A Red Red Rose

A Red Red Rose

Features of Burns Poems :

Like Shelley, Robert Burns is a born singer and sings with the ease of a melodious artist. His songs are as natural and as free as that of a bird because they are unlaboured and direct cry of heart. Burn’s another feature is that there is subjectctivity in each of his poems.

Keynote of the Poem :

The present poem ‘My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose’ is a perfect and supreme example of love lyric. Here the poet expresses his ardent and personal experience of his love fore his beloved. When we read this poem, we come to know that there is a touch of Elizabethan song in it. Burns belongs to the romantic age and the doors of romantic age open with his entry in the field of literature.

Summary of the Poem :

The poem is in four simple stanzas. In the very first stanza the poet says that his love for his beloved is just like a red rose. And it is as fresh as is the month of June. Again, he compares his love with music because music has power to bring harmony and unity. See –

“My love is like a red red rose
 ------------------------------
My love is like the melodie.”

In the second stanza the poet calls his beloved both ‘fair’ and ‘bold’. On his side he is also in deep love. See –

“So deep in love am I”

In the last two lines he shows his firmness and strong determination by saying that –

“And I will love thee Till a seas gang dries.”

In the third stanza we read that the poet repeats the same line of the second stanza. It shows his strong passion. He knows path of true love is not smooth. But he is ready to face any obstacle. His love is infinite. This stanza is full of promise as he says –

“The rocks melt wi’ the sunAnd I will love thee still my dear
While the sands of life shall run.”

In the last stanza the poet bids farewell with the hope that –

“And I will come again, my love
Tho’ it were ten thousand miles.”

The Poem Has All Features of Lyric :

Poet’s love is pure and selfless. There seems a sense of sacrifice from poet’s side. Like Surrey’s – “I Find No Peace” the poem is purely subjective. It has all the features of a lyric – it is spontaneous, natural, simple, short, melodious with a beautiful rhyme scheme ( a b b a ). The poet has used ‘rose’ which is the symbol of love, serenity and sacrifice.

The Poem Is a Mirror of Pure Love :

Here we would like to use the words of Compton Rickett – “There is a royal ease about Burns at his best, and he sings as naturally as he breaths. Besides, we can say that here Burns’ soul comes out fullest, freest and brightest. The poem is a mirror of the poet’s pure love foe his beloved where there is a faithful expression of his love.

True Poem From Wordsworth’s Point Of View :

Here Wordsworth’s words also prove true as he says, “The true poem means it comes from the heart and goes together.” Like a true lyric the language of this poem is very simple and full of ease. We feel the effect of the  poem as the poet felt it. The true lyric comes out from the heart of the poet as the leaves come to the tree. In other words the lyric comes out of the poet’s heart as the water comes out from the mountain. The present poem also comes naturally and comes with ease. Thus it is a true poem from Wordsworth’s point of view.

Briefing:
 Burns’ thoghts are as free as that of innocent child.
 He is as free as that of a bird.
 His language is like a natural flow of water.
 Burns’ song is just like that of a bird.
 Burns is a harbinger of true lyric.
 His approach towards lyric is just like that of Shelley, he is more melodious than Shelley.
 Like a child’s cry, Burns’ song is very innocent and pure.

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