Poetic verse has been used for centuries as an outlet for strong emotions and feelings. The elegance of poetry has long been considered more refined than that of prose, and therefore as a better means of conveying strong feelings. Topics such as death, love, hate, beauty and betrayal are common themes, but the poems can also be about almost nothing. One of the most classic themes of poetry is the broad theme of love. A sappy sonnet for a loved one on Valentine's Day, a free verse comparing a broken heart to a broken chicken egg, a haiku about the beauty of one's love in the moonlight, the list goes on and on. In both “The More Loving One” by WH Auden and “No, Thank You, John” by Christina Rossetti the subject of the poem deals with unrequited love, but each from the opposite side of the spectrum. Unrequited love, and the usual heartbreak that comes with it, is one of the most poignant problems a person can face. This lack of emotional reciprocity can be very difficult to deal with, but both poems have satisfying solutions to their problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although the two poems have a similar premise, they differ in perspective. While Rossetti's poetic subject is the object of the desires of a man, John, Auden's poetic subject is a lover “of the stars that give no dam” (l 10). The lack of reciprocated feelings is something the subject grapples with throughout Auden's work. He understands that the stars do not love him and will never love him, regardless of his feelings for them. This can be seen as a direct analogy to loving a person and not receiving love in return. However, Auden clearly knows that when one is in a relationship with another person or animal, unlike the stars, “indifference is the last thing” (l 3) he needs to fear. As Auden contemplates a role reversal between star and man in the second stanza, readers can make inferences about man's emotional history: How would we like the stars to burn With a passion for us that we could not return? If it cannot be equal affection, Let the most loving be me. (ll 5-8) It is man's familiarity with the pain of unrequited love that drives him to be the most loving. He understands anguish so well that he would rather face it himself than wish it on another. The power of his love, though unrequited, is strong enough to allow him to submit to the pain and spare the object of his desire. In the first two stanzas, Auden establishes the man's feelings and how far he would go to achieve the object of his desire. Although the poem is about love for the stars, the results of unrequited love can be translated into a relationship with “man or beast” (l 4). In the second two stanzas, Auden offers comfort to the man: If all the stars disappeared or died, I should learn to look at an empty sky and feel that it is totally dark, sublime, though this may take me some time. (ll 13-16) Man knows that no matter how passionately he burns for his beloved stars, he cannot change how they feel about him. He consoles himself with the fact that time (“give me some time”) will heal all wounds. Although he suffers from his unrequited love, eventually the pain and even the longing will fade away completely. Another wonderful aspect of Auden's work is the images of the stars. Having the stars as the object of man's love, Auden's characterizes the distance and alienation one feels from unrequited love. Could love the stars to the.