Four Centuries of Great Love Poems

by Debra Starr (Compiler)

A collection of beautiful poems of love. Poem authorship spans four centuries.

Genres: Poetry

213 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no basic background on English language poetry, so I appreciated an opportunity to become familiar with these great poets. I think they are mostly from the 16th - 19th century. Few 20th century poets. The poems are organized by theme rather than by author or chronology. At first I struggled to understand or appreciate them. I would read a poem and immediately have no recollection of what it communicated. But after a while I came to appreciate the alliteration and rhyme aspect of the poems, and through this appreciation actually understood the words and content better lol It's interesting to see the poets esteem romantic love as much as they do. And I didn't realize there was quite this large number of poems on sexual acts lol

My favorite poem from the collection of 160 poems is this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only. Do not say
"I love her for her smile - her look - her way
Of speaking gently, ... for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day" -
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee, - and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry, -
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity

[Adrienne Kiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't really enough variety among the poets that were included - and I appear to have a completely different idea of what constitutes a "great love poem."