Don’t lessen the value of your compliments by offering them too frequently. Instead, I suggest “you are a strong, independent woman” – it goes down much better. In today’s society, where gender norms and expectations have shifted, we don’t have to stick to this one. Always describe her as kind and gentle.If she has been singing or dancing, ask her to do it again, even if you were bored to death. If she’s wearing a nice dress, follow up with ‘aren’t you cold?’ and offer your jacket. Combine them with tender moments of concern and effusive praise.Say something nice about what she is wearing: ‘Purple suits you’, or ‘You look stunning in silk’. On that note, Ovid also has a few words to say on compliments: A footnote should be added to this though: spontaneous poetic compositions are more likely to be successful – make your lover feel special. Ironically, it turns out that, in Ovid’s experience, there aren’t many girls cultured enough to appreciate a poem written by their lover. Roses are red, violets are blue, poems don’t flatter much more than a few.Don’t give her flowers if she has hay fever, for example, or chestnuts if just last week she said she’s gone off them. Take her preferences into consideration.For added sentiment, he suggests you tell your beloved it is from your own country estate (even if you bought it from the Lidl around the corner). Gifts should be small and meaningful, such as a basket of seasonal fruit. In Book 2 of the Ars Amatoria he provides a few guidelines for appropriate and appreciated gifts for men to give their ladies: While he does complain about his lover “nagging for too many presents” (1.10.11-2), Ovid advises that you give a gift when asked. Here, I will relate the best of his advice for students of Classics to utilise. One of his better-known works, the Ars Amatoria (“The Art of Love”), instructs his readers – both male and female – on how to make themselves attractive to, and keep the affections of, their lover.

Ovid, famed for his erotic poetry, is a self-proclaimed expert on love.

The art of love by ovid