How do I love thee?

Let me count the poems!

With Valentine’s Day approaching, many of us have romance on our minds and hearts.

Unfortunately, we often lack the words to express our lovesick thoughts and emotions.

Regardless of the status of your love life, let this “Greatest Love Poems” anthology lend some inspiration.

The collection, compiled by Madeleine Edgar, is divided into five sections — romance, marriage, unrequited love, long-distance love and lost love. The authors come from a wide range of time periods, oft-quoted masters as well as lesser-known poets. Some, such as D.H. Lawrence, Edgar Allan Poe and Thomas Hardy were also famously known for their novels.

Most of the selections are positively dripping with sentiment. A few examples:

“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” (“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

“O night! Divorce our sun and sky apart, never our lips, our hands.” (“An Evening Song” by Sidney Lanier)

“Come to me in my dreams, and then by day I shall be well again!” (“Longing” by Matthew Arnold)

Even the heartbroken ones have plenty to offer:

“… my desire shall be only to kiss that air that lately kissed thee.” (“To Electra” by Robert Herrick)

“One world was not enough for two like you and me.” (“Her Voice” by Oscar Wilde)

“With the first dream that comes with the first sleep, I run, I run, I am gather’d to thy heart.” (“Renouncement” by Alice Maynell)

Some titles are reminiscent of popular tunes but have no connection. Two examples: “The Night has a Thousand Eyes” by Francis William Bourdillon and the 1960s pop song of the same name by Bobby Vee; and likewise for “Love Lies Bleeding” by William Wordsworth and the Elton John medley “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.” Was either song inspired by its like-monikered poem? Perhaps a discussion for lovebirds over a candlelight dinner!

One poem, “I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” by American composer Stephen Foster was also a popular song, and based on Foster’s relationship with his estranged wife, Jane. Were the first words also the inspiration for a particular 1960s TV comedy? More candlelight conversation!

“Annabel Lee” by Poe was featured in the horror flick “Play Misty for Me” (1971) starring Clint Eastwood and Jessica Walters. A haunting poem, it also packs a powerful punch with heartfelt imagery such as “… the moon never beams without bringing me dreams … and the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”

Side note: Several male authors addressed specific ladies in their works, with names such as Silvia, Cynthia, Jane and Chloris. Female poets, on the other hand, maintained anonymity with the objects of their affection.

In all, there are more than 200 poems by 99 authors in this collection. Brief biographies for each are included. Unfortunately, in my opinion, there’s no index where the reader can easily search for a particular work or author by page number.

So, draw from the passionate prose of those who have gone before when penning your Valentine’s Day wishes — whether to one sweetie or several.

Quiz

You know the line, but …

Here are five familiar first lines from love poems. Can you match them with their title and author?

1. “She walks like beauty in the night.”

2. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s Day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”

3. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

4. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a-flying.”

5. “It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea…”

Answers:

1. “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron

2. “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare.

3. “Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

4. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick

5. “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe