A RED, RED ROSE
By Robert Burns (1759-1796)
O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O my luve is like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
And I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while.
And I will come again my luve,
Tho it were ten thousand miles.
An Analysis of “A Red, Red Rose”
Theory: Structuralism
Stanza 1:
O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O my luve is like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
The speaker is comparing the poem into two part, the first comparing his love to a rose. His love that always beautiful like a red rose for him and the second comparing his love to a melody which has a beautiful rhythmic movement. The speaker also uses repetition like in word “my luve's like” in lines 1 and 3, “that's newly” and “ that's sweetly” in lines 2 and 4.
Stanza 2:
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
so deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
The speaker addresses the young lady as bonnie (pretty). Bonnie is derived from the French word bon (good). In this poem also there’s repetition, in “luve” (line 2 and 3), and in the last line of the stanza, a' means all and gang means go. In this line 3 and 4 gives mean of the poem hyperbole (exaggerates)
Stanza 3:
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
and the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
while the sands o’ life shall run.
The speaker links the first line of the third stanza with the last line of the second stanza by repetition. The speaker continues hyperbole in the second lines (the rocks melt wi’ the sun) and the fourth lines (the sands o’ life shall run). He also again gives the repetition in the third line by repeating in the third line of the second stanza.
Stanza 4:
And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve,
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Thou’ were ten thousand mile!
The speaker again purposes to his beloved, noting that though he must leave her for a while he will return for her even if he must travel ten thousand miles. There is repetition in the first and second lines, and hyperbole occurs in the last line. Fare-thee-weel means fare thee well.