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To start out the month of February, I will submit a love poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning.

How Do I Love Thee?
Let Me Count the Ways

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 every day's
Most quiet need; by sun and candle-light.
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.

Ah, one of my favourites. What I particularly like about it is that it is a love not purely born of emotion. When she says "I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;", striving gives the impression of working hard and moving towards something.
"I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise." shows that it's not a showy type of love. When you think of turning from Praise, it is a conscious decision, going against our natural inclinations. It sort of fits into the "love is decision" adage.
All-in-all, it's a very un-modern view of love and I LOVE it! ;-)

Surprisingly I've never read the whole thing.

"Smiles, tears, of all my live! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."

Eternal love is the best (:

I never read the whole poem either. Why is it people seem to only quote the first two lines? Pure, free and everlasting true love.

I appreciate the fact that she is so frank and earnest in describing her love, yet she still conveys the joy that she feels. I also enjoy her acknowledgement that love requires strength and commitment and effort: striving.

You know, I always thought this was one of those too often quoted, easy way out kind of poems. I hadn't really sat down and read the whole thing. It really is quite beautiful, sweet and honest. There's a reason it's a classic poem. :)