Moonlight Romance Authors: A Sample of the World’s Most Romantic Love Poems by Libby Mercer

Sunday, June 3, 2012

A Sample of the World’s Most Romantic Love Poems by Libby Mercer

John Harrington, the hero of my debut novel, Fashioning a Romance, has a few personality quirks, one of which is randomly spouting off quotes from a wide variety of books and poems. So in the spirit of John’s compulsion to quote – and because Fashioning a Romance is indeed a romance – I thought I’d compile a list of the most romantic love poems I can find. Some of them are pretty long, so I’ve just taken my favorite bits out to share with you here. And here they are, in no particular order:

1. How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I know. It’s not exactly a revolutionary choice, but Browning’s poem encompasses so much in so few words. It’s timeless.

“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight”

“Smiles, tears of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.”

2. I carry your heart with me by e. e. cummings

I challenge you not to sigh wistfully after reading this poem in its entirety. It really is so beautiful.

“I carry your heart with me (I carry it in

my heart) I am never without it”

“I fear

no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want

no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)”

3. Rememberings by Peter Robson

Thank goodness for Google and the Internet. Otherwise I never would have found this little gem by a contemporary poet I’d never heard of before.

“I also know for me you’re the one

In spirit, body and soul

Forever, whenever, wherever you be

You are the half of my whole”

4. To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet

Nearly four hundred centuries after this poem was penned, the warmth from these words is almost palpable. Talk about your warm fuzzies…

“If ever two were one, then surely we.

If ever a man were lov’d by wife, then thee.”

“My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.”

5. La Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri

This may seem like an odd choice. Dante’s poem is simple and straightforward, not flowery (which I mean in a good way!) like the others, but it really spoke to me. It’s a short poem, so here it is in its entirety:

“In that book which is

My memory…

On the first page

That is the chapter when

I first met you

Appear the words…

Here begins a new life”

What can I say? The concept that the moment when two soul mates sparks a new life gives me a warm, tingly feeling.

Also, I was thrilled to find this poem by Dante, as there’s a pivotal scene in Fashioning a Romance when John and his new love, Caitlyn, stand before Rodin’s iconic sculpture “The Kiss” which, as I learned, is based upon two actual historic characters whose story is revealed in Dante’s Inferno. I love it when things all come together full circle like this.

I had a blast researching art and literature for Fashioning a Romance. I hope you enjoyed my list and that I was able to incite a smile or even a wistful sigh.

1 comment:

Teresa Cypher said...: Nice post. Some I knew. Some I did not. I have always loved that Elizabeth wrote that sonnet for Robert. :-); June 24, 2012 at 9:57 AM

Regina Paul

Natalie-Nicole Bates

Natalie-Nicole Bates may be new to the world of publishing, but she’s always been a fan of books and is an active book reviewer. Now she gets to see what’s it’s like on the other side of the book fence when her paranormal romance, Antique Charming, is released through Books To Go Now Publishing this fall and her contemporary romance, Change of Address, will be published in January 2012 by Secret Cravings Publishing.

In addition to her love of books, Natalie also has an uncharacteristic love of hockey which can be attributed to the fact she was born in Russia. Natalie now resides in the UK with a collection of Victorian and Edwardian era photography, her favorites being the post-mortem photographs. Visit Natalie-Nicole online at Natalie-Nicole Bates.com

Tara Fox Hall

I'm an OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in upstate New York. I have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. My writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. I am the author of the paranormal action-adventure Lash series and the vampire romantic suspense Promise Me series. I also coauthored (with Eric Dietrich) the nonfiction book Forbidden Conversations. I divide my free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice. Visit me at Tara Fox Hall.com

Lindsay Townsend

Lindsay lives in Yorkshire, England, where she was born, and started writing stories at an early age. Always a voracious reader, she took a degree in medieval history and worked in a library for a while, then began to write full-time after marriage.

Her first unpublished historical found her an agent and the second got a publisher in London interested. They wanted her to write with a modern setting, which she did – several romantic thrillers set in Greece, Italy or on Dartmoor in the English West Country - and enjoyed it, but historicals are really her first love. Lindsay is currently writing medieval romance for Kensington, who published ‘A Knight’s Vow’in 2008 and are following it with ‘A Knight’s Captive’ in spring, 2009.

