In this post: A selection of Spanish love poems to celebrate love and friendship that your family can enjoy this Valentine’s Day.
In Hispanic culture, el DÃa de San ValentÃn, or St. Valentine’s Day, is a holiday that celebrates love and friendship. Poems are a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day while building vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural awareness.
Discover 10 Poemas de amor y amistad—authentic Spanish love and friendship poems from famous poets—that your family can enjoy as part of becoming fluently and culturally bilingual.
Table of Contents
Why Read Spanish Poetry with Your Kids?
There are so many wonderful reasons to read Spanish poetry with your children. Short, rhyming poems in particular can be an excellent (and fun!) language learning tool for kids.
For example, reading and memorizing Spanish poetry:
- Enhances pronunciation skills
- Improves memory
- Teaches about similes and metaphors
- Expands vocabulary
- Stimulates creativity
Finally, poetry is also an excellent way to introduce children to literature and famous authors. After reading some of these beautiful love poems, you and your child may want to sit down and write a Spanish love poem yourselves.
Who knows? Maybe your blooming linguist is also a poet in the making!
Related post: Best Spanish Poetry Books for Kids
Llamitas Spanish Valentine’s Day Unit
At Llamitas Spanish®, we introduce children to Hispanic/Latino culture through a variety of activities, including children’s songs, lullabies, and poems.
Our curriculum provides you with the essential educational tools you’ll need to get your child to enjoy learning Spanish effortlessly. But we don’t stop there! With our holiday and seasonal units, you can amplify your child’s exposure to the Spanish language with exciting thematic activities for the holidays.
Many of our Spanish Seasonal Units include poems, songs, and nursery rhymes as a fun, meaningful way to enhance language fluency.
Listen to our simple Spanish poem for kids from the Valentine’s Day unit!
| Spanish | English Translation |
| El 14 de febrero tenemos una celebración. Y en este bello dÃa quiero darte un corazón. El dÃa del amor y la amistad es lo que festejemos. Recordando que estos sentimientos nos caracterizan como seres humanos. | On February 14th We have a celebration. And on this lovely day I want to give you a heart. The day of love and friendship Is what we celebrate. Remembering that these feelings Are part of our human nature. |
Credit: MarÃa Adelaida Soto Sánchez.
Authentic Poemas de Amor y Amistad
We’re sharing 10 of our favorite Spanish love poems, addressing different forms of love and friendship, along with their translations.
These poems are fun to recite and easy to learn so you can celebrate all different types of love and friendship.
Cultivo una rosa blanca (José Martà Cuba)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Cultivo una rosa blanca En junio como en enero Para el amigo sincero Que me da su mano franca Y para el cruel que me arranca El corazón con que vivo Cardo ni oruga cultivo Cultivo una rosa blanca. | I cultivate a white rose In June as in January For the sincere friend Who gives me his hand frankly. And for the cruel one who rips out The heart I live with I cultivate neither nettles nor thorns I cultivate a white rose. |
More on poet Jos̩ Mart۪̉s life here.
Amo, Amas (Rubén DarÃo, Nicaragua)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Amar, amar, amar, amar siempre, con todo el ser y con la tierra y con el cielo, con lo claro del sol y lo oscuro del lodo; amar por toda ciencia y amar por todo anhelo. Y cuando la montaña de la vida nos sea dura y larga y alta y llena de abismos, amar la inmensidad que es de amor encendida ¡y arder en la fusión de nuestros pechos mismos! | To love, to love, to love, always to love, with your whole Being and with the earth and the sky With the brightness of the sun and the darkness of the mud; To love for all knowledge and to love for all longing. And when the mountain of life Is hard and long and high, and full of abysses, to love the vastness that is made of burning love and burn in the fusion of our very hearts! |
More on poet Rubén DarÃo’s life here.
