17 Famous French Love Poems That Will Make You Fall in Love
Looking for romantic poems in French to read to your loved one or even read on your own? This post will show you all the best French love poems you’ll enjoy!
France is usually associated with love, especially Paris since it’s known as the City of Love, so trust the French to write great love poems and songs.
Through the years, French poets and artists have explored different themes surrounding the universal language of love through what they know best; words!
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Whether above passion, new love, lost love, or broken love, love in its various forms is described beautifully in each of these 17 best French love poems to fully bring out the true meaning of love.
For the not artistically inclined people, you can dedicate one of these French poems about love to your significant other and impress them or recite them to them in a romantic date setting followed by a dreamy proposal. C’est une super idée, non? (It’s a superb idea, don’t you think?)
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Best French Love Poems
Here are the best French love poems with English translations for your ease, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting together this list for you.
1. L’extase d’un baiser by Tristan L’Hermite (1648)
Translation: The ecstasy of a kiss
L’extase d’un baiser is a sonnet by François L’Hermite, who wrote under the pen name, Tristan L’Hermite. This poem was published in his collection called Heroic Verses.
In this romantic French poem, Tristan describes a passionate kiss by someone named Élise that has him awestruck.
He goes on to add the feelings aroused in him because of the kiss. He dramatizes the whole thing by saying that the kiss brought him back from the dead.
But towards the end, he also adds that the same kiss will be the cause of his death.
You can read the complete poem here!
2. Les amoureux by Madeleine de Scudéry (1664)
Translation: The Sweethearts
For a poet and author who was celibate, Madeleine wrote a lot about love and romance.
She was a feminist who held women in high regard and elevated their position in her writings. Just like many of her other poems, Les amoureux is a madrigal dedicated to lovers.
She pens down how opening up to love will make you and your lover, happy. She describes the feelings that go through a person in love by comparing them to water, rose, and wind.
You can read the complete poem here!
3. Éloge de l’amour by Jean de La Fontaine (1669)
Translation: In Praise of Love
Jean de La Fontaine was known for his fables and less for his poems, but this short love poem in French was one of his better-known ones.
In Éloge de l’amour, Jean raises the status of love to that of a God. She writes of how all the other gods’ powers are less when compared with love.
She goes on to say that without love, things would have no pleasure associated with them.
You can read the complete poem here!
4. Pour toi ma chérie by Armand Gouffé (1802)
Translation: For you my love
Pour toi ma chérie was written by Armand Gouffé and published in his collection titled Ballon d’essai.
In this French poem about love, Armand, in a typical romantic manner, says he would offer his life for his lover. But he also says that instead of giving his life, he would want to be a better person for her.
He describes how his life and everything in it revolves around her and how nothing would have a purpose without her in his life. Sounds like a pretty smitten Romeo, doesn’t he?
You can read the complete poem here!
5. L’amour est le miel by Victor Hugo (1832)
Translation: Love is the honey
French writer Victor Hugo is best known for his novels Notre-Dame de Paris and Les Misérables, but he has also written numerous love poems in French.
A play that he wrote called Le roi s’amuse (The King amuses) has this verse called L’amour est le miel in it.
The verse describes how Life is a flower and love is its honey. Although these lines are part of a lengthier poetic verse, they are very romantic and are worth checking out.
You can read the complete poem here!
6. La sincère by Marceline Desbordes Valmore (1833)
Translation: The sincerity
La sincère by French poet Marceline Desbordes Valmore is a slightly lengthy poem, which she published in her collection titled Les pleurs (the tears).
In the poem, she writes how her heart is for sale, and anyone interested in buying it can, but they have to be sincere.
They should agree to the price she quotes for it and not haggle about it. And if no one is interested in her heart, then it will be God’s.
You can read the complete poem here!
7. Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle by Victor Hugo (1834)
Translation: My arm clasped your fragile waist
Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle is a short and romantic French poem inspired by the passion Victor had for his mistress, Juliette Drouet.
Their love story was nothing short of a dramatic movie. Victor’s wife left him, he moved away with Juliette, but she briefly left him, too. He then pursued her to get her back, and she ultimately stayed with him till his death.
He describes the love and passion shared by them where they hold back for some time but finally give in to each other. This poem was published in his collection, Les Contemplations, much like the next one on the list.
You can read the complete poem here!
8. Demain, dès l’aube by Victor Hugo (1856)
Translation: Tomorrow at Dawn
In this short love poem in French, Victor starts it off by talking about the Normandy countryside and how he plans to leave at dawn on a journey not revealed to us until the end.
I will let you read Demain, dès l’aube for yourself to discover its bittersweet nature.
The poem is not centered around lovers but is written for his daughter, Léopoldine whose grave he was planning to visit after her drowning incident that led to her death. It has a deeper meaning which you will understand when you read it a 2nd time.
The poem was later included in his poem collection Les Contemplations. This is actually one of the famous poems by Victor Hugo.
You can read the complete poem here!
9. Les roses de Saâdi by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1860)
Translation: The Roses of Saadi
Les roses de Saadi is one of the best-known French poems about love by Marceline. In this, the roses are meant as a personification of love.
She claims to have so much love (so many roses) that she could not contain all of it anymore.
Some of the roses then go adrift in the wind, and some are carried out to the sea, possibly implying that her love was not returned and she just lost it.
But, in the end, she says that she has not given up on love through her lines, “my dress is still all fragrant with it”.
She also writes that she keeps the loving memories of past love with her in the lines “Breathe in the fragrant memory of it on me”.
You can read the complete poem here!
