When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there are a handful of romantic gifts and gestures that are classics. A bouquet of flowers, box of chocolates and a candlelit dinner are some of the first things that come to mind when you think of a perfect evening on February 14th.
It’s likely that you and your significant other will exchange cards that express just how much you truly love each other. While it can be easy to pick up a generic greeting card, try opting for a more personalized and romantic message this year. We’ve gathered some of the best Valentine’s Day poems that you can write within your note for the ultimate loving message.
Romantic and classic poems
Poetry is one of the most beautiful ways to express your emotions. Don’t worry if you’re not a professional writer — try featuring lines from some of these romantic poems. They will be sure to melt your loved one’s heart.
“How Do I Love Thee?” (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
“I Never Knew” by Joanna Fuchs
I never knew about happiness;
I didn’t think dreams came true;
I couldn’t really believe in love,
Until I finally met you.
“She Walks In Beauty” by Lord Byron
“She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes…”
“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
“But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we —
Of many far wiser than we —
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”
“Shall I Compare Thee” (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate…”
“A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns
“O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.”
“Fast Anchor’d Eternal O Love!” by Walt Whitman
“Fast anchor’d eternal O love! O woman I love! O bride! O wife! more resistless than I can tell, the thought of you!”
“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne 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,
Compare with me ye women if you can.”
“The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe
“Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.”
“Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a lawDivine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?”
“The Good-Morrow” by John Donne
“And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love, al love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.”
“Because She Would Ask Me Why I Loved Her” by Christopher Brennan
“Then seek not, sweet, the “if” and “why”
I love you now until I die.
For I must love because I live
And life in me is what you give.”
“To Celia” by Ben Jonson
“Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I’ll not look for wine”
“That I did always love” by Emily Dickinson
“That I did always love
I bring thee proof
That till I loved I never lived”
“To My Valentine” by Ogden Nash
“I love you more than a duck can swim,
And more than a grapefruit squirts,
I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,
And more than a toothache hurts.”
“Touched by an Angel” by Maya Angelou
“And suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be.
Yet it is only love which sets us free”
Long distance love poems
If you can’t be with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, it will be of extra importance to find exactly the right words to describe how much you love and miss them. These poems are the perfect way to express your feelings!
“Dear One Absent This Long While” by Lisa Olstein
“I thought one night it was you at the base of the river,
you at the foot of the stairs,
you in a shiver of light,
but each time leaves in wind revealed themselves…”
“When I See You Again” by Sterling Seitz
“When I see you again, time will have seemed to stop,
thinking only of the future and what it holds.
When I see you again, it can’t come soon enough for it seems like forever.”
“4000 Miles” by Lang Leav
“The lines stitched into highways;
the never-ending seams, on roads that are less travelled,
dividing you and me.”
“i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)” by e.e. cummings
“i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
“The First Day” by Christina Rossetti
“It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;
If only now I could recall that touch,
First touch of hand in hand — Did one but know!”
“A Memory” by Lola Ridge
“I remember
The crackle of the palm trees
Over the mooned white roofs of the town…
The shining town…
And the tender fumbling of the surf
On the sulphur-yellow beaches
As we sat…”
“Unending Love” by Rabindranath Tagore
“We have played alongside millions of lovers, shared in the same
Shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell –
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever”
Books of love poems
If you can’t find just one poem that helps you describe how you feel, try a book of poetry instead! These pages are filled with loving verses and make for a perfect gift to accompany a beautiful bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates.
- Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
- The Dark Between Stars by Atticus
- The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
- Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
- The Love Poems of Lord Byron: A Romantic’s Passion
- Whiskey Words & A Shovel by r.h. Sin
- Healing Earthquakes by Jimmy Santiago
- Love Letters of Great Men by Ludwig van Beethoven and Napoleon Bonaparte
- The Love Poems of Rumi by Nader Khalili
- Risking Everything by Roger Housden
- Aimless Love by Billy Collins
- Not Here by Hieu Minh Nguyen
- Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney
While you may not be a professional writer or poet, you can still give your loved one the gift of sweet words this Valentine’s Day. If you choose to share the loving words from your favorite poet, try incorporating personalized touches like adding nicknames or inside jokes to the classics. If you’re looking to add even more to your card, try some of these simple Valentine’s Day messages.
Sources
ThoughtCo | Poetry Foundation | The Romantic | Love Life Poems | Vagabomb | BookRiot | Genius |
