Top 10 Classic Love Poets

Love poetry: during sometime or another we have dived head first into this wonderful, although sometimes saddening, genre of writing. The best of the best depends on who you ask. What are the reader's preferences and what are the reader's motives? Is the reader also a writer? Poet? Student? Professor? Or just someone who loves a good poem? The answer may vary for many reasons. However, I will gladly share my favorite poets of all-time below.

While in middle and high school, teenagers are thrust into poetry. Some use it as a tool for expressing themselves while others see it as a horrific literature assignment. Nonetheless, these teens must experience the works of the greatest love poets throughout history.

But, why focus on the romance authors instead of simply the best love poems? That's easy, because these famous poets have the most amount of poetry to choose from. They were not one hit wonders. They have tens, even hundreds of them. Once you find a favorite, you'll have many, many poems to read and love.

Here is a list of my preferred classic love poets:

10. Elizabeth Barrett Browning - You may recognize her poem, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.
9. Mawlawi Rumi - Although he's a Persian poet, his words translated to English are still amazing, insightful, and passionate.
8. William Shakespeare - You've obviously heard of some of his plays by now, but may of his sonnets are considered the best ever written.
7. Oscar Wilde - Many think he was a homosexual, and whether or not you believe it or even care, his writings about his lover are excellent.
6. John Donne - Perhaps an English majors nightmare, his works are well-known and appreciated by professors around the world..
5. Dante - So popular that we know him simply as "Dante" instead of "Dante Alighieri."
4. Khalil Gibran - A sophisticated Lebanese man with much love to through around.
3. Johan Wolfgang Goethe - A brilliant German who brought about much wisdom towards a variety of subjects, including romance literature.
2. E.E. Cummings - One of the most famous American poets in history. Yep, he wrote love poems too.
1. William Butler Yeats - Although Yeats isn't usually seen as one of the top 3 American poets, he is definitely my choice for top American love poet. Actually, as you can see, he is my favorite world-wife classic love poet.

I know, I know. You are wondering, "Where is Emily Dickinson?!?" Well sonny, I appreciate her work, but she isn't on the list.