English Romantic Poetry

Enjoy these classic love poems by Harlem Renaissance women authors. The journey here begins in seduction and endures trials and ends with a hint of past wonders.

This is not a love poem! Can you figure out what it's about?

Dance of the Love Caterpillars is a romantic tale of two Monarch butterflies that serendipitously meet and fall in love. While sharing a love flower for lunch, they journey through and experience vulnerability, hope, and comfort that emerge from their relationship. Savoring the ephemeral present moment and trusting life, as their daring transformation fast approaches, they decide and learn how to make the most out of their time together.

This poetic exploration of the subject of love was composed in Italy 1821, and published anonymously, as the poet wished its circulation to be restricted to the "esoteric few." The title means "concerning or about a little soul", the subject, in this case, being Shelley's inamorata of the time, Countess Teresa (designated "Emily" in the poem) Viviani, a young woman who was immured in the Convent of Saint Anna by her father. Shelley had had a number of contacts with her by letter and in person.

Being in love is wonderful, mysterious, exciting, and a little bit terrifying. To fall head-over-heels for somebody is an experience not quite like any other. Love burns like wildfire, a passion indescribable. Compared to their love, the world pales and fades away in comparison, for they only have eyes for each other. More so than a physical connection, love is expressed just as much through emotion. A bond between two people, who truly love one another is not easily severed. A force both powerful and passionately intense.

In these five unabridged short stories, Stephen Crane masterfully depicts the human condition. Through his keen observations of the simple, unnoticed aspects of life, he deftly describes man’s relationship to society, human nature, and the power of transformation. In each of the stories, he creatively reveals the internal battles, conflicts, and awakening that man collectively experiences. Grab your copy today to discover how he reveals man’s sense of dignity, optimism, grit, courage, and greed.