Litany

“Song of Songs” by King Solomon (Old Testament)

This blazon has been interpreted in a variety of way given its religious context.

“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare (1609)

Shakespeare’s famous love sonnet which follows a similar arc to “Litany,” blending tongue-in-cheek humor with poignant expression.

“This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams (1938)

Referenced by Collins’s metaphor about plums on the counter, Williams’s extremely unconventional love poem celebrates the domestic pleasures and tiny moments of selfishness within long-term relationships.

“Aimless Love” by Billy Collins (2002)

Another poem which appeared in the same collection as “Litany,” which also explores an unconventional perspective on love.

“The bird and the hour” by Elizabeth Kandall (2022)

American poet Elizabeth Kandall offers her interpretation of Billy Collins’s “Litany.”

“Billy Collins on How to Write Poetry” by Billy Collins

Billy Collins discusses his foundational advice for beginning poets and the importance of exploring great masterworks of poetry.

“Emotion Metaphors and Literary Texts: The Case of Shakespeare’s Sonnets” by Kathrin Bethke

An exploration of metaphor in the literary tradition of love poems, examined through the lens of Shakespearean sonnets.