A Red, Red Rose

"A Red, Red Rose" begins by describing the speaker's love for a loved one using lovely but fleeting pictures.

The speaker opens with a vision of the beloved that stresses her youth and beauty, implying an ardent love that will wane over time. Meanwhile, suggesting that the speaker's love for her is like a blooming rose emphasizes that this is a new relationship, complete with the freshness and excitement of a blossoming passion. If the speaker's love is like a new rose, it may not stay long.

The speaker then compares this love to "a melody / That's sweetly played in tune". However, as much as flowers fade, instruments can become out of tune. However, the speaker goes on to underline how long this love will endure. The speaker utilizes three images to determine how long these sentiments of love will last: the seas drying up, the rocks melting, and the sands of life running out. It appears that the speaker's love, rather than lasting only as long as a flower, will survive far longer than human life.

In the final verse, the speaker bids farewell to the beloved, as if he is about to embark on a journey. This vow implies that, just as great periods cannot exhaust the speaker's love for the beloved, neither can a long distance keep him apart from her. And the length of this journey suddenly appears to be short—just "awhile"—in comparison to the speaker's love's near-infinite longevity. It appears, then, that the speaker's love is strong enough to make earthly obstacles (such as physical distance) seem inconsequential. The final stanza's farewell emphasizes the speaker's main point: love that lasts forever also allows for change throughout time.

Some Important Questions

1. What is refrain? Why is it used in the poem? Explain citing an example from the poem.

ans: Refrain is a poetic device in poetry that focuses solely on repeated lines at a set distance. It is utilized to reinforce the main theme of a poem. It is also utilized to accentuate something and provide rhythm to the poem. We notice a refrain in this poem in the second, third, and fourth stanzas, which are as follows:

– And I will love thee still, my dear
– Till a’ the seas gang dry
– And fare thee weel

2. 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!

ans: This lovely, optimistic sentence comes from Robert Burns' love poem "A Red, Red Rose." This sentence appears near the end of the fourth stanza. Here, the speaker is deeply in love with his sweetheart. He promises his girlfriend that no matter how long the voyage, he will return to her life.

3. What is the theme of the poem?

ans: The central theme of "A Red, Red Rose" is the power of love. In this poem, the speaker desires to underline not just his love for his beloved, but also the strength of that love and its ability to persevere even in the most difficult of situations. The speaker is so in love with his "bonnie lass"—or beautiful young woman—that he promises to love her till the seas run dry.