15+ Must-Read Poems about Beautiful Women

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

Beautiful women are one of the most popular topics in poetry. There are depictions of a woman’s beauty in every genre and style of poetry, dating back hundreds of years and dotted throughout movements of all varieties.

Expand analysis

Women have served as an inspiration to both male and female poets throughout time. It is, in fact, hard to find a poet who has not at some point dedicated at least one poem to a beautiful woman.

Often, these poems praise a woman’s features, using metaphors and similes to describe her skin, hair, eyes, body, and movements. Some place women on an impossible-to-attain pedestal, while others ground their images in reality, focusing on an individual’s strength and kindness and how that’s reflected in their appearance.

It’s impossible to explore poems about beautiful women without acknowledging how many poets have depicted women as objects throughout time. That is, objects to be admired, adored, and used as inspiration in their verse. But, even though contemporary views on women’s rights and equality have changed, these poems can still be appreciated for their lyrical skill and creativity.

Poems about Beautiful Women Visual Representation

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genres:

"> 95/100

Goblin Market

by Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market,’ narrates the fantastical tale of Laura and Lizzie, delving into sin, redemption, and sisterhood.

This poem presents Laura and Lizzie as the epitome of the Victorian era idealized feminine beauty, emphasizing delicacy, purity, youthfulness, modesty, and grace while entrenched in romanticized domesticity. Descriptions like 'gleaming neck,' 'Neat like bees,' 'tender feet,' 'golden curl,' and 'gleaming locks showed not one thread of grey' suggest graceful and delicate physical beauty while nature similes like, 'Like a rush-imbedded swan, / Like a lily from the beck, / Like a moonlit poplar branch,' and lines like 'Cheek to cheek and breast to breast' and 'Talked as modest maidens should,' suggest sensuality and youthfulness with purity and modesty. Lizzie's heroic bravery and Laura's bold playfulness create an image of beautiful, chirpy, refined, virtuous, strong, and smart women, conforming yet subtly defying the patriarchal idea of beautiful women.

Morning and evening

Maids heard the goblins cry:

“Come buy our orchard fruits,

Come buy, come buy:

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Loving Someone You Can't Have

Topics:

Form:

Genres:

"> 90/100

La Belle Dame sans Merci

by John Keats

‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ by John Keats is an intriguing narrative that explores death, decay, and love with a supernatural aura.

The lady is compared to a fairy and described as 'full beautiful,' with long hair, a light foot, and wild eyes, evoking an ethereal and mesmerizing presence. However, beneath her enchanting exterior lies a darker truth, as the poem reflects the stereotype of beautiful women seducing men. This trope, reflected in various artistic mediums throughout history, perpetuates the image of the femme fatale—a seductive yet dangerous figure who ensnares unsuspecting victims. This poem inspired the 19th-century femme fatale in literature and art and continued to mark its presence in other artistic mediums like films.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

Alone and palely loitering?

The sedge has withered from the lake,

And no birds sing.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genres:

"> 88/100

The Lady of Shalott

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shalott’ narrates the tale of the cursed Lady entrapped in a tower on the island of Shalott, who meets a tragic end.

The Lady embodies the Victorian ideal of feminine beauty. She is portrayed as fairy-like, adorned with innocence and purity, exemplifying patriarchal fetishizations and idealization of female beauty. The Lady's unseen physical appearance enhances her allure as a damsel in distress trapped in her tower as the reapers, symbolizing the male gaze, declare, 'Tis the fairy / Lady of Shalott.' This portrayal aligns with the common literary trope of fairy-like, innocent, and enigmatic beauty waiting for her prince charming, perpetuating societal notions of feminine beauty and desirability.

On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the wold and meet the sky;

And thro' the field the road runs by

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 85/100

Calypso

by Olga Broumas

In Olga Broumas’s ‘Calypso,’ the speaker conjures up a dreamy world, imagining sensual women to fulfill her sexual desires.

The women's beauty is intricately woven into the poem's fabric as the speaker imagines beautiful women to fulfill her sexual fantasies. The speaker's imagery evokes their sensuality and allure as she describes the women in her studio undressing. Additionally, the speaker finds beauty and sensuality in the women's day-to-day lives, recognizing them as a 'constellation of images.' This portrayal celebrates the inherent beauty of women, both in their sensual presence and in the everyday moments of their lives. Thus, the poem honors the beauty and complexity of womanhood.

I’ve gathered the women like talismans, one

by one. They first came for tarot card

gossip, mystified

by my hands, by offers

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 85/100

She Walks in Beauty

by Lord Byron

‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron glorifies the atypical beauty of a woman whom the speaker lovingly adores.

As implied by its title, Byron's poem is primarily concerned with the beauty exuded by a woman who has caught their eye. For the most part, this vision of beauty is contained to her physical features: eyes that contain "all that's best of dark and bright," the "waves in every raven tress," and "that cheek, and...that brow." Yet it also touches on, however briefly, the splendor of her thoughts and personality.

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Loving Someone You Can't Have

Topics:

Form:

"> 82/100

To—

by John Keats

‘To—’ explores how an idealized view of love can delude one into believing they are both inadequate and destined to find romance.

Keats' sonnet views love through the eyes of a speaker infatuated with the idea of a woman more than the woman herself. All the diction, imagery, and figurative language used to describe her accentuates her beauty: her ear is an "ivory shell," delicate and elusive, while her presence evokes an intoxicating sweetness that leaves the speaker enchanted but deluded. In a way, their own perceived inadequacy only further elevates her to impossibly lofty heights, imbuing her with an almost otherworldly splendor.

