How does the speaker in "A Red, Red Rose" express his undying love?
The speaker expresses his undying love for his beloved in the following ways: First, he compares her to a beautiful red rose. This in itself does not speak to undying love, but the speaker goes on to make comparisons that illustrate how completely devoted he is to her. He says his love is so deep that it will last until the seas go dry. He also says he will love her until the rocks of the earth melt—until the end of time.
He bids farewell to his love at the end of the poem, but promises he will come back to her, even if he has to travel 10,000 miles to do so.
The speaker uses hyperbole (exaggeration) to reassure his beloved that he will stay true to her despite heading out on a journey. He wants there to be no question in her mind of how much he loves...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
her and how loyal he is.
What does the speaker in "A Red, Red Rose" compare his love to?
The speaker says that his love is "like a red, red rose, / That's newly sprung in June." This is what's called a simile, a figure of speech that compares one thing to another of a very different kind using the word "like" or "as." It's quite common in love poetry to use the rose as a symbol of love. Burns also emphasizes the passionate nature of that love by repeating the adjective "red." This isn't just any old love; this is love of a particularly burning intensity. And the passion with which he's been seized also seems to have come out of nowhere; it's sprung up suddenly like a new rose in June.
The speaker then goes on to describe his love as being like "the melodie, / That's sweetly play'd in tune." Once more, the intensity of this love is emphasized. There's nothing quite like a sweet melody to stir the passions. Crucially, however, this melody's played in tune, implying not just the sweetness of the melody but also the harmony that exists between the speaker and his lover.
References
How does the speaker express love in "A Red, Red Rose"?
The speaker praises his love by calling her a “bonnie lass” and by insisting on the incredible depth and long-lasting nature of his love for her. He begins the poem by saying that his “Luve is like a red, red rose,” and it could be that he is referring to his feeling of love or to his lover: perhaps it is both. In potentially referring to her, he certainly refers to her beauty by comparing her, via a simile, to this flower, one associated with love and romance. He also likely refers to her vitality and lively nature because the rose he describes is so very red, so red that he repeats the word.
Further, the speaker compares his “Luve” to “the melody / That’s sweetly played in tune.” Again, whether he refers to the emotion of love or his actual lover, or both, is unclear, so in the sense that he could refer to her person or character, he seems to praise her by suggesting that she is sweet, clear, and satisfying. She pleases both the eyes, like a rose in full bloom, and the ears, like a tuneful song.
The speaker also praises his love by promising that he will love her even until “the seas gang dry” or until “the rocks melt wi’ the sun” and for as long as “the sands o’ life shall run.” She must truly be someone special for him to believe that he would love her until the very elements of the earth begin to dissolve and crumble and melt, or until his own life force should ebb.
What declarations does the speaker make to his love in "A Red, Red Rose"?
In Robert Burns's "My Luve Is Like A Red, Red Rose," the speaker makes a number of declarations to his beloved. These include:
a) that she is as beautiful as a "red, red rose" and as beautiful as a "melodie / That's sweetly play'd in tune"'
b) that his love for his beloved is as intense as her beauty: "As fair art thou...So deep in luve am I";
c) that he will love her "'Till a' the seas gang dry," and "the rocks melt wi' the sun," meaning forever;
d) that although he must leave her for a while he will return: "And I will come again, my luve, / Tho' it were ten thousand mile."