A Red, Red Rose

O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my love is like the melody,
That’s sweetly played in tune.

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.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun!
I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my love,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!

                            – Robert Burns

GLOSSARY

a’ (det.): short form of the word ‘all’
art (v.): an older form of the word ‘are’
bonny (adj.): attractive, beautiful
gang (v.): ‘go’ in Scottish
lass (n.): a girl or young woman
o’ (prep.): short form of the word ‘of’
weel (prep.): an older form of the word ‘well’
thee (pro.): an older form of the word ‘you’
tho’ (conj.): though
thou (pro.): an older form of the word ‘you’
wi’ (prep.): short form of the word ‘with’

Summary plus Interpretation of the Poem

The poem “A Red, Red Rose” is a popular lyric song written in 4 quatrains full of rhythm and rhyme that provide it its musical quality. Composed by Robert Burns, 18^th century Scottish poet, this poem is about a lover’s deep and everlasting love for his beloved.  

The speaker in the poem is a young lover. He compares his beloved with a freshly bloomed red rose and a sweetly played melody, suggesting that his beloved is a beautiful and sweet girl. He further asserts that his love is deep and true, and promises to keep loving her till the seas dry up and the rocks melt away, suggesting that he will love her everlastingly.

The speaker finally bids farewell to his beloved as he is going away from her, but he adds that he will be gone for only a short time. He promises to return soon although he may be ten thousand miles away.

Use of Simile in the Poem

Simile is a literary device which makes indirect comparison between two things using the words like ‘like’ or ‘as’. The famous lines “O, my love is like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June / O my love is like the melody / That’s sweetly played in tune.” is a good example of simile. The poet compares his beloved with a red rose and a sweet melody using the word ‘like’, which is an indirect comparison called simile in literature.