La plaza tiene una torre (Antonio Machado, Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| La plaza tiene una torre la torre tiene un balcón el balcón tiene una dama la dama una blanca flor. Ha pasado un caballero -¡quién sabe por qué pasó!- y se ha llevado la plaza con su torre y su balcón con su balcón y su dama su dama y su blanca flor. | The plaza has a tower tower has a balcony The balcony has a lady The lady has a white flower. A gentleman has passed by -Who knows why he passed the tower- And he has taken the plaza, with its tower and its balcony, with its balcony and its lady, its lady and her white flower. |
More on poet Antonio Machado’s life here.
Abril (Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| El chamariz en el chopo. -¿Y qué más? El chopo en el cielo azul. – ¿Y qué más? El cielo azul en el agua. – ¿Y qué más? El agua en la hojita nueva. – ¿Y qué más? La hojita nueva en la rosa. – ¿Y qué más? La rosa en mi corazón. – ¿Y qué más? ¡Mi corazón en el tuyo! | The songbird in the poplar. -And what else? The poplar in the blue sky. -And what else? The blue sky on the water. -And what else? The water in the new leaf. -And what else? The new leaf on the rose. -And what else? The rose in my heart. -And what else? My heart in yours! |
More on poet Juan Ramón Jiménez’s life here.
Mariposa del aire (Federico GarcÃa Lorca ~ Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Mariposa del aire, qué hermosa eres. Mariposa del aire, dorada y verde. Luz del candil, mariposa del aire, ¡quédate ahÃ, ahÃ, ahÃ! No te quieres parar, pararte no quieres. Mariposa del aire dorada y verde. Luz de candil, mariposa del aire ¡quédate ahÃ, ahÃ, ahÃ! ¡Quédate ahÃ! Mariposa, ¿estás ahÃ? | Butterfly in the air How beautiful you are. Butterfly in the air gilded and green. Light of the lamp, butterfly in the air, stay there, there, there! You don’t want to stop, to stop, you don’t want. Butterfly in the air, gilded and green. Light of the lamp, butterfly in the air, stay there, there, there! Stay there! Butterfly, are you there? |
More on poet Federico GarcÃa Lorca’s life here.
Dame la mano (Gabriela Mistral, Chile)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Dame la mano y danzaremos; dame la mano y me amarás. Como una sola flor seremos, como una flor, y nada más… El mismo verso cantaremos, al mismo paso bailarás. Como una espiga ondularemos, como una espiga, y nada más. Te llamas Rosa y yo Esperanza; pero tu nombre olvidarás, porque seremos una danza en la colina y nada más… | Give me your hand and we shall dance; give me your hand and you shall love me. Like one flower we shall be, like a flower, and nothing more . . . We shall sing the same verse, you shall dance at the same pace. Like a spike we shall undulate like a spike, and nothing more. Your name is Rose and mine is Hope, but you shall forget your name, because we shall become a dance atop the hill and nothing more . . . |
More about poet Gabriela Mistral’s life here.
Parejas (Gloria Fuertes, Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Cada abeja con su pareja. Cada pato con su pata. Cada loco con su tema. Cada tomo con su tapa. Cada tipo con su tipa. Cada pito con su flauta. Cada foco con su foca. Cada plato con su taza. Cada rÃo con su rÃa. Cada gato con su gata. Cada lluvia con su nube. Cada nube con su agua. Cada niño con su niña. Cada piñón con su piña. Cada noche con su alba. | Every bee with its pair Every duck with its duck Every fool with his song Every book with its cover Every guy with his gal. Every whistle with its flute. Every lens with its seal. Every plate with its cup. Every river with its stream. Every kit with its cat. Every rain with its cloud. Every cloud with its water. Every boy with his girl. Every cone with its pineapple. Every night with its dawn. |
More about Gloria Fuerte’s life here.