She is also fascinated by the ancient world, especially Rome, Egypt and the Bronze Age. ‘Flavia’s Secret’, set in Roman Britain, came out from Bookstrand in 2008, and two more historicals, ‘Blue Gold’, set in ancient Egypt, and ‘Bronze Lightning’, set in Bronze Age Greece and the Britain of Stonehenge, have also just been released early in 2009.

Please visit Lindsay's blog.

Linda Sole

Linda writes as herself and under several other names. As Linda Sole she iscurrently published by Severn House of UK and USA. She also writes as Anne Herries for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is happily married and lives in England with her husband. Linda enjoys visiting Spain where she loves to walk, swim and lie in the sun. Writing is her passion and she manages a few words every day, but she also loves animals and especially squirrels. She is known as the squirrel lady at her local supermarket because of all the nuts she buys for them!

Visit her website for more information.

Sarah J. McNeal

I became interested in writing at a young age. My parents didn’t allow us to have a television so my sisters and I became avid readers. We read everything from Shakespeare to my mother’s True Detective Stories that, by the way, scared the hell out of me. I submitted my first story and received my first rejection when I was thirteen years old.

I am particularly drawn to writing fantasy and time travel and have created a magical place called Valmora where winged people with various magical abilities are in constant struggle against the evil forces of the Dark Isle. Two of the books in this series are presently available at New Concepts Publishing: THE DARK ISLE and LAKE OF SORROWS. I am writing the third now: THE LIGHT OF VALMORA. I have written a time travel novel in which a woman goes back to the 1920’s to save a man from dying in THE VIOLIN that has been submitted to New Concepts Publishing. I intend to write a series of musical instrument stories including THE PIANO and one that I intend to start in the near future titled, HARMONICA JOE’S RELUCTANT BRIDE.

Until recent years, I wrote short stories, two of which were the early inspiration for the Valmora series and three other stories that were sci-fi and paranormal.

I have also written nonfiction including an article in The Charlotte Observer and a monthly newsletter from the emergency department of CMC Mercy Hospital that, unfortunately, I no longer have time to write.

Writing brings me a joy and fulfillment that nothing else can. I love creating magical worlds and people who want to make a difference. I hope that anyone who reads them will love them, too.

Please visit her website for more information.

Patricia Richardson

My desire to write began at a young age; my mind was always filled with great stories. However, my dreams, and aspirations were put on the back burner and even at times forgotten after I became married with children. Later the divorce came, which meant I had to become both mother and father to my children. I worked overtime and weekends just to support my family. The struggle to survive and give my children a healthy, loving home lasted until they were grown. Late author, Gracie Cornish, Ph.D. inspired me to follow my destiny. I met her at a place of employment, "just sit down and start writing," she told me and I did just that. I wrote every chance I got; at work, on the subway, and in my spare time at home. This all started in the latter part of 1998. That very same year God impressed upon my heart to relocate from New York to Maryland. I was obedient and moved.

The move meant that once again I had to put my writing on hold to become familiar with my new environment and learn to cope with the conditions of a highly stressful job. Most evenings when I arrived home the only thing I wanted to do was turn the ringer off the telephone and sleep. I seldom picked up my manuscript, which was kept under my bed just waiting for me not to be too tired and stressed to write. The time for writing again did not come until late in 2001 when I finally came to the realization I would always be stressed and tired from working and if I did not use the gift God gave me I would never achieve the independent financial freedom I wanted. After this epiphany I set a goal for myself; to have the manuscript completed and sent to my editor in March of 2002. Finally, in March of 2003 the book cover for my first novel, "A Place for Ida," was approved and I was published! This of course came with a price. I lost work, I cried, and I virtually had no social life. I was on a personal lockdown. I was on a mission. Most of my spare time was spent researching publishers, cover letters, and anything else I felt was pertinent to my success. Since then I established Leap of Faith Publishing and republished "A Place for Ida" and soon after published the sequel, "A Time for Jonathan."

Visit her website for more information.

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

A Sample of the World’s Most Romantic Love Poems by Libby Mercer

1 comment: