Great Love Poems

by Thomas Hardy, Edna St. Vincent Millay, John Donne, et al.

Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that's lovely is
But a brief, dreamy, kind delight.
-- W. B. Yeats
Down through the millennia the emotion of love has inspired countless poets to great heights of lyrical expression. In this volume readers can sample more than 150 great love poems...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486272842
• ISBN13: 9780486272849
• Release Date: October 1992
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE

Great Love Poems, which is edited by Shame Weller, is one of those little books that you get a lot on bang for your buck from. This little volume is cheap! I probably should say inexpensive, but to be frank, it is made of cheap paper, is small and is in paperback. This is one of its many strength's though. There are over 150 of some of the greatest love poems spanning a 400 year history between these two covers. Works by Shakespeare, Donne, Blake, Burns, Anderson, Lord Byron, Poe, Browning, Yeats, Dickinson, Whitman, Elizabeth Browning, Keats, Marlowe, Jonson, Milton, Lovelace, Suckling, Arnold, Houseman, Millay and Frost are all included along with a drove of others, just as well known poets. Now this is certainly not an all inclusive gathering of great love poems, no, no, not by any means, but then you are not purchasing a ten volume set of hardback books that weigh 40 or 20 pounds. You're purchasing a small, rather thin paperback book that has some great stuff printed in it. For every great poem included here, I am sure that most of you could name ten or more others that are just as deserving to join the company of this group. Each person has their favorite poet, poem or work; that is the nature of poetry. This is but a sampling, and a good sampling, in my opinion. Now some like love poems and others do not and then we have those that don't know if they like them or not! If you fall into the first category, then you probably should not purchase this volume. If you fall into the last category, then this would be a rather inexpensive way to find out if you like the genre or not. Of course I suppose you could always check it out from the library for free...come to think of it. Anyway, I like this little book and I like most of the Dover Thrift Editions and feel they provide a very nice service. This is one of those little books that fit neatly into your trekking pack so you can read it to your loved one while setting on moss covered stones by a clear bubbling stream. If it has the desired effect and should happen to fall into the water while your attention wonders...well, no great loss, you can go buy another. Don Blankenship The Ozarks

Wonderful little anthology.

This anthology of poems is one of the best I have ever come across. As a whole it is lovely read and continues to delight from begining to end. It's inclusion of many early modern poets really adds most of the greatness of this collection. To read poems from centuries ago and see how the story and feeling of love has remained the same experience is quite a treat. It demstrates love's eternal presence in the human heart. For the person who doesn't readd much poetry this would be a great introduction, as it's poems are very personal and expressive making it hard to the reader not to be moved. Many of the poems linger long after you have read them and thus add beauty and comfort to your days. It will inspire you to search for more anthologies, as this one is merely a sampling of all the great love poems written through the ages. It as flows well as any good anthology and is a good collection to return to again and again. I have remembered it better than most anthologies and so I recommend it to all readers.

passion and romance

This is an excellent collection of love poetry. You won't easily find this many classic gems under a single volume for such a low price. The only thing I regret is I would have liked to have seen some love poems from the second half of the 20th century too. But this collection, spaning 4 centuries, includes most of the greatest romantic verse ever penned by the likes of Shakespeare, Donne, Blake, Burns, Byron, Poe, Browning, Yeats, Dickinson, Whitman, and so on. A worthy addition to any poetry lover's collection. David Rehak author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"

Good

I am giving this collection five stars because is a wonderful collection for its price. Dover really does put out some great books for around a dollar. This collection has all of the usual love poems which appear in every love anthology like Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," Jonson's "To Celia," Browning's "How Do I Love Thee," and Poe's "Annabel Lee." The thing that impressed me about this collection were some of the little-known poems which did find their way into this book. I've always loved the poems of Thomas Campion, Thomas Moore, Walter Savage Landor, and John Clare, and each had a number of poems in the book. Any lover of love poems should buy this anthology. It is easily worth the dollar it takes to buy it. I would also recommend the anthology "Love Poems" selected and edited by Peter Washington for Everyman Library for anyone who wants to buy a collection of love poems.

Great deal for the Price

This book has love poems by every poet you can think of and some you wont. I would say you should own this even if you dont enjoy love poems, it can only come in handy. All around great stuff and there is even a drinking song in side.