15 “I Love You” Poems That Express Love In The Sweetest Way

Let your love flow through the verses and evoke the same feeling in your beloved.

Reviewed by Ronald Hoang, Relationship & Family Counselor

Ronald Hoang is a clinical counselor/psychotherapist based in Sydney, Australia, with close to a decade of experience. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Macquarie University and a postgraduate degree in counseling from the Australian College of Applied Professions.

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Written by Sneha Tete, Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach Experience: 4 years

Sneha has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad, a professional Relationship Coach diploma, and over four years of experience in writing. She writes about relationships and lifestyle.Sneha began her career as an instructional designer, shifted to freelance technical and research writing, and self-published a novella on the theme of adolescent mental health.

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Edited by Asmita De, MA (English) Experience: 3 years

Asmita De is an associate editor with over three years of experience. She graduated in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. She has collaborated with several digital companies and reputed publishing houses as an editor.

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Fact-checked by Gracia Odile, MA Experience: 3 years

Gracia Odile is a teacher-turned-beauty and lifestyle writer with three years of professional experience. She has a bachelor's degree in English from St. Stephen's College, a master's in Anthropology from the University of Madras, and a degree in education from GGSIPU.

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Last Updated on May 16, 2024

Image: Shutterstock

Expressing your love can be difficult when you feel it should be as dramatic as showcased in many romantic novels or movies. But do you know simple ‘I love you’ poems can make your proposal interesting? Yes, you read it right. If your partner’s love language is “words of affirmation,” poems are the best way to express your love and affection towards them and may help you speak out without fear.

In many romantic movies, it is projected that fear grips around before proposing, and if you love to watch this genre, the feeling may become stronger.

In a study conducted on 3,109 adults across the globe, it was found that men were the first to say “I love you” in a heterosexual relationship. However, there was no significant difference in the time they took to express their love. On average, men considered proposing within 70 days of the relationship while women took about 77 days.

But with these short and sweet poems, you can overcome the fear of remaining silent in front of your partner, fast heartbeat, and sweating. Our collection of short love poems will make the conversation easy, interesting, and romantic. So, scroll down to check these interesting poems.

In This Article

“I Love You” Poems For Him

1. A Red, Red Rose By Robert Burns

O my Luve is like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.

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 grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’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 with a 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.

3. Love So Amazing By Elaine Chetty

My love for you is like the raging sea,
So powerful and deep it will forever be.
Through storm, wind, and heavy rain,
It will withstand every pain.
Our hearts are so pure and love so sweet.
I love you more with every heartbeat!

4. My True Love Hath My Heart By Sir Philip Sidney

My true love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss;
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one;
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides:
He loves my heart, for once it was his own;
I cherish his because in me it bides.
His heart his wound received from my sight;
My heart was wounded with his wounded heart;
For as from me on him his hurt did light,
So still, methought, in me his hurt did smart:
Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss,
My true love hath my heart and I have his.

Pro Tip

If you are planning to propose to someone with a poem, consider reading the poem well and loud several times yourself before the actual proposal to make sure it aligns with your story and feelings.

5. I Carry Your Heart With Me (I Carry It In) By E. E. Cummings

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)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

6. Idle Dreams By Joanna Fuchs

In idle dreams of long ago,
I imagined my true love;
A perfect match, a soulmate,
An angel from above.
Now you’re here, and now I know
Our love will stay and thrive and grow.

“I Love You” Poems For Her

1. Pagan Passion By Luis G. Dato

I am sweetly perplexed by love sallies, releases,
By the countless retreats and the numberless captures,
By the petulant coldness and agreeable raptures,
By the whisper of phrases that hurts and then pleases,
I am drunk by the prodigal total of leases
From her body and spirit, her soul and her senses,
I revel in approaches and artless offenses,
In her challenging taunts and her tenderly teases.
Now will I disengage a red flower from her tresses,
And uplift her lithe form from a divan of roses,
For the zephyr of night too much passion opposes,
And in delicate folds now has rumpled her dresses.
On tomorrow’s new ventures the heart eager presses,
I repose now to ponder on life-soothing losses.

2. 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:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Fun Fact

Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets. The above one is from Sonnet 18. The first 126 sonnets address a young man, while the other 28 seem to be dedicated to a mysterious woman.

3. I Am Not Yours By Sara Trevor Teasdale

I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.
You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.
Oh, plunge me deep in love—put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

4. My Fears Are Plenty By Christopher Pointdexter

My fears are plenty but
I have only ever had
One dream –
That I will learn the precise language
Of your beating heart and
Find the perfect way to
mingle these words and letters
together so that they
may become starts and
shine the most breathtaking
light upon your silent face.

5. Defeated By Love By Rumi

The sky was lit
by the splendor of the moon
So powerful
I fell to the ground
Your love
has made me sure
I am ready to forsake
this worldly life
and surrender
to the magnificence
of your being

6. When You Are Old By William 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 mountain’s overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Forever “I Love You” Poems

1. “I Loved You” by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

I loved you, and I probably still do,
And for a while the feeling may remain…
But let my love no longer trouble you,
I do not wish to cause you any pain.
I loved you; and the hopelessness I knew,
The jealousy, the shyness—though in vain—
Made up a love so tender and so true
As may God grant you to be loved again.

2. Love Sonnet XVII By Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries
the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
from the earth lives dimly in my body.

3. I Love You By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I love your lips when they’re wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face.

Poems can express the most complicated feelings in simple yet profound words. So if you want to express your love and adoration for your partner, dedicating a poem to them can be a good move. For instance, ‘I Carry Your Heart With Me’ by E.E. Cummings can be a good option as it talks about how you always feel their love and find it in every beautiful thing around. Likewise, dedicating William Shakespeare’s ‘Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day’ can be a classic choice for sharing with your girlfriend or wife. So, what are you waiting for? Choose a poem that sings your heart’s song and share it with your beloved!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the greatest love poet?

There are many great love poets whose poetry is still read and recited. Rumi, E.E.Cummings, and Pablo Neruda are among some of the most popular poets admired for their love poems.

How do you write a poem about someone you love?

Writing a love poem entails expressing your thoughts and feelings about the person you love in a detailed and elaborate manner. You can either use a rhyming scheme of your liking or write in blank verse.

How would a girl feel if I write a poem about her?

A girl will usually feel special and loved if you write a poem for her, considering that she is interested in you. A poem may not be very well-received by someone who has given you no signs to suggest their interest in you.

Indulge in heartfelt emotions and a poetic expression of love in the video below. Now you can celebrate the beauty of love with your special someone in the best way. Click the video to know how!