Sobre el cuerpo de la luna (Miguel Hernández, Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Sobre el cuerpo de la luna nadie pone su calor. Frente a frente sol y luna entre la luna y el sol que se buscan y no se hallan tú y yo. Pero por fin se hallarán nos hallaremos, amor, y el mundo será redondo hacia nuestro corazón. | On the body of the moon No one places their heat Face to face the sun and moon Face to face the sun and moon Seeking and not finding one another You and I. But they’ll find each other some day We will find one another, my love And the world with be round Toward our heart. |
More about poet Miguel Hernández here.
El sapo verde (Carmen Gil, Spain)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Ese sapo verde se esconde y se pierde; asà no lo besa ninguna princesa. Porque con un beso él se hará princeso o prÃncipe guapo; ¡y quiere ser sapo! No quiere reinado, ni trono dorado, ni enorme castillo, ni manto amarillo. Tampoco lacayos ni tres mil vasallos. Quiere ver la luna desde la laguna. Una madrugada lo encantó alguna hada; y asà se ha quedado: sapo y encantado. Disfruta de todo: se mete en el lodo saltándose, solo, todo el protocolo. Y le importa un pito si no está bonito cazar un insecto; ¡que nadie es perfecto! ¿Su regio dosel? No se acuerda de él. ¿Su sábana roja? Prefiere una hoja. ¿Su yelmo y su escudo? Le gusta ir desnudo. ¿La princesa Eliana? Él ama a una rana. A una rana verde que salta y se pierde y mira la luna desde la laguna. | The green toad hides so you’ll miss him; So that no princess will kiss him Because with a kiss He’ll turn into a handsome prince; and he wants to be a toad! He doesn’t want a kingdom, nor a golden throne, nor a giant castle, nor a yellow robe. Neither lackeys Nor three thousand vassals. He just wants to look at the moo from the lagoon. One early morning some fairy bewitched him; And now he remains A toad and delighted. Enjoying it all: playing in the mud hopping alone, The whole protocol. And he isn’t bothered Because he’s not pretty. He’ll hunt an insect; No one is perfect! And his regal canopy? He doesn’t remember it. His red bedsheet? He prefers a leaf. His helmet and shield? He likes to go naked. And princess Eliana? He now loves a frog. A green frog who jumps and hides and looks at the moon from the lagoon. |
More about poet Carmen Gil here.
Si me quieres, quiéreme entera (Dulce MarÃa Loynaz, Cuba)
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Si me quieres, quiéreme entera, no por zonas de luz o sombra… Si me quieres, quiéreme negra y blanca, y gris, verde, y rubia, Quiéreme dÃa, quiéreme noche… ¡Y madrugada en la ventana abierta!… Si me quieres, no me recortes: ¡Quiéreme toda… O no me quieras! | If you love me, love me whole not by zones of light or shadow… if you love me, love me black and white, and gray and green and blond, love me day, love me night… and in the morning with the open window! If you love me, don’t break me in pieces: love me whole… Or do not love me at all. |
More about poet Dulce MarÃa Loynaz here.
Llamitas Spanish Curriculum
To continue your poetic journey with your little linguist, be sure to explore our Llamitas Spanish Curriculum levels where you will find academic, beautiful and culturally authentic materials for raising bilingual kids.
Poetry is woven throughout every level of our curriculum, which is rooted in Hispanic culture. Students learn authentic Spanish nursery rhymes, songs, and poems.
At Llamitas Spanish®, we set your child up for success by making language learning fun and meaningful. Explore our curriculum levels and start teaching your child Spanish at home today!
Related posts:
10 Ways to Say I Love You in Spanish
Spanish Children’s Books About Love & Friendship
Top 10 Spanish Valentine’s Day Songs for Kids
Maya is an artist and freelance writer from Cuba who has worked in Art Education, Language Education, Simultaneous Interpretation, Subtitling, and Literary Translations. She is also a Mom and Abuela, committed to providing resources for homeschooling parents (such as her own daughter!) and to all who value the conservation of her beautiful, native Spanish language.