The Sun Rising
by John Donne
Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
To His Mistress Going to Bed
by John Donne
‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ by John Donne depicts the pleas of a speaker desperate for his lover to undress and come to bed.
Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy,
Until I labour, I in labour lie.
The foe oft-times having the foe in sight,
Is tir’d with standing though he never fight.
Twice
by Christina Rossetti
I took my heart in my hand
(O my love, O my love),
I said: Let me fall or stand,
Let me live or die,
Twickenham Garden
by John Donne
When it comes to the theme of unrequited love, John Donne and his metaphysical poetry are at their best! And, in ‘Twickenham Garden’, beloved Donne gives a dosage of heartfelt emotions to the readers.
Blasted with sighs, and surrounded with tears,
Hither I come to seek the spring,
And at mine eyes, and at mine ears,
Receive such balms as else cure every thing.
Two Songs
by Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Rich’s ‘Two Songs’ explores the themes of lust, physicality, and pleasure. These poems feature a speaker’s “post coitum” feelings.
What My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
‘What My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why’ is an Italian sonnet about being unable to recall what made one happy in the past.
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Women and Roses
by Robert Browning
‘Women and Roses’ by Robert Browning conveys a man’s perspective on women throughout time. They are represented by three apples on his metaphorical apple tree.
I dream of a red-rose tree.
And which of its roses three
Is the dearest rose to me?
