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Wednesday, 15 February, 2017 - 09:31

Sonnets - the language of love?

by EllenBlogger

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s interesting to delve into the history of Europe and to look at where one of the most romantic traditions surrounding Valentine’s Day came from.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I just want you to know
I think the world of you.

These poems are great for declaring your love on Valentine’s Day. They are interchangeable and can be personalised to fit the person you love, be it a boyfriend or girlfriend, your mother, father, sister, brother or friend … But how did people declare their love in the 17th Century?

‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments …’

Funnily enough, the sonnet was the original love poem and it stems from the Italian word for ‘little song’. It originated in Italy in the 14th Century and was adopted by England, France and Spain in the 16th Century and then Germany in the 17th Century.

There are different kinds of sonnets; one such example is the Shakespearean sonnet, named after William Shakespeare, because he liked to use this particular type. Each sonnet has its own style and rhyme scheme.

This type of poetry flows beautifully and mimics the pattern of speech. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, he talks about love and what it means to him. He says that true love is not easily altered, that it remains strong and does not fade with time, even if it is a hopeless love. He concludes the 14 lines by saying that he cannot possibly be wrong in his interpretation because he feels so strongly, that if the way he feels is not love, no man can ever possibly have loved anyone! 

Sonnets are nice, because they have multiple meanings and can be interpreted differently by each person who reads them. They reflect the different kinds of love and friendships encountered throughout life and reflect the personal nature of love itself.

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Discussion

Do you have any special kinds of poetry for Valentine’s Day? How do people show their love in your country?

Submitted by Iryxa on Mon, 02/07/2022 - 17:51

In Ukraine, we don't have any special kinds of poetry for Valentine's Day. Our people usually give valentines to each other. We can write some words or maybe poems in the valentines, that will mean something special, romantic for other people. In Ukraine we show our love by action, we arrange a date, give gifts, flowers and other romantic things. We do something special for each other.

Submitted by pancha on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 23:43

Hi for the boys and girls that didn't know who i am , well i'm Dana and in my country(bogota) , we express love with flowers for all the styles , but specially that we use for this times of the year it's the rose . Other way of express love in this country it's with poesy or in the mayory of the cases with the classic confesions that express with the intention of demostrate their fellings for th other person.. Well, thank you for their attention and i expected that all founded a special person for this days..
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Submitted by linhdan83 on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 03:15

In my country (Vietnam), people are likely to send gifts, flowers, chocolates, cards, etc. or just simple that going out to eat or drink in a nice place. In Vietnam, people don't usually write poets or sing a song because they consider it is too embarrassing and they would like something more private.

Submitted by sang0110 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 13:34

In Vietnam,people shy to directly show their love, but they usually express it by actions, letters or poems especially in north of vietnam. (P/s: sorry for my english skill)

Submitted by _nguyenthanhtom on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 09:14

many people are still too shy to express their love. Instead of expressing it directly, they will send their feelings into the poems. There was a poem that my older brother had written: I have the “I” I have the “L” I have the “O” I have the “V” I have the “E”, … so please can I have “U” ?

Submitted by kieunguyen_1076 on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 15:54

Valentine's Day has been not uncommon in Viet Nam for many years. We have some poems for this day but most of them are edited by teenagers. In addition, numerous couples enjoy going together and have fun during this time. They go to somewhere to have dinner or relax, it is really happy.

Submitted by yennhi2k0 on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 15:43

Many people feel shy to talk about the love story. I have never loved or crush anyone. I think this is so boring. However, I used to see my older brother write a love letter for his girlfriend. I don't remember the content of the letter. I only remember a short poem in this letter. "If you said you were cold I would wrap my arms around you If you said you were thirsty I would give you the ocean blue I would give you anything: the moon, the stars the sunset too. This heart in my hands I hold out to you." I didn't learn English at the time so I didn't understand what he wrote, but now I understand that must be a lovely poem.

Submitted by haahaa0912 on Sun, 11/17/2019 - 10:04

Sending a sonnet to one's love is truly a graceful means of declaring love that interpretes your feeling through the romatic poem lines instead of normal words. In Vietnam, it used to be popular and favorite; however, it is about to be forgotten,especially among youngsters.

Submitted by havy230819 on Wed, 11/13/2019 - 15:41

In Vietnam, an Asian country, the love story is still something that people feel shy to talk about. I have never loved anyone, but my older sister does. I saw her writing on the corner of her desk two little poems: "roses are red violets are blue no one could love you more than I do " "roses are red violets are blue maybe you didn't know I used to love you " I didn't learn English at the time so I didn't understand what she wrote, but now I understand that must be a sad love story.

Submitted by AyuNguyen on Tue, 11/05/2019 - 01:58

I'm not good at writing and I don't care much about Valentine's Day..uhm..so I don't have a special poem for this day. Probably, I'm not the type to be romantic. But I read some special poems about this day written by others. I really want to translate for the readers but I'm just afraid my words could not express the meaning, the beauty of the poem. (´-﹏-` '' ) As far as I know and see, most people in my country often show love through gifts such as roses, jewelry, and so on. Accompanied by hugs, kisses, sweet wishes, ...('・ω・')

Submitted by Trucnguyencute on Sat, 10/26/2019 - 03:30

It was so sweet. I think any girl would love to receive such poems on Valentine's day

Submitted by kimthao_60nna2 on Mon, 10/21/2019 - 16:27

I really like this topic. In this topic, through sonnets, I can read and feel the love and words of couples in love. So I don’t hesitate to find a short poem about love to share all people: If love is a drop, I’ll send you showers; If love is a petal, I’ll send you flowers; If love is water, I’ll send you the sea; If love is a person, I’ll send you me.
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Submitted by empty on Sun, 06/30/2019 - 08:07

This poem is Persian so I'll translate it in English . By the way , Its by me . : look at the clock The time is passing by It won't stop for you It just wants to run out If you wasted your time There's no way to bring it back There's no time to bring it back Take a closer look at the clock seconds and passing Minutes are passing hours are passing days are passing and one day you'll realize that your life is over the most precious thing that you have so make sure you don't waste it TIME ISN'T GOING TO STOP . DON'T LOSE A SECOND .
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