1) A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns
by Robert Burns
O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.
And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!
2) A Valentine to Catherine
by Evaleen Stein
If you will be my True-Love,
I'll tell you what I'll do,
I'll ask a little bluebird
To sing a song to you.
When first you see a violet
And softly pricking through
The garden-bed come crocuses
And golden tulips, too,
Then watch! for he'll be coming,
The little bird of blue;
He'll sing, "I love you, Sweetheart,
It's true, true, true!"
3) First Love
by John Clare
I ne'er was struck before that hour
With love so sudden and so sweet.
Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
And stole my heart away complete.
My face turned pale, a deadly pale.
My legs refused to walk away,
And when she looked what could I ail
My life and all seemed turned to clay.
And then my blood rushed to my face
And took my eyesight quite away.
The trees and bushes round the place
Seemed midnight at noonday.
I could not see a single thing,
Words from my eyes did start.
They spoke as chords do from the string,
And blood burnt round my heart.
Are flowers the winter's choice
Is love's bed always snow
She seemed to hear my silent voice
Not love appeals to know.
I never saw so sweet a face
As that I stood before.
My heart has left its dwelling place
And can return no more.
4)How Do I Love Thee
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight.
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
5) A Valentine to a Little Child
by Evaleen Stein
Dear heart, on this thrice-blessed day,
An thou my sweetheart be,
The rose of love shall bide always
Upon the red-rose tree.
And in the garden of my heart
So ceaselessly shall shine,
The little birds will know thou art
Mine own true Valentine.
And I will bid them wing and sing
To all good winds that blow,
That to thy little feet they bring
All blessings, even so.
And o'er thy cradle I will coax,
By every lucky charm,
The friendship of the fairy folks
To fold thee from all harm.
So may they hover round thy head
And gently thereupon,
As doth the April sunshine, shed
Most gracious benison.
And all fair gifts that Fortune hath,
I'll pray she promise these,
And that she loose about thy path
All sweet influences.
Then here's a kiss! and there's a kiss!
And kisses, one, two, three!
I seal them in the folds of this,
And speed them unto thee!
6) Shall I Compare Thee
by William Shakespeare
by Evaleen Stein
Dear heart, on this thrice-blessed day,
An thou my sweetheart be,
The rose of love shall bide always
Upon the red-rose tree.
And in the garden of my heart
So ceaselessly shall shine,
The little birds will know thou art
Mine own true Valentine.
And I will bid them wing and sing
To all good winds that blow,
That to thy little feet they bring
All blessings, even so.
And o'er thy cradle I will coax,
By every lucky charm,
The friendship of the fairy folks
To fold thee from all harm.
So may they hover round thy head
And gently thereupon,
As doth the April sunshine, shed
Most gracious benison.
And all fair gifts that Fortune hath,
I'll pray she promise these,
And that she loose about thy path
All sweet influences.
Then here's a kiss! and there's a kiss!
And kisses, one, two, three!
I seal them in the folds of this,
And speed them unto thee!
6) Shall I Compare Thee
by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
7) She Walks in Beauty
by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
8) Wind and Window Flower
by Robert Frost
Lovers, forget your love,
And list to the love of these,
She a window flower,
And he a winter breeze.
When the frosty window veil
Was melted down at noon,
And the caged yellow bird
Hung over her in tune,
He marked her through the pane,
He could not help but mark,
And only passed her by
To come again at dark.
He was a winter wind,
Concerned with ice and snow,
Dead weeds and unmated birds,
And little of love could know.
But he sighed upon the sill,
He gave the sash a shake,
As witness all within
Who lay that night awake.
Perchance he half prevailed
To win her for the flight
From the firelit looking-glass
And warm stove-window light.
But the flower leaned aside
And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
A hundred miles away.
9) The Singing Bird
by Kaitlyn Guenther
I once knew a bird who was in love
On Valentine's he would sing to a dove
He would sing until dawn
And collapse on the lawn
When the dove came and gave him a shove
10) An Intercepted Valentine
by Carolyn Wells
Little Bo-Peep, will you be mine?
I want you for my Valentine.
You are my choice of all the girls,
With your blushing cheeks and your fluttering curls,
With your ribbons gay and your kirtle neat,
None other is so fair and sweet.
Little Bo-Peep, let's run away,
And marry each other on Midsummer Day;
And ever to you I'll be fond and true,
Your faithful Valentine,
LITTLE BOY BLUE.
LITTLE BOY BLUE.
