Poetry & Analysis
Selected Poems
Love PoemsOne Word Is Too Often Profaned
One word is too often profaned
For me to profane it,
One feeling too falsely disdained
For thee to disdain it.
One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smother,
And pity from thee more dear
Than that from another.
I can give not what men call love,
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And the heavens reject not,—
The desire of the moth for the star,
Of the night for the morrow,
The devotion to something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow?
Overview Short Summary
Shelley speaks of a devotion that may not fit ordinary definitions of love, yet remains intense and elevated. It fits emotional love poems for her to make her heart melt because it sounds humble and reverent.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Devotion: The speaker offers reverence rather than ordinary romance.
- Unreachable love: The moth and star image suggests longing for something beautiful and distant.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is humble, yearning, and worshipful. The mood feels delicate and bittersweet.
Craft Literary Devices
- Metaphor: The moth and star image captures longing for an ideal beloved.
- Contrast: The poem contrasts common uses of love with a rarer, more spiritual feeling.
Love’s Secret
Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind does move
Silently, invisibly.
I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart;
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears,
Ah! she did depart!
Soon after she was gone from me,
A traveller came by,
Silently, invisibly:
He took her with a sigh.
Overview Short Summary
Blake’s poem warns that love can be fragile when spoken too plainly or too late. It fits touching poems to make her heart melt when the focus is on vulnerability and fear of losing love.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Hidden love: The poem explores the tension between silence and confession.
- Loss: The speaker’s attempt to reveal love leads to separation.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is quiet, anxious, and sorrowful. The mood feels fragile and haunting.
Craft Literary Devices
- Repetition: “I told my love” shows emotional urgency and regret.
- Symbolism: The silent wind suggests love that moves invisibly and cannot be controlled.
To Celia: Ask Me No More
Ask me no more where Jove bestows,
When June is past, the fading rose;
For in your beauty’s orient deep
These flowers, as in their causes, sleep.
Ask me no more whither do stray
The golden atoms of the day;
For in pure love heaven did prepare
Those powders to enrich your hair.
Ask me no more whither doth haste
The nightingale when May is past;
For in your sweet dividing throat
She winters, and keeps warm her note.
Ask me no more where those stars light
That downwards fall in dead of night;
For in your eyes they sit, and there
Fixed become as in their sphere.
Ask me no more if east or west
The phoenix builds her spicy nest;
For unto you at last she flies,
And in your fragrant bosom dies.
Overview Short Summary
Carew gathers roses, sunlight, birdsong, stars, and the phoenix into one praise of the beloved. It fits beautiful poems to make her heart melt because the beloved becomes the home of every lovely thing.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Praise of beauty: The poem imagines natural beauty as living in the beloved.
- Idealization: The beloved is presented as the center of wonder and grace.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is lavish, courtly, and admiring. The mood feels ornate and romantic.
Craft Literary Devices
- Catalogue imagery: Flowers, stars, birds, and mythic symbols build a rich portrait of beauty.
- Repetition: “Ask me no more” gives the poem a musical structure.
To Lucasta: Going to the Wars
Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind,
That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
To war and arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I chase,
The first foe in the field;
And with a stronger faith embrace
A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such
As you too shall adore;
I could not love thee, Dear, so much,
Loved I not honour more.
Overview Short Summary
Lovelace connects romantic love with honor, suggesting that devotion also depends on integrity. It can fit romantic poems for her to feel special when the message is about respect, loyalty, and character.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Love and honor: The speaker claims that honor strengthens rather than weakens love.
- Loyalty: The beloved is asked to understand a difficult form of devotion.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is respectful, brave, and restrained. The mood feels noble and bittersweet.
Craft Literary Devices
- Paradox: The speaker says leaving can still prove love, creating emotional tension.
- Apostrophe: The direct address to “Sweet” makes the poem personal.
Reader Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best poems to make her heart melt?
The best poems to make her heart melt are sincere, clear, and emotionally specific. Poems such as “How Do I Love Thee,” “She Walks in Beauty,” “A Red Red Rose,” and “A Birthday” work well because they praise love, beauty, devotion, and emotional closeness without sounding forced.
Which poem is best to send to a girlfriend?
For a girlfriend, “Love’s Philosophy,” “Jenny Kissed Me,” “Meeting at Night,” and “The Outlet” are good choices because they are romantic, short enough to share, and full of warm emotion.
Which poem is best to send to a wife?
For a wife, “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” “Sonnet 116,” “If Thou Must Love Me,” and “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” are strong choices because they focus on loyalty, commitment, trust, and lasting love.
Are short love poems better for making her feel special?
Short love poems can be very effective when the message is personal and easy to feel. A brief poem can work better than a long one if it matches the moment, the relationship, and the emotion you want to express.
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