Amor in Excelsis by Marie Van Vorst

Name: Amor in Excelsis
Author: Marie Van Vorst

The speaker declares a love so selfless that the beloved’s happiness matters more than any personal joy. This love would sacrifice even the speaker’s soul to save the beloved’s, and would place the world’s most precious gifts at the beloved’s disposal. Undaunted by pain, death, the future, or the grave, the speaker believes that love can attain immortal joy and triumph over mortality.

By Marie Van Vorst · First published 1896 · Genre: Love Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 121 words

First lines

I love you so that I would rather have / Your happiness than any joy below. / I would give up my soul your soul to save, / I love you so!

If round your island like sea should flow / The dearest gifts men ever sought or gave -- / My heart's desire should on the first crest glow!

My love counts pain and death small things to brave; / My love shall find the joy the immortals know; / And triumph o'er the future -- and the grave, -- / I love you so!

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

Amor in Excelsis is listed on Textopian as a poem by Marie Van Vorst, dated 1896 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Poem
Author: Marie Van Vorst
Date: 1896 CE
Language: English
Genres: Love Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Sonnet
Length: 121 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs

Good citation fit

Work identity for Amor in Excelsis by Marie Van Vorst
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Similar titles

Genres

Love Poetry — The poem is an intense direct declaration of love, centered on devotion, self-sacrifice, and the beloved's happiness.
Lyric Poetry — It presents a concentrated personal emotion in a brief, musical first-person poetic form rather than a narrative or dramatic structure.
Romantic Poetry — Its elevated language, idealized beloved, imagery of boundless gifts and immortality, and emphasis on transcendent feeling align with Romantic poetic conventions.
Devotional Poetry — The speaker's willingness to surrender everything, including the soul, for the beloved gives the love an almost spiritual and worshipful intensity.