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Poem
2. A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns
Summary
In
the lyrical ballad "A Red, Red Rose," the speaker expresses his
profound love for his beloved and makes promises of eternal devotion. Through
vivid imagery and literary devices, the poet beautifully portrays the intensity
and sincerity of the speaker's feelings.
In
the first stanza, the speaker compares his beloved to a red rose, symbolizing
her beauty and freshness. He also likens her to a sweet melody, emphasizing the
delightful and enchanting nature of her presence in his life. This comparison
of the beloved with precious and beautiful things is a common poetic technique
used to convey the depth of affection and admiration.
Moving
to the second stanza, the speaker continues to praise his beloved's beauty and
affectionately calls her "my bonny lass." He pledges his love to her,
proclaiming that he will continue loving her until the seas run dry. This
metaphorical promise signifies the eternal nature of his love, as the seas going
dry is an impossible event.
In
the third stanza, the speaker reinforces his vow of eternal love, stating that
he will continue loving her until the rocks melt with the heat of the sun. This
poetic hyperbole further emphasizes the everlasting nature of his affection.
The speaker's words are a testament to the unwavering commitment and devotion
he feels towards his beloved.
In
the final stanza, the poem takes a poignant turn as the speaker bids farewell
to his beloved during a temporary separation. Despite the distance, he wishes
her a good life and a bright future, showing his care and concern for her
well-being. The parting is a challenging time for lovers, and the speaker's
words reflect the bittersweet emotions that come with such farewells.
Despite
the temporary separation, the speaker reassures his beloved of his enduring
love by promising to return, even if the journey is long and time-consuming.
This reaffirms the commitment and dedication he has towards their relationship.
The poem concludes on a hopeful note, with the speaker's promise serving as a
beacon of hope and assurance for the future.
In
summary, "A Red, Red Rose" is a heartfelt and tender expression of
love. Through rich imagery and heartfelt promises, the speaker conveys the
intensity and sincerity of his affection for his beloved. The poem explores the
timeless theme of love's enduring nature, and its words resonate with readers,
evoking emotions of love, devotion, and hope. The timeless beauty of the verses
ensures that the poem remains an enduring declaration of love for generations
to come.
Understanding the
text
Answer the following questions.
a. To which two things does the speaker
compare his love in the first stanza?
The poem 'A Red, Red Rose' is about the speaker's lovable feelings
for his beautiful beloved. The speaker's passion for his beloved is extremely
strong. He compares his beloved to June's fresh red rose and the sweet melody
of a tune. His beloved is as wonderful as the red rose and the soft tuned
melody.
The speaker compares his beloved to the young,
delicate and lovely red rose of July in the first stanza. And, he compares his
beloved to a sweet melody that is sweetly played in tune. He
wants to love his beloved forever, which is why he makes different
promises.
b. What does the speaker promise in the second
and third stanzas?
In the second and third stanzas, the speaker promises unusual
things to his beloved. He vows to love his beloved until the earthly seas have
dried up, the fire of the sun has melted the rock, and human life is over. He
wants to be and love her until the earthly seas go dry, rocks melt, and human
life ends, which indicate that he will love for ever.
The speaker praises her beauty calling her my bonny lass in
the second stanza and also makes very adorable pledges linked to his love for
her. He is in deep love with her as she is very beautiful. The poet expresses
his love towards his beloved with very flattery words as express by lovers. His
words are like promises that he will love her forever, because neither sun
could melt the rock nor the seas go dry.
c. What imagery does he use in his promise,
and why do you think he uses such language?
He uses imagery of the dry seas, melted rocks and the end
of human life in his promises. He also uses an illustration of a long journey. The
poet expresses his promises towards his beloved with very flattery words as
express by lovers.
His
words are like promises that he will love her forever, because neither sun
could melt the rock nor the seas go dry. And there is no any possibility of the
extinction of human beings from the planet. He promises to be with her, no matter how long the journey takes. He
uses such words because his love for her is so deep and true.
d. In the last stanza, what event is about to
happen by mentioning the number of miles?
