Heartbreak Poems

Hymn to Aphrodite

by Sappho

The ‘Hymn to Aphrodite’ by Sappho is an ancient lyric in which Sappho begs for Aphrodite’s help in managing her turbulent love life.

'Hymn to Aphrodite' is a timeless classic because it chronicles Sappho's 2,500+-year-old feelings of heartbreak, and they are the exact same emotions that we all go through after getting rejected. This poem, thus, is the original heartbreak poem, and it has also inspired thousands of heartbreak poems all across the world.

Beautiful-throned, immortal Aphrodite,

Daughter of Zeus, beguiler, I implore thee,

Weigh me not down with weariness and anguish

O thou most holy!

Explore more poems about Heartbreak

“Take me anywhere” (from Hermetic Definition: ‘Red Rose and a Beggar’)

by Hilda Doolittle

In “Take me anywhere, anywhere;” by Hilda Doolittle, the poet-speaker addresses a lover, expressing the way in which she takes refuge in their affection.

"Take me anywhere, anywhere;" reeks of heartbreak, and Doolittle's many allusions to her former lovers in this poem are evidence. While the poem comes off as a sweet gesture from a lover to a lover, it is truly a desperate attempt for Hilda to regain the attention of anyone, anywhere, who will love her and become an intellectual and romantic guide for her.

The Nightingale

by Philip Sidney

‘The Nightingale’ is a unique love-lyric that exploits the classical myth of Philomel to morph the personal rue of a lovelorn heart into a superb piece of poetry.

Philip Sidney is heartbroken as he could not achieve his beloved and the agony of his unrequited love pierces his heart. Simultaneously, what Philomela had experienced, is traumatic for her. Her sister's husband Tereus used her as his pleasure trophy and Philomela lost her virginity without her consent. And to top it up, Tere cut her tongue just to stop Philomela from spreading the secret.

The Heart asks Pleasure – first

by Emily Dickinson

‘The heart asks pleasure first’ by Emily Dickinson depicts the needs of the heart. They are highly changeable and include pleasure and excuse from pain.

Heartbreak and pain are things that the heart does not want to experience in this poem.

Life in a Love

by Robert Browning

‘Life in a Love’ by Robert Browning is an obsessive love poem in which a speaker tells the person they’re in love with that no matter how many times they’re torn down; they’re always going to get back up. 

It's very clear that the speaker in this passionate poem has experienced a great deal of heartbreak. He's been knocked down by the person he loves over and over but is unwilling to give up on them.

Little Boy Blue

by Eugene Field

‘Little Boy Blue’ by Eugene Field is a beautiful, heartbreaking poem that describes the aftermath of a child’s death. It focuses on the child’s toys and how, despite many years having gone by, they’re still waiting for him. 

The child's death brought about a great deal of sorrow and heartbreak. The poet describes the toys in this poem but, through their description, also alludes to what the family must be experiencing.

My Kate

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

‘My Kate’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a sorrowful elegy dedicated to a morally righteous and important woman who has passed away. 

The speaker is heartbroken over the death of her friend, Kate. She is dealing with the loss of this friend by taking readers through how important Kate was to her life and the lives of many others.

A Complaint

by William Wordsworth

In the poem ‘A Complaint’ by William Wordsworth, the first and primary emotion is loss – loss of ideals, loss of friendship, loss of love.

A Dream

by Edgar Allan Poe

‘A Dream’ by Edgar Allan Poe describes a speaker’s waking and dreaming state and the brief moments of light and hope he experiences. 

A Renewal

by James Merrill

‘A Renewal’ by James Merrill describes the plight of a speaker who tries to end a relationship but, as soon as they successfully do so, our struck by a violent resurgence of the same love that they had lost.

A Slumber did my Spirit Seal

by William Wordsworth

‘A Slumber did my Spirit Seal’ by William Wordsworth is one of five “Lucy” poems that Wordsworth published in the volume Lyrical Ballads, that he co-authored with Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

A Thousand Martyrs

by Aphra Behn

‘A Thousand Martyrs’ by Aphra Behn is a powerful exploration of faith, persecution, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Ae Fond Kiss

by Robert Burns

‘Ae Fond Kiss’ by Robert Burns tells of the unfortunate parting of two lovers, and a speaker’s depression over the many parts of his life he is losing.

Autumn Valentine

by Dorothy Parker

‘Autumn Valentine’ by Dorothy Parker reveals two moments in the scope of the narrator’s pain — one when the pain was new and one when it had endured for a time in the shadows.

Buried Love

by Sara Teasdale

‘Buried Love’ by Sara Teasdale expresses a contrast of emotion within the narrator as she grieves a “Love” that was “bittersweet.”

DEAD

by Kanye West

‘DEAD’ by Kanye West addresses feelings of alienation and isolation. Specifically, those surrounding the writer’s relationship with his now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.

Fare Thee Well

by Lord Byron

‘Fare Thee Well’ by Lord Byron is a fifteen stanza poem written by Byron after separating from his wife in the early 1800s.

If I can stop one heart from breaking

by Emily Dickinson

‘If I can stop one heart from breaking’ by Emily Dickinson is a selfless proclamation of one’s desire to help. The poet’s speaker offers help in a variety of ways in some cases to better her own life.

La Figlia Che Piange

by T.S. Eliot

‘La Figlia Che Piange’ by T. S. Eliot describes a speaker’s attempt to craft the perfect, yet tragic, love story and his obsession with its completion.

Modern Love: VI

by George Meredith

‘Modern Love: VI’ by George Meredith describes the speaker’s anguish after realizing that the woman he loves has moved on to another man. 

Music I Heard

by Conrad Aiken

‘Music I Heard’ by Conrad Aiken describes the irreparably changed world of a speaker who has lost his lover but not the most poignant of his memories.

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