I Love You Poems

Saying I Love You with a Poem

Whether it is your anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or just a Thursday, there is no better method of saying “I love you” than with a romantic poem. Classic poetry is great for this because it is simple to read, often has rhyming that make it melodic, and is very romantic in word choice. Before you start to look for the perfect I love you poem, you might try to decide on a few characteristics of poetry that you like or that you love one particularly likes.

For example, if you like Shakespearean work, you should look into his sonnets that can best express love. Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day (Sonnet XVIII) is a wonderful way to tell the woman in your life that she is fair and far more lovely than even the beauty of nature. Or if you are a fan of Lord Byron’s passionate works, you could look at the poem She Walks in Beauty Like the Night, which is wonderful expression of a woman’s raven haired beauty.

But if you are looking for something that is a classic I love you poem for either a man or a woman, try Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s How Do I Love Thee? This poem answers the question in the title with some wonderful imagery:

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 Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. 
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; 
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. 

I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose, 
I shall but love thee better after death.

You can use this poem in its entirety or in pieces. You could separate and use each stanza to express in Browning’s wonderful words how you feel about your loved one.