Birthday poems have long been a cherished way to express love, joy, and reflection. whether you’re searching for the perfect birthday poem for a friend, sending sweet granddaughter birthday wishes, or honoring a spouse or daughter, poetry offers a personal and lasting touch.
In this collection, we’ve gathered seven authentic, public domain poems—including those from a famous poet for birthday celebrations—that beautifully match a variety of sentiments. These timeless verses ensure your happy birthday poem stands out as a gift of emotion, memory, and meaning.
Romantic & Devoted: For a Spouse
These selections are perfect for honoring the strength, beauty, and enduring love shared with a partner, making them ideal as birthday poems for wife or a heartfelt birthday poem for husband.
1. A Red, Red Rose
By Robert Burns
O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.
2. To My Dear and Loving Husband
By Anne Bradstreet
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
3. To a Lady on Her Birthday
by Mary Tighe
Sweet is the strain whose soothing power
May charm the solitary hour,
And bid the heart o’er sorrow born
Forget to heave the sigh forlorn.
But ah! more sweet the voice that speaks
Affection’s truth when friendship wakes,
And bids the heart exulting rise
To catch the rapture of the eyes.
Then let the song its tribute pay
To greet thy glad returning day;
And may each future season prove
A new delight, a joy, a love.
May peace with mild and gentle ray
Illume for thee life’s future way;
And may no cloud obscure the light
That beams from hope’s serenest height.
Joyful & Uplifting: For Family and Friends
These selections celebrate the light and growth of younger generations and honor the cherished bonds of friendship.
4. Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood (Excerpt)
By William Wordsworth
“””
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
Upon the growing Boy,
But he beholds the light, and whence it flows,
He sees it in his joy;
The Youth, who daily farther from the east
Must travel, still is Nature’s Priest,
And by the vision splendid
Is on his way attended;
At length the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day.
“””
Read the complete poem
5. Little Things
By Julia Carney
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
So the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
So our little errors
Lead the soul away
From the paths of virtue
Far in sin to stray.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.
6. To My Friend
By William Henry Davies
God gave you to me, friend, as he gives
A child to his mother—so I hold you mine,
With such a sacred sense of ownership
As none but mothers feel.
I know you are not perfect—who is so?
But you are dear to me as Heaven is dear,
And I would have you ever near me, friend,
To make my life complete.
I love you for your laughter, and your tears,
For your brave spirit and your gentle ways,
For all the moods that make you what you are—
My friend, my chosen friend.
7. A Birthday Greeting
By Thomas Bailey Aldrich
I give you a windflower.
This day is yours.
Take it with laughter,
And with tears,
And with the faith
That love endures.
The years are many
That lie ahead—
May they be gentle
As the rose is red,
As the lily is white,
As the violet is blue,
And may they be kind
As I am to you.
Birthday poems offer a sophisticated way to say Happy Birthday. Whether your goal is romantic devotion or sharing joyful granddaughter birthday wishes, let these verses provide the perfect, timeless message of celebration.