Ever heard the expression that a picture (or a song) is worth a thousand words? Well, check out these expressions of love thorughout history. We think these five top the list!
1) The Taj Mahal
Emperor Shah Jahan had this tomb built after his wife, Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to their 14th child. Twenty thousand workmen spent 22 years building the marble and jewel studded tribute. Rumor has it that after construction was complete the Shah had the chief mason's right hand chopped off so the Taj Mahal would remain truly one of a kind. A little extreme, but there's no denying the undying love expressed for the Shah's lost beloved.
2) A girl's best friend
Who can forget the chemistry of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra? Their love extended far beyond the film and will probably last several lifetimes if his love is measured by the jewels he bestowed upon his beloved. Richard's first jewelry purchase for Liz was a 33.19-carat diamond ring in 1968. You can see her wearing it in a number of post-1968 films. Her next bauble was the La Peregrina Pearl for which Burton paid £15,000 ($30,000). For Elizabeth's 40th birthday in 1972 he gave her a heart-shaped diamond known as the Taj-Mahal. For that he remarked, "I would have liked to buy her the Taj-Mahal but it would cost too much to transport." By far the best known of Richard Burton's purchases for Elizabeth was the 69.42-carat pear-shape "Taylor-Burton Diamond." Elizabeth debuted the Taylor-Burton diamond for the first time when she attended Princess Grace's 40th birthday party in Monaco.
3) Please, Layla
While it's a rare occasion that wooing a married man or woman is advisable, this is one case where it worked. Eric Clapton fell madly in love with his friend George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd. He tried to get her to leave his friend for ages, to no avail. His heartache led him to write the song Layla, based on the ancient Persian love poem The Story of Layla and Majnun. The song was a hit and Pattie soon left Harrison to marry Clapton. The two enjoyed nine years of marriage before separating... Apparently, even the biggest romantic gestures can't trump Karma - or addiction.
4) The Gift of the Magi
O. Henry's short story is considered by some to be the most generous - albeit cheapest - romantic gestures ever. The Gift of the Magi is about a poor but desperately in love couple who secretly make huge sacrifices to buy each other Christmas gifts. The man sells his grandfather's gold watch to buy his wife tortoise shell combs for her beautiful hair. The woman cuts off her hair and sells it to a wig maker in order to buy her husband a platinum chain for his watch. In the end, they're even more grateful to simply have each other. Ah, l'amour.
5) Flowers for Marilyn
While they were married for just nine months, Joe DiMaggio never lost his love for Marilyn Monroe. When she died in 1962, he placed a 20-year standing order with a flower shop to have long stemmed roses placed on her grave three times a week. Wow!
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