10. Romance by Arthur Rimbaud (1871)
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud, better known only as Arthur Rimbaud, wrote Romance when he was just 17 years old, which is told to us in the first line of the poem.
The poem is all about how he feels about love but how, at that age, nobody is really serious about love.
He describes the whirlwind of emotions that he goes through when in love and the euphoria of the feeling itself.
Being a teenager, all of this is exciting, but relationships do not last for a very long time at that age.
He starts by describing how he’s tired of the mundane routine. He then continues to explain how falling in love is like a breath of fresh air that dazzles him.
And, by the end of the poem (and possibly a relationship), he drinks to forget all about it.
You can read the complete poem here!
11. Un basier by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translation: A kiss
Un basier featured in Edmond Rostand’s most famous work, a play titled Cyrano de Bergerac.
The play is about honor, unrequited love, self-doubt, bravery, and eloquence with Cyrano, a cadet in the French army, in the titular role.
He has a love interest, Roxanne, who he doesn’t pursue because he feels he is too ugly for her (he believed he had a larger-than-normal nose).
This poem is a monologue by Cyrano and describes what a kiss means to him. Cyrano helps his rival gain Roxanne’s love and affection by hiding in the shadows while his rival stands under her balcony and merely repeats the lines written by Cyrano for Roxanne, ultimately letting his rival win a kiss from her.
12. Le Pont Mirabeau by Guillaume Apollinaire (1912)
Translation: The Mirabeau Bridge
Le Pont Mirabeau is one of the poems about France based on the Mirabeau bridge in Paris under which the river Seine flows.
Guillaume wrote this poem after parting ways with his lover, Marie Laurencin, who, people believe, was on the other side of this bridge, so he had to cross it to meet her.
He writes about how time passes and love is lost, but life goes on. The days turn into nights and, much like the river which keeps flowing, time just flows while he waits.
This melancholic poem was considered one of his greatest works, and it was later published in his collection called Alcools.
You can read the complete poem here!
13. Certitude by Paul Éluard (1951)
Translation: Certainty
This poetic verse called Certitude was extracted from Paul Éluard’s Le Phénix. The poet’s actual name was Eugène Émile Paul Grindel, with Paul Éluard being a pen name he wrote under.
He was known for Surrealism along with fellow poet Louis Aragon (whose poem features next on this list).
He says so much by saying so little. Each of the phrases is short, but they have a deeper meaning.
He describes how each action has a feeling associated with it and how he is certain of those feelings, including, at the end, when he says that in leaving the person, they will meet again.
You can read the complete poem here!
14. Nous dormirons ensemble by Louis Aragon (1963)
Translation: We Will Sleep Together
The poem title, Nous dormirons ensemble, should give away its risqué nature of it. So subtle! This passionate French love poem by Louis is a tribute to his muse and wife, Elsa Triolet.
It has him penning down his intimate thoughts and feelings. His love for her is so abundant that he wants them to sleep together, wherever it may be, from Sunday to Monday and from morning to night. Basically, 24×7 365 days. Phew! That’s a lot!
Theirs was a great love story, so you won’t be surprised to know that he wrote 2 other poems for her too, Que serais-je sans toi (Who would I be without you) and Aimer à perdre la raison (To love until you lose your mind).
You can read the complete poem here!
15. Aimons toujours! Aimons encore! by Victor Hugo
Translation: Always love! Let’s love again!
Aimons toujours! Aimons encore is one of the many French love poems by Victor Hugo. In this particular one, he describes how love is a beautiful feeling, comparing it to various things in nature.
It is a slightly lengthy poem but worth reading for a different perspective on love. He encourages everyone to love despite hardships, pain, and suffering.
He tells us how we must believe in love and not let go of the hope associated with it. Ultimately, we will be rewarded with happiness for pulling through.
You can read the complete poem here!
16. Pour que tu m’aimes encore by Céline Dion (1995)
Translation: So That You’ll Love Me Again
This romantic French poem by popular Canadian singer, Céline Dion, became one of her signature songs.
The poem was then recorded by her and released as part of her studio album, D’eux. The bestselling hit spent weeks in the number one position French charts as well as charts of other Francophone countries. Celine even won multiple awards for this number.
The romantic ballad has Céline singing from a woman’s perspective. She says she anticipated that her lover was about to break up with her, which he does.
He tells her that he wants to move on because he does not feel the same way about her anymore. But she begs him to stay and tells him that she would do anything for him to love her again.
On top of being a poem, it’s one of the most powerful French love songs you ought to listen to!
You can read the complete poem here!
17. Aimer by Roméo et Juliette (2009)
Translation: To like
Would this list of the best French love poems be complete if I did not include one by a duo called Romeo and Juliet? Certainly not!
Roméo et Juliette were the stage names of Damien Sargue and Cécilia Cara, respectively.
The lyrics of Aimer describe how love is a beautiful feeling that one gets to experience.
They sing about all the emotions associated with love, like how love is like a burning fire, how it gives us the cloud 9 feeling, how it makes time pause, and how it gives meaning to life and makes us feel alive. We couldn’t agree more, could we?
You can read the complete poem here!
Final Thoughts on the Romantic French Love Poems
Did this list of romantic French poems sweep you off your feet? If you were struggling to find a poem to express your love, I hope that one of these is the perfect love poem for you.
Let me know your thoughts on them and which one was your favorite in the comments below.
If you enjoy reading French poems, you can also check out my article on famous poems about Paris!
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Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for
more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation, and more. If you’re considering travel insurance for your trip, check out World Nomads.
Check out these posts to help you plan your trip to Paris
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- French love songs you should listen to
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- Fun facts about Paris
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