For centuries, love poems have been a timeless and universal expression of human emotions. From the tender whispers of sonnets to the passionate declarations of free verse, English love poems have captured the hearts of readers and inspired countless lovers. Here, we’ve curated a selection of the top English love poems that have stood the test of time, exploring the depths of human emotions and capturing the essence of love.
1. “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
(Sonnet 18)
2. “How Do I Love Thee?” 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 grey.
(Sonnet 43)
3. “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, or hills, or fields,
Woods, or steepy mountains yields.
4. “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That blooms in summer’s heat;
O, my luve’s like a melodie,
That whispers sweetly through the trees.
5. “Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Our two souls therefore shall be one,
While earth and heaven do bear us one;
And though I smile, and thou be sad,
We shall be one, my Luve, till we be mad.
6. “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee.
7. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
8. “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk together down the dewy grass,
9. “La Belle Dame sans Merci” by John Keats
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The flower that blooms upon the night
Shall not be dead when dawn is light.
10. “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn with passion as wildly as ever young
In one breath.
Rage against the dying of the light.
These timeless English love poems have captured the hearts of readers across generations, speaking to the universal language of love and human emotions. Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or simply wanting to express your love for someone special, these poems will inspire your words and touch your heart.
