not I with thine?” Shelley uses imagery from nature to accentuate his desire to mingle with his loved one. In many ways, this poem can also be a proclamation of your feelings to that someone for the first time. Shelley is stunning with his poetry, a beautiful read for your SO, for sure.
- How do I love thee? – Elizabeth Barret Browning
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My girl, Elizabeth Barret Browning, a brilliant Victorian writer, elaborates the countless ways in which someone can be loved in this poem. “How do I love thee?” is another short but gorgeous piece of work, where Browning proclaims how we love someone in every single moment of our lives. Now that’s a beautiful and eternal work to dedicate to your loved one.
- Passages from Hamlet & Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
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This list would have failed completely if William Shakespeare wasn’t included. Shakespeare has delivered transcending love verses through his plays and poems. It’s a challenging selection, but what’s great about Shakespeare’s work is that you can send a single short passage from one of his plays and it will be deeply effective. For instance, this passage from Hamlet:
“Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.”
Or this passage from the timeless star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet:
“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.”
Shakespeare has a plethora of poems and passages to choose from, especially and additionally his famous love poem Sonnet 18, which I encourage you to check out!
- Come, and Be my Baby – Maya Angelou
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Our lovely Maya Angelou is an African American poet that ties the harsh reality of life with the hope of love in her poem “Come, and Be my Baby.” Amidst the not so enjoyable things in life, Angelou creates a voice that reminds the lover that regardless of what’s going on in the every day, everything will be alright as long as they stick together.
- A Red, Red Rose – Robert Burns
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Scottish poet Robert Burns, wrote way back in the 18th century, a poem that we can send to our loved ones today. His verses in “A Red, Red Rose” flow as they describe and compare the loved one with gorgeous features from nature. It also enters into metaphorical detail on how strong and deep that feeling is. This poem is perfect, and it can be ideal for long distance relationships, since at the very end there’s a promise to return to that special someone.
- For Keeps – Joy Harjo
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In “For Keeps,” Native American poet Joy Harjo elaborates how relationships might not just be limited to two people, but that what you share with your loved one is part of the whole universe. The voice of the poem connects the feelings for their SO with the profoundness of their surroundings and how they might just be “part of mystery.” Unique, spiritual and contemporary; a lovely poem for a lovely person.
- I Love You – Ella Wheeler Willcox
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A simple title, but much depth in the work. Ella Wheeler Willcox explores the many things you can love about someone. This poem also details intimate and tactile imagery, which may deliver a little boldness within its verses. Desirable and lovely, you’ll surprise your SO with it by simply but deeply saying “I Love You.”
So many lovely verses have been written and spoken, so, why not give it a try yourself? It’ll be something unique to dedicate to your SO, to cherish and surprise them and to celebrate your feelings for one another. Happy reading and may you be inspired through these stunning works of love!