A Red, Red Rose

by Robert Burns · 1794 · 1 min de lectura · 16 líneas

En pocas palabras

“A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns is a love poem about deep affection, lasting devotion, and the promise to return after parting. It begins with two comparisons: the speaker’s love is like a fresh red rose in June and like a melody played sweetly in tune. These images give love both beauty and harmony. The speaker then turns toward the beloved, praising her beauty and promising that his love will last until the seas dry up. The promise grows larger as he imagines rocks melting in the sun, then becomes personal through the image of life’s running sands. In the final stanza, he says farewell for a while but promises to return, even across ten thousand miles.

O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,That’s newly sprung in June:O, my luve’s like the melodieThat’s sweetly play’d in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,So deep in luve am I:And I will luve 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 luve 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,Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Qué significa, línea por línea

Líneas 1 a 4: The speaker compares his love to a newly blooming June rose and a sweet, tuneful melody. One comparison appeals to sight, the other to hearing. Together, they present love as fresh, beautiful, and harmonious, while the repeated opening gives the declaration a songlike rhythm.

Líneas 5 a 8: Addressing the beloved directly, the speaker connects her beauty with the depth of his feeling. He then promises to keep loving her until every sea has dried up. This impossible endpoint stretches the promise beyond ordinary time, making his devotion sound boundless.

Líneas 9 a 12: The speaker repeats the image of dry seas and adds rocks melting under the sun. These extreme changes suggest a love that could outlast the familiar world. The running sands then bring the promise back to his own lifetime: he will love as long as he lives.

Líneas 13 a 16: The closing stanza reveals a parting. By describing the farewell as temporary, the speaker balances sadness with reassurance. His promise to come back, even over ten thousand miles, turns the earlier claims of lasting love into a specific pledge to overcome distance.

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Tres preguntas para reflexionar

How do the rose and melody comparisons shape your sense of the speaker’s love?
What effect does repeating the image of the seas drying up have on the speaker’s promise?
How does the final farewell change the meaning of the promises in the earlier stanzas?

Gratis durante 3 meses

200.000+ clásicos. Todos los formatos, gratis para empezar.

eBooks y resúmenes de 15 minutos, y cualquier libro impreso a precio de coste, también en letra grande.

Empieza gratisSe renueva cada año · Cancela cuando quieras

Siguiente poemaTo