I love you poems remain classic ways to tell someone how deeply you feel about them. Some are centuries old and some were written yesterday. This implies that the way we feel for each other never changes – even the oldest literary masters knew exactly how to give words to the feelings in our hearts.
Several reasons exist for seeking out love poems. Whether you want to sway someone’s romantic interest or apologize to the one you love, here’s a beginner’s guide to some of the best love poems out there. You may not have the words to express how you feel to the one you love, but these writers do.
Shakespeare Sonnets
We might as well begin with the master. Shakespeare wrote hundreds of love sonnets in his day to express his romantic intentions for women and also for men. Some remain culturally famous, imperative parts of our love language. Others meanwhile have become more obscure.
Regardless of their fame, these sonnets communicate love in a way few poems can. While a Shakespeare sonnet may not be the perfect “I Love You” poem for every couple, if your significant other loves lit or an old-fashioned date, a Shakespeare sonnet may be the perfect clincher.
As we mentioned, however, there are hundreds! Try Sonnet 18 (the “summer’s day” one) for a tried and true statement of intent, Sonnet 47 to describe someone’s beauty, or Sonnet 102 for a passionate and almost melancholy “I Love You.”
One Hundred Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda
Not everyone is into Shakespeare, so let’s jump to the 20th century. Pablo Neruda’s One Hundred Love Sonnets bring 20th-century flair to the concept of a poetic serenade. The Chilean poet is known for portraying love as a humble and deeply simple emotion, rather than one full of Shakespearean flourishes.
Consider this line from One Hundred Love Sonnets: “I love you as one loves certain obscure things,/secretly, between the shadow and the soul.” If you’re looking for simpler language to express your feeling, Neruda is your man.
No Matter What by Angie M. Flores
In “No Matter What,” Flores says the words, “I will always love you.” If you’re looking for a clear way to say it in the context of forgiveness, longing, and a little hope, this poem might do the trick. Sometimes, you want to say “I love you” but also add the “always.”
Thinking of You by Persiah
“Thinking of You” tells someone that they’re on your mind, but it’s more than that. It expresses how the love you feel for them, in simple terms, is the most important thing in your life. Sometimes, you want to tell someone not just how they make you feel but what they mean to you.
I Love You So Much by Eric D’Amico
Sometimes, you just have to say it. Some of us have the words to say how we feel but we need the push to tell them to the person that means the most to us. A simple statement like “I Love You So Much” can speak for us when it’s difficult to do so ourselves.
The Takeaway
I love you poems can speak for us when our hearts are loud but our minds are nervous. No matter which century they come from, these poems offer lovers the chance to tell each other how they feel in words they couldn’t have come up with on their own.