A RED, RED ROSE

Robert Burns
I
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.

II
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.

III
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.

IV
And fare thee weel, my only love
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my love.
Tho´ it were ten thousand mile!
YOUR RESPONSE:
1.- Do you feel that love is like a red rose? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
In simplified words for me love represents the naturalness, simplicity and beauty of a rose, in the
same way the red rose demonstrates the admiration, affection and respect you feel for a person.
2.- How does the speaker describe his love in the first stanza?
In the first stanza the writer describes the mellowness of his love and how in that month it began to
arise, and that for him it is memorable to remember him as June marked him for the rest of his life.
3.- According to the second and third stanzas, how long will the speaker love his “bonny lass”?
His feelings have no limits towards love, so, as the wolf protects his sheep with so much
appreciation, which he feels, that even if time passes, he will continue to love her with the same
intensity that he loved her from the beginning.
4.- What does the speaker vow to do in the final stanza?
In the last stanza the writer promises to love her again, even if his life or his feelings take another
direction, he can love her again with the same cordiality.
5.- What do the similes, or explicit comparisons, in the first stanza suggest about the speaker´s
feelings?
For example, in the first stanza, the first line “O, my love is like a red, red rose” the poet compares
his beloved with a red rose.
In the third line, “O, my love is like the melody”, the poet compares his love with sweet melody.
6.- How does the speaker use concrete images, or word pictures, to help express his feelings in the
third stanza?
In the third stanza, the second and third line, the poet uses visual imagery such as “The rocks melt
wi´ the sun” and “whiles the sands o´ life shall run´.
I think he uses that language the imagery of dry seas, melted rocks because his love is so true and
deep for his beloved.
7.- What does the vow that the speaker makes in the final stanza reveal about the depth of his love
for his “bonny lass”?
The poet reveals in the last stanza that the promise of his love will endure for the rest of his life.
8.- Why do you think that a red rose is often used to symbolize, or represent, love?