'A
Red, Red Rose' as a symbol of love, the poet painted a very artistic picture of
his deep love. He did this with his extreme emotions to strengthen his deep
feelings for her. At the end, he promises to return even if he has to travel
thousands of miles to win her back.
The event of reunion is about to happen by
mentioning the number of miles. The speaker promises to return to her life
after a brief temporary separation with his beloved, though the journey takes
long.
e. Which image in the poem do you find the
most memorable or surprising and why?
The speaker is in deep love with his beloved. He praises
that he's going to love her until the entire sea go dry of this planet. In this
stanza, the poet expresses his love towards his beloved with very flattery
words as express by lovers. His words or promises that he will love her
forever, because neither sun could melt the rock nor the seas go dry. And there
is no any possibility of the extinction of human beings from the planet.
The most memorable and surprising image in the
poem is 'Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear', which means the entire seas
throughout the world go dry. The speaker promises in a very interesting way. It
makes everyone shocked, from where such crazy ideas come from.
Reference to the
context
a. What can you infer about the speaker’s
devotion to his beloved from the following lines?
And I will come again, my love,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!
These attractive lines
are extracted from Robert Burns's poem 'A Red, Red Rose'. Robert
Burns (1759-1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is considered the
national poet of Scotland and a central figure in Scottish literature. He is
best known as a pioneer of the Romantic Movement for his lyrical poetry.
At the last stanza, during their temporary separation, the
speaker wishes for his beloved to have a good life and bright future. He lets
her farewell. We find the speaker promising his love to return in the final two
lines, even though the journey is too long and takes a very long time. The
lovers often promise such farewell and convince each other to develop
confidence. It's very hard time to lovers to separate from each other.
The speaker is in deep love with his beloved, he
makes such promise with his beloved that he will meet her soon after their
temporary separation. He promises to be with her, no matter how long the
journey takes. When people are in affairs, their short separation also likes
very long time. They even don't want to go to their own home.
b. What is the theme of the poem?
The poem 'A Red,
Red Rose' is a lyrical ballad that describes the speaker’s deep love for his
beloved and promises that this love will last longer than human life. The
beloved of the speaker is as beautiful as the red rose and as sweet as the
music. With the help of the literary devices, the poet has sketched a very
vivid and realistic picture of his profound love.
The speaker's passion for his beloved is extremely strong. His
beloved is as wonderful as the red rose and the soft tuned melody. The speaker promises
unusual things to his beloved. He wants to be and love
her until the earthly seas go dry, rocks melt, and human life ends, which
indicate that he will love for ever. The speaker praises her beauty calling her
my bonny lass and also makes very adorable pledges linked to his love for her.
He is
in deep love with her as she is very beautiful. The bond of love and its feelings is the primary theme of this
poem. It has shown the concept that a love relationship never dies, which
continues forever.
c. Paraphrase the whole poem into simple prose
form.
The speaker is in deep
love with his beloved. His feelings are so deep and true for his beloved. The speaker's lovable feeling for his beautiful beloved is so
real. The speaker's passion for his beloved is extremely strong. His beloved is
as wonderful as the red rose and the soft tuned melody. He wants to love his
beloved forever that is why he makes different promises.
The speaker promises unusual things to his
beloved. He wants to be and love her until the earthly seas go dry, rocks
melt, and human life ends, which indicate that he will love for ever. The
speaker praises her beauty calling her my bonny lass and also makes very
adorable pledges linked to his love for her. He is in deep love with her as she
is very beautiful.
He promises that he will forever love her. He
vows to love and live with her until the oceans have dried up, the rocks have
melted, and human life is over. For a brief moment, he gives her a fine
farewell and wishes to meet her very soon, no matter how long the journey is.
d. Literary devices are tools that enable the
writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help the
readers understand those more profound meanings. Analyse the poem in terms of
the literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration,
and assonance.
