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Poetry

What Are the Different Types of Love Poetry?

By Patti Kate
Updated Jan 26, 2024
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In general, love poetry is written to convey love as it is experienced in a variety of relationships. This may include romantic love, either enduring or unrequited. Love for a parent or sibling may also be expressed in love poetry. Many poets have written love poetry to express their feelings for a cherished pet or for the great outdoors. Love poems may include a rhyme or a sonnet, often expressing great happiness or sadness.

One type of love poetry expressing love for people, places, or things, may be constructed as a sonnet. A sonnet will consist of exactly 14 lines that rhyme, and may be humorous or heartfelt. The poem will often tell a story, or express one's thoughts and emotions.

Love poetry written from a humorous standpoint may be composed as a limerick. A limerick written about love will have five lines and the poem must rhyme. The subject may describe romantic love or love of any person, place, or thing.

Many poets have written epic poems expressing love. In this narrative form of poetry, an awe-inspiring story may be told. The poet may express his love for nature, or his love for his country. Other love poems written as an epic may tell the story of an everlasting romantic love. Epic poetry is generally the most lengthy of all.

Many poets have written verses telling of broken romance and lost love. The subject of tragic love has been depicted in famous poems for many centuries. Many readers of poetry believe they can relate to tragic love poems, as they too have experienced lost love. Poets often compose their work as a means of emotional self healing.

Romantic love poems are a way many poets express their feelings to a loved one. Some writers compose their love poetry for private communication. Poetry may be a way of expressing emotions the poet might not otherwise be able to convey through verbal communication.

Animal lovers often write poems expressing love for a pet. Children who lose a beloved pet may be encouraged to write a poem as a means of honoring their lost pet. Many experts believe composing a heartfelt tribute to a pet can help a child heal.

Those who admire nature often write poetry depicting their love for the outdoors. This type of poetry may express the joy of watching a beautiful sunset, or listening to the peaceful sounds of birds singing in harmony during the early morning hours. Enjoying a scenic landscape or watching the ocean's waves may also inspire love poetry.

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Discussion Comments

By richdownes89 — On Mar 17, 2013

I'm a self-titled poet because I like to think that after writing so much that it helped me with difficult times (which are still ongoing) and it allowed me to cope with that. I wouldn't really call it a love for anyone, or something, but it's more a feeling that shows that I don't have that 'special person' in my life.

Because of the hell that I've gone through, every notch down feels farther into rock bottom, so it's not a case of making a reader feel the same way. As much as I'd love that to be the case, it's more an expression of how I've/I'm felt/feeling, which is better than moping in silence.

Although now, as I'm editing my material further, I still wonder what kind of poet I am. I know I'm an unrequited love poet but I'm unsure if this is a narrative or just a poetic 'diary' if you like. The reason why I doubt myself in that vein is because I have written exactly 1,000 pieces of poetry.

Please don't forget that I haven't had any 'formal' training and no one in my family writes like I do, not at all. But when you've gone through what I have, it's possible that it's just another aspect of life.

I've been told that I am probably almost like a country boy in that aspect, which is weird for I'm 23 years old and I'm English. But on reflection, all my poems have references to other pieces I've written (some clear, some less so) and I'd like to think that's made me a poet.

What does define a poet though? A person who can write? A person who can rhyme? I don't think it's any of those things. I think it's a person who can make emotional feelings clear naturally. I wouldn't say with 'will' but ability.

By Mor — On Apr 30, 2012

@browncoat - I think it's possible to write decent love poetry. I've read quite a lot of it. I won't say that I'm ever going to be able to write a classic, but it is definitely possible.

The best ones, in my mind, are the ones that tell a little story that show a deep love.

Narrative poetry allows you to be fairly original (as long as you aren't obviously derivative) and you can put a unique texture on the feelings you're trying to express.

One of my favorites is "The Cinnamon Peeler" which only has a vague narrative, but nonetheless manages to put forth the idea of a deep and homely love without actually saying much about love.

But almost every poet somehow manages to do it with at least one of their poems. Some of them are even blatantly sentimental and it still works. Look at E. E. Cummings' "I carry your heart with me". It's a widely loved poem and it could embarrass even lovesick teenagers it's so completely romantic.

By browncoat — On Apr 29, 2012

I absolutely refuse to write love poems these days. I wrote a lot of them when I was a teenager and wrote the same kinds of poems that all teenagers do, filled with darkness and over the top love that would last forever.

That was before I realized how very very difficult it is to write really good love poetry. I mean, you can write how you feel to your beloved and they will think it wonderful, of course, but it won't be original. Original, and good love poetry is one in a million because it's all been written about so many times before.

I know that it's part of the human condition, and I've seen plenty of intelligent people suddenly turn to bad love poetry when they are in a particular stage in a courtship.

But I think it's terrible and I refuse to ever do it again.

By indigomoth — On Apr 29, 2012

I've heard people say that really, all poetry is love poetry. I mean if you care enough about a topic to write a poem about it, that's expressing a love for it.

Even if you are writing about how much you dislike something love will sneak in there somehow.

I personally think that some poems aren't written out of love, but I can see their point. Love for something, whether it is a person, an object, a landscape or whatever, is probably the inspiration for most poetry.

And the most difficult and cherished task of the poet is to try and make the reader feel that same love, preferably as a participant rather than as a simple observer.

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