People say that writing by hand is becoming rare. We want to change that because we believe it will always matter. There’s something special about writing a personal note, especially a love letter.

This Valentine’s Day, along with traditional ways to show you care—like a romantic dinner, thoughtful gifts, or sweet treats—try a heartfelt poem. Using words from talented poets and writers is a great way to express your love. You can write these poems inside a handmade card or on nice stationery. Sharing poems is an affordable and meaningful way to show your love. Your partner will appreciate your creativity more than just giving a box of chocolates.

A Little Romance: A True Story

Last year, my friend Mark felt stressed before Valentine’s Day. He had ordered expensive roses and made a reservation at an Italian restaurant, but he thought something was missing. It felt too much like a routine—spend money, get romance.

The night before Valentine’s Day, while cleaning out an old desk, he found a worn paperback book of classic poetry from college. As he flipped through it, some lines caught his attention. He didn’t see himself as a writer, but he took a piece of nice paper and copied a stanza by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He added a simple but heartfelt message about how she brightened his life.

When he gave it to his girlfriend over dessert the next night, she didn’t even look at the bill for the flowers. She read the poem and started to cry. Weeks later, Mark found that same piece of paper placed neatly in her favorite book. That’s the lasting power of Valentine’s Day poems—they turn a simple holiday into a special memory.

Masterpieces of the Heart

This collection features poems from famous poets like Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Their heartfelt and sensual verses are sure to resonate with you and warm your heart. These literary greats express our deepest feelings in beautiful ways that flow like a classic dance.

You’ll find a variety of poems in different lengths and styles, ensuring there’s one that speaks to you and your partner. Grab your favorite pen and prepare to make your loved one’s Valentine’s Day special.

1. “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,

2. “Come Slowly, Eden” by Emily Dickinson

Come slowly, Eden

 

Lips unused to thee.

 

Bashful, sip thy jasmines,

 

As the fainting bee,

 

Reaching late his flower,

 

Round her chamber hums,

 

Counts his nectars—alights,

 

And is lost in balms

3. “First Love” by John Clare

I ne’er was struck before that hour

 

With love so sudden and so sweet,

 

Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower

 

And stole my heart away complete.

 

My face turned pale as deadly pale,

 

My legs refused to walk away,

 

And when she looked, what could I ail?

 

My life and all seemed turned to clay.

 

And then my blood rushed to my face

 

And took my eyesight quite away,

 

The trees and bushes round the place

 

Seemed midnight at noonday.

 

I could not see a single thing,

 

Words from my eyes did start—

 

They spoke as chords do from the string,

 

And blood burnt round my heart.

 

Are flowers the winter’s choice?

 

Is love’s bed always snow?

 

She seemed to hear my silent voice,

 

Not love’s appeals to know.

 

I never saw so sweet a face

 

As that I stood before.

 

My heart has left its dwelling-place

 

And can return no more.

4. “Juke Box Love Song” by Langston Hughes

I could take the Harlem night

 

and wrap around you,

 

Take the neon lights and make a crown,

 

Take the Lenox Avenue busses,

 

Taxis, subways,

 

And for your love song tone their rumble down.

 

Take Harlem’s heartbeat,

 

Make a drumbeat,

 

Put it on a record, let it whirl,

 

And while we listen to it play,

 

Dance with you till day–

 

Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

5. “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron (George Gordon)

She walks in beauty, like the night

 

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

 

And all that’s best of dark and bright

 

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

 

Thus mellowed to that tender light

 

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

 

One shade the more, one ray the less,

 

Had half impaired the nameless grace

 

Which waves in every raven tress,

 

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

 

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

 

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

 

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

 

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

 

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

 

But tell of days in goodness spent,

 

A mind at peace with all below,

 

A heart whose love is innocent!

6. “Love Is Enough” by William Morris

Love is enough: though the world be a-waning,

 

And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,

 

Though the skies be too dark for dim eyes to discover

 

The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,

 

Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder,

 

And this day draw a veil over all deeds passed over,

 

Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter:

 

The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter

 

These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.

7. “Sonnet 18” 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 dimmed;

 

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

 

By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;

 

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

 

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

 

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

 

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.

 

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

 

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

READ: 15 Creative DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas to Win Every Holiday Contest

Frequently Asked Questions About Valentine’s Day Poems

What are the best Valentine’s Day poems for a handmade card?

Short, expressive poems like Emily Dickinson’s “Come Slowly, Eden” or famous lines from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” fit easily inside a greeting card or on personal stationery. Choose a verse that matches your feelings for the best impact.

How can I present a poem to my partner on Valentine’s Day?

Instead of just reading it off your phone, try writing the poem out by hand on high-quality stationery or heavy paper. You can tuck it inside a book they are currently reading, leave it on the kitchen counter beside their morning coffee, or handwrite it inside a thoughtful greeting card to accompany dinner.

Are classic poems better than writing my own?

Both possess their own distinct charm! While crafting your own words can be a deeply personal experience, classic poems by renowned poets offer a profound and timeless eloquence for those moments when you find it challenging to express your thoughts. You might also consider blending the two by adding a personal introduction or conclusion alongside a classic stanza.