Definitely, literary devices are tools that
enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help
the readers understand those more profound meanings.
Simile is a type of figurative language,
language that does not mean exactly what it says, that makes a comparison
between two otherwise unalike objects or ideas by connecting them with the
words 'like' or 'as'. 'My love is like a red, red rose'. In the poem, he
compares his beloved with July's beautiful fresh red rose.
Symbolism is a literary
device that uses symbols, whether words, people, marks, places, or abstract
ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning. Love, here symbolizes
the immortal relationship in this poem.
Image is a word or phrase in a literary text
that appeals directly to the reader's taste, touch, hearing, sight, or smell.
An image is thus any vivid or picturesque phrase that evokes a particular
sensation in the reader's mind. Here, the images of red roses, dry seas, melted
rocks, the end of human life, and farewell.
Alliteration is a pattern of sound that includes
the repetition of consonant sounds. It is the repetition of the same
consonant sound at the beginning of words in a sentence or a line of poetry. For
example: O, my love is like a red, red rose.
Assonance, or 'vowel rhyme', is the repetition
of vowel sounds across a line of text or poetry. The words have to be near
enough to each other that the similar vowel sounds are noticeable. Assonance is
a looser alternative to strict rhymes. For example: O, my love is
like a red, red rose.
e. What is hyperbole? Explain its purpose citing examples of
hyperbole used in the poem.
Hyperbole
deliberates exaggeration used to produce heightened dramatic effects or
humorous or ironic effects. It is an extravagant exaggeration. In literature,
such exaggeration is used for emphasis or vivid descriptions. In drama,
hyperbole is quite common, especially in heroic drama. Many other examples of
hyperbole can be found in the romance fiction and comedy genres. Hyperbole is
even a part of our day-to-day speech: 'You’ve grown like a bean sprout’ or ‘I’m
older than the hills'.
Hyperbole
is used to increase the effect of a description, whether it is metaphoric or
comic. In poetry, hyperbole can emphasize or dramatize a person’s opinions or
emotions. Skilled poets use hyperbole to describe intense emotions and mental
states. For example: 'I waited forever by the phone'. It means waiting someone's phone calls for
longer time but does not mean forever or whole life.
In
the second and third stanza we find the use of hyperbole where the speaker
claimed:
"And I will love thee still my dear, Till a' the seas gang
dry"
"And the rocks melt wi' the sun!"
"While the sands o' life shall run"
In
the above lines, the speaker seems to be exaggerating his emotions to
illustrate his desire to love her forever. The speaker promises to his beloved
to love until all the seas go dry, until the sun could melt the rock and
extinction of the human beings from the earth. All these expression does not
mean exactly as word expresses but it only shows his firmness and faithfulness
in his love towards her.
f. What is refrain? Why is it used in the poem? Explain citing
an example from the poem.
In
a poem or song, a refrain is a line or group of lines that regularly repeat,
usually at the end of a stanza in a poem or at the end of a verse in a song. In
a speech or other prose writing, a refrain can refer to any phrase that repeats
a number of times within the text.
Refrains
can be one or more lines, though in some cases they can be as short as a few
words or even a single word. Although refrains generally use the same language
every time they're repeated in a poem, the language may vary slightly between
repetitions.
A
poem may have more than one refrain. Some poems, however, may repeat the
refrain more sporadically. It may contain minor changes in wording or sequence.
It contributes to the rhyme and throws light on the ideas which a
poet wants to emphasize. The refrains make the poem easier to learn
and remember.
Most poets use it for the sake of asserting its
importance while enhancing the meter or rhythm of the
literary work itself. It makes reading more choral and more musical. For
example:
As fair art thou,
my bonny lass,
So deep in love am
I,
And I will love
thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas
gang dry.
These
bold lines often repeated in the poem which gives emphasize the speakers'
motive and create musical impact in the poem.
Reference beyond the
text
a. What kind of love is expressed in "A Red, Red
Rose"?
The
poem 'A Red, Red Rose' is a lyrical ballad that describes the speaker’s deep
love for his beloved and promises that this love will last longer than human
life. The beloved of the speaker is as beautiful as the red rose and as sweet
as the music. With the help of the literary devices, the poet has sketched a
very vivid and realistic picture of his deep love.
The speaker devotes his life to his loved one, who is
charming and beautiful. The love feelings of the speaker for his beloved are so
sturdy. The speaker compares the dazzling, fresh and delicate red rose of June
to his beloved one. Then, the speaker compares his beloved with a sweet melody
that is played in tune with sweetness.
The speaker praises her beauty calling her my bonny lass
and also makes very adorable pledges linked to his love for her. He is in deep
love with her, according to the speaker, because she is very heart touching. He
praises that he's going to love her until the entire sea go dry of this planet.
The speaker's promises keeps going to love his beloved
until the rocks of this world are melted by the rays of the sun. Until the end
of human life, he would love her. His words are like promises that he will love
her forever, because neither sun could melt the rock nor the seas go dry.
During their temporary separation, the speaker wishes for
his beloved to have a good life and bright future. He lets her farewell. We
find the speaker promising his love to return in the final two lines, even
though the journey is too long and takes a very long time. It's hard time for
lovers to separate from each other.
b. Do you think that love has power? Why do the poets compose
poems addressing their beloved?
Of
course, love has power. The language of love can be spoken in many ways. Love
is the many emotions that we experience affection and care. Honesty,
responsibility, and trust constitute love. Love is the most significant
thing in human’s life. Each science and every single literature masterwork
will tell you about it.
Humans
are also social animals. We lived for centuries with this way of life, we were
depended on one another to tell us how our clothes fit us, how our body is
whether healthy or emaciated. All these we get the honest opinions of those who
love us, those who care for us and make our happiness supreme. Love is a unique
gift for shaping us and our life. Therefore, we can say that love is a basic
need of life. It plays a vital role in our life, society, and relation. It
gives us energy and motivation in a difficult time.
Large
numbers of poets composed the love poem, which gives the true account of the
poets. It is a trending culture around the world as well. People or readers
love such poems immensely, that encourages the poet to compose such poem. And
there is no doubt that they start first from their own experiences. As a
result, they start addressing their loved ones because they want to write their
own love experiences and share with others. Their love experience motivates them
to be the best and renowned around the world.
c. Poetry is the expression of feeling and emotions. Explain
Poetry
writing allows one to express themselves through the written word. This is a
great way to release pent up emotion, exercise creativity, and share thoughts
and ideas with other people. So poetry is the representation of thoughts and
feelings that enables people to express themselves in writing. Poetry is a
perfect way to relieve emotions, practice imagination, and exchange ideas and
thoughts with others.
Writing
poetry in just a few words is an art, a way of communicating and seeking
meaning. A melody of passion that flows through the pages, words that flow
into each other and still convey the innermost feelings and emotions of those
who read the words. Via a few lines of verse, poets can readily express their
inner thoughts and emotions. The poets' works have a profound sense of human
thoughts and emotions. The poetic lines create incredible definitions of the
feeling of man.
Poets
hold power to explain those intimate moments of the life of a human being. The
poets hold power to pour their emotions into a poem conceptually and explain
the deep states and movements of the spirit. They likewise translate the emotions
to a concrete language that demonstrates the same complex and subtle realities
of the human soul.
So,
it is not only joy that poets can communicate with their verses, but also
sadness, despair, anguish, pain, doubt, hatred, love, compassion, desire,
admiration, faith, veneration, and hope. They can also communicate all the
feelings and emotions that, in general, can have a place in the soul of a human
being.
Best of Luck
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