A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

Full Text

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

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve 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 Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.

Overview

Burns blends folk-song simplicity with bold hyperbole to promise a love that outlasts time and distance.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1-8

Love is compared to fresh beauty and music, then affirmed as deep and enduring.

Lines 9-16

The speaker vows constancy beyond natural limits, ending with a bittersweet farewell.

Themes

• Love
• Constancy
• Beauty
• Distance
• Time

Literary Devices

Simile

Luve's like a red, red rose — Sensual, vivid comparison of love to beauty.

Hyperbole

Till a’ the seas gang dry — Exaggeration emphasizes devotion.

Historical Context

Burns adapted traditional song forms and Scots dialect to create a lyric that became one of his most popular love poems.