Poetry is moving. It is personal, and the true essence of our soul put into words that actions cannot match. Aabove all else, it is the expression of our deepest emotions that allows us to tell someone how we feel, completely raw and naked. And for that reason, poetry is unlike any other form of expression. However, not all poetry is happy and uplifting. But honestly, there is something so intimate and moving about sad love poetry that you just can’t beat. In this piece, we will share with you 5 of the most heart-wrenching love poems of all time that will have you on the edge of your seat.
5 Sad Love Poetry Pieces
Love is not all – by Edna St. Vincent Millay
“Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of Love alone.
It well maybe that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well maybe. I do not think I would.”
Source: http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com
Alternatively, if you’re looking for love poems that are tender and heart-warming, check out our article, “7 Heart-warming and Tender Short Love Poems for Him and Her” for more beautiful poetry pieces.
I shall not care – by Sara Teasdale
“When I am dead and over me bright April
Shakes out her rain-drenched hair,
Tho’ you should lean above me broken-hearted,
I shall not care. I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful
When rain bends down the bough,
And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted
Than you are now.”
Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org
Ebb – by Edna St. Vincent Millay
“I know what my heart is like
Since your Love died:
It is like a hollow ledge
Holding a little pool
Left there by the tide,
A little tepid pool,
Drying inward from the edge.”
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com
Similarly, if you’re searching for more heart-wrenching poems like this, check out Poemsource.com for more ideas.
May – by Sara Teasdale
“The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me, the spring is done.
Beneath the apple blossoms
I go a wintry way,
For Love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May.”
Source: http://excerpts.indepthinfo.com
When You Are Old – by Willian Butler Yeats
“When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with Love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.”
Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org
In conclusion, poetry of all kinds is powerful and impactful, but sad love poetry is what sticks with you. Regardless of its type, poetry is a beautiful way to express yourself and should be used more in this day and age. With that said, we hope that this article inspires you to pour your heart into something and express your soul in the rawest form possible. Only then will you know the pain, emotion, and inspiration of a true poet.
For more beautiful and powerful poetry like this, check out our article, “3 of the Most Heart-Wrenching Famous Love Poems”, for more sentimental words.