Had I a man’s fair form, then might my sighs

Be echoed swiftly through that ivory shell

Thine ear, and find thy gentle heart; so well

Would passion arm me for the enterprise;

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Loving Someone You Can't Have

Topics:

Form:

Genres:

"> 81/100

Sonnet 131

by William Shakespeare

‘Sonnet 131,’ also known as ‘Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,’ is a poem about how the Dark Lady’s beauty moves the speaker. He knows she’s untraditionally beautiful but he doesn’t care!

This piece describes the nature of beautiful women. Their physical features make them cruel as they have been given the authority to reject or to make men suffer. In a similar way, the Dark Lady, instead of being normal, holds the same sway over the speaker.

Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,

As those whose beauties proudly make them cruel;

For well thou know'st to my dear doting heart

Thou art the fairest and most precious jewel.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 80/100

Sonnet 130

by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 130, ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,’ satirizes and subverts traditional love poetry, presenting a new perspective.

The sonnet sets a more realistic standard of beautiful women as it satirically rejects the artificial descriptions of ideal women in poetry. It stresses the meaninglessness of such depictions of women, which can never actually be true. Nonetheless, by ridiculing the over-the-top perfect women of male fantasy, the sonnet foregrounds that the actual beautiful women are beyond such false standards.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red, than her lips red:

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 79/100

Between the Breasts

by E.E. Cummings

‘Between the Breasts’ is a celebration of sensuality, desire, and the uninhibited pursuit of pleasure, using unconventional language and vivid imagery to evoke intense emotions and challenge traditional poetic norms.

This poem addresses the topic of beautiful women by presenting Marj as an object of desire and adoration. The poem describes her physical attributes in sensual terms, highlighting her allure and attractiveness. Through imagery and language, the poem celebrates the beauty of women, particularly in the context of intimate relationships and the appreciation of the female form.

between the breasts

of bestial

#10

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 75/100

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.

The poem centers on the speaker's admiration for women's beauty across different eras. He describes their physical allure in vivid detail, reflecting on how beauty transcends time. This topic is prominent as it drives the speaker’s reflections and desires. It shows the importance of beauty in the speaker's eyes and its impact on his thoughts.

I dream of a red-rose tree.

And which of its roses three

Is the dearest rose to me?

#11

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Theme:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 72/100

For Anne Gregory

by William Butler Yeats

‘For Anne Gregory’ is a gentle dialogue between Yeats and the youthful Anne about the realities of beauty and companionship.

Yeats' poem is less concerned with describing beautiful women in comparison to exploring the realities of beauty and how it can be more of a burden than a privilege, subverting the readers' expectations of beauty. He suggests the more beautiful a woman is externally, the harder it will be for her to be appreciated for her inner beauty.

“Never shall a young man,

Thrown into despair

By those great honey-coloured

Ramparts at your ear,

#12

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 70/100

Farewell to Love

by John Donne

‘Farewell to Love’ by John Donne is a classic piece by the Metaphysical poet that demonstrates his skill with intellectual arguments mixed with intense passion.

The poem alludes to attractions or "moving beauties." These can be interpreted as beautiful women or general temptations, emphasizing the allure and potential pitfalls of such attractions.

Whilst yet to prove

I thought there was some deity in love,

So did I reverence, and gave

Worship ; as atheists at their dying hour

#13

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 70/100

Palanquin Bearers

by Sarojini Naidu

‘Palanquin Bearers’ is a celebratory poem in which a bride is transported to her new husband’s house in a traditional palanquin. The men carrying her sing in joy and help create the mood of celebration that runs through the poem.

A large part of this poem is celebrating the beauty of the woman who is being carried. Simile is used to help express just how beautiful she is. The song is all about praising her and her beauty is one of the main features of her that the men carrying her want to call attention to. They describe her beauty and want to let other people know just how beautiful this woman is.

Lightly, O lightly we bear her along,

She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;

She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream,

She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

#14

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 70/100

Upon Julia’s Voice

by Robert Herrick

‘Upon Julia’s Face’ by Robert Herrick is beautiful poem that tries to capture the speaker’s adoration for the voice of a woman they love and admire.

This poem is devoted to a beautiful woman whom the speaker idolizes from a distance. Yet their definition of beauty does not touch on her physical appearance so much as her vocal abilities. Other poems about Julia do directly celebrate parts of her body that the speaker adores. This one focuses on the aesthetic beauty of her singing.

So smooth, so sweet, so silv'ry is thy voice

As, could they hear, the damn'd would make no noise,

But listen to thee, walking in thy chamber,

Melting melodious words to lutes of amber.

#15

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 69/100

Porphyria’s Lover

by Robert Browning

‘Porphyria’s Lover,’ opens up with a classic setting of a stormy evening. It is a story of a deranged and lovesick man.

Porphyria is described with physical detail that emphasizes her beauty, reinforcing Victorian ideals of the desirable, passive woman. Her attractiveness contributes to the speaker’s desire to possess her completely. Beauty, in this poem, becomes both a catalyst and a casualty.

The rain set early in to-night,

The sullen wind was soon awake,

It tore the elm-tops down for spite,

And did its worst to vex the lake:

Home » Collection » Poems about Beautiful Women

15+ Must-Read Poems about Beautiful Women

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

General

Poetry+

Discover

Useful Links

15+ Must-Read Poems about Beautiful Women

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

by Christina Rossetti

by John Keats

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

by Olga Broumas

by Lord Byron

by John Keats

by William Shakespeare

by William Shakespeare

by E.E. Cummings

by Robert Browning

by William Butler Yeats

by John Donne

by Sarojini Naidu

by Robert Herrick

by Robert Browning

Narrow Your Search

We Look Deep into Poetry

General

Poetry+

Discover

Useful Links