Poems about Love for Him - Poem Analysis (2024)

Sonnet 73, ‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold’, explores love’s resilience in the face of human transience.

The speaker's lover exhibits unwavering love and compassion for him as even in the face of death, her love stands firmer and provides comfort to the aging speaker. Her love becomes stronger for the speaker as she knows they'll have to part ways soon. Such a profound display of love can move the readers, stirring heartfelt emotional responses.

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

‘Refusal’ by Maya Angelou is a powerful love poem that speaks of one person’s dedication to another. It features a speaker’s beliefs about how long she’s loved one person and how that love needs to continue into her next life.

Love for him is the central emotion at work in this poem. The speaker spends every line of this poem expressing the intensity of the love she feels for this person and how she believes she'll be with them in all future lives.

Beloved,

In what other lives or lands

Have I known your lips

Your Hands

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘Oenone’ weaves heart-wrenching verses as Oenone, spurned by Paris, faces solitude, despair, and a haunting future.

'Oenone' intricately captures the emotion of love for him through Oenone's heartfelt expressions. Tennyson skillfully weaves verses laden with passion, painting a vivid picture of the protagonist's deep affection for Paris. The poem's romantic undertones, coupled with Oenone's ardent pleas and memories, evoke a poignant sense of enduring love despite the painful realities of abandonment.

There lies a vale in Ida, lovelier

Than all the valleys of Ionian hills.

The swimming vapour slopes athwart the glen,

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Puts forth an arm, and creeps from pine to pine,

‘O friends,’ by Mirabai is a deeply poignant poem that wrestles exhaustingly with a yearning heartache.

Mirabai's poem also expresses and inspires a deep love for the deity Krishna. The speaker describes themselves as being made with such love and that only those who have experienced such ardent emotion can understand it. The result is a poem that poignantly captures the powerful nature of such feelings and their feverish ability.

O friends, I am mad

with love, and no one sees.

‘Advice to Women’ by Eunice de Souza is a clever poem that suggests women should own a cat in order to understand relationships.

Keep cats

if you want to learn to cope with

the otherness of lovers.

‘Remembrance’ by Maya Angelou explores themes of intimacy, love, and longing. It’s a beautiful poem that, briefly but memorably, describes a sexual interaction between lovers.

It's clear from the first lines of this Angelou poem that the speaker, usually considered to be Angelou herself, has a great deal of love for her male partner. She enjoys every moment they spend together.

Your hands easy

weight, teasing the bees

hived in my hair, your smile at the

slope of my cheek. On the

‘I dream of you, to wake’ by Christina Rossetti is a love poem that contrasts the sleeping world with the waking world, indicating that the former is far more desirable than the latter.

The speaker's love for the unnamed man in this poem is very important. Within a few lines, readers should be in no doubt about how passionately the speaker feels about him.

I dream of you, to wake: would that I might

Dream of you and not wake but slumber on;

Nor find with dreams the dear companion gone,

As, Summer ended, Summer birds take flight.

‘Night Song at Amalfi’ by Sara Teasdale weaves celestial silence and sea mystery, exploring love’s ineffable nature and expressive challenges.

This poem elicits the emotion of love for him through the speaker's tender contemplation of gestures to express affection. The desire to weep or song reflects a deep emotional connection, and the acknowledgment of the challenge in conveying love intensifies the sense of devotion. The poem navigates the complexities of love, evoking a sentiment of profound and heartfelt affection.

I asked the heaven of stars

What I should give my love —

It answered me with silence,

Silence above.

‘The Haunter’ by Thomas Hardy is an emotional poem that features the words of a ghost who follows around the man they love and tries to contact him.

The ghost's love for the man is clear from the first lines to the last. The ghost wants nothing more than to connect to this man in any way they can. They follow him around everywhere he goes and are powerless to communicate with him.

He does not think that I haunt here nightly :

How shall I let him know

That whither his fancy sets him wandering

I, too, alertly go?—

‘Where We Belong, A Duet’ by Maya Angelou is an uplifting poem about how satisfying finding a true connection to another person can be.

The speaker feels a great deal of love for the man she found her true connection with. This person lifts her up in a way that no one else has and loves her for who she is, without fail.

In every town and village,

In every city square,

In crowded places

I searched the faces

‘Wild nights – Wild nights!’ by Emily Dickinson is a multi-faceted poem. It explores an ambiguous relationship that could be religious or sexual.

The speaker's unbridled desire and consuming passion for her beloved evidently illustrate her intense love for him. Despite the rough weather, she optimistically resolves to be with him, seeking the pleasure and security of love. Her thoughts are filled with longing for him while her actions actively search for his physical presence.

Wild nights - Wild nights!

Were I with thee

Wild nights should be

Our luxury!

‘The friend’ by Marge Piercy explores an abusive relationship in which the woman is subjugated by her selfish partner.

We sat across the table.

he said, cut off your hands.

they are always poking at things.

they might touch me.

‘What Work Is’ by Philip Levine attempts to reconcile the speaker’s perceptions of what work is versus the tormenting experience of waiting for it.

Another emotion that is expressed intensely in the poem is the speaker's love for their brother. They are overcome with this love when another man in line reminds them of their sibling, who is recovering from a sleepless night spent working. The speaker profoundly feels their absence, and they start to rethink their whole relationship, resolving that they haven't shown them enough love in the past.

We stand in the rain in a long line

waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work.

You know what work is—if you’re

old enough to read this you know what

‘Ghazal’ is an ancient Persian form of poetry that makes use of couplets, which are quite similar to sonnets that have been in use by the European poets.

The poem portrays a specific focus on the speaker's love for a particular individual, expressing a profound affection and yearning. Through various metaphors, Khalvati conveys the speaker's desire to be noticed, pursued, and understood by this beloved figure.

If I am the grass and you the breeze, blow through me.

If I am the rose and you the bird, then woo me.

‘Last Affair: Bessie’s Blues Song’ by Michael S. Harper explores Bessie Smith’s blues, portraying love’s impact with vivid imagery and poignant refrains.

The poem brings out the emotion of love through the fervent refrains expressing transformation. Bessie Smith's plea becomes a poignant declaration of enduring love, despite the tumultuous journey. The vivid imagery and rhythmic language convey the emotional depth of her affection, creating a powerful and resonant portrayal of love's impact amidst societal challenges.

Disarticulated

arm torn out,

large veins cross

her shoulder intact,