Which Love Poems Express Romantic Love?

Feelings of love can be hard to express, especially romantic love, but famous love poems like Sonnet 116 or “One Day I Wrote Her Name” can often help people explore their emotions and express their feelings. If you’re searching for a way to tell someone, “I love you,” finding a poem may be an effective way to do so. Keep reading to read some poems that capture the power and complexity of love. 

What are different types of love?

According to the ancient Greeks, there are different types of love that apply to different situations and relationships. Some of the most common types of love are eros, philia, storge, and agape. Eros is romantic and sexual love, philia is the love that you’d feel for a friend, storge is familial love, and agape is unconditional and selfless love.

How can love poetry help you express your feelings? 

Poetry may help you express your feelings, especially if you are having a hard time articulating your feelings in your own words. Some of the great poets throughout time have expressed love in beautiful ways using poetic verse. Sending their poems to someone you love may help you express your feelings for them. 

What poems can express love?

Both poetry from long ago and poetry from recent years can express the beauty, emotional power, and complexity of love. Below are a few poets from different time periods.

Poets from the Renaissance

Poets from the Renaissance who wrote love poetry include William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Vittoria Colonna, Sir Philip Sidney, John Donne, Lady Mary Wroth, and Gaspara Stampa.

Authors of modern and contemporary love poems

A number of contemporary love poems (20th and 21st centuries) can also communicate various aspects of love. Poets from this period include:

• Pablo Neruda
• Langston Hughes
• Edna St. Vincent Millay
• Frank O’Hara
• Maya Angelou
• Ocean Vuong
• Ada Limon
• Rupi Kaur

What are love poems that express romantic love?

If you want to send a romantic poem to someone you love, there are countless options. If you don’t want to write down an entire poem, you might consider sending them just a few lines:

Lines from love poems

Some famous lines from beautiful poems that express sweet emotion are listed below:

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;

~Edgar Allen Poe

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

~William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

~William Shakespeare

In one spirit meet and mingle.

   Why not I with thine?—

~Percy Bysshe Shelley from “Love’s Philosophy”

Your love 

has made me sure 

I am ready to forsake 

this worldly life 

and surrender 

to the magnificence 

of your Bering

~Rumi

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;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

~Lord Byron

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

~William Shakespeare

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)

~E.E. Cummings

Which love poem should I choose?

There is no one best love poem that applies to all people. You might consider reading a number of poems to see which one expresses the way you feel about the person you love. 

Love poems to choose from

The words of a love song or beautiful poem can help you express your feelings for a loved one.

Is it helpful to attend therapy if you have difficulty expressing love?

In addition to using poetry to express love, you might consider speaking with a licensed therapist to learn to express your feelings better. A couples therapist may be able to help you communicate what you feel for your partner, which may strengthen your relationship. 

Online therapy for couples

Some people might live in an area with few licensed relationship therapists. In these cases, support is still available through online couples therapy, which has been shown to be just as effective as in-person therapy. Online therapy also allows you to attend sessions outside traditional work hours via audio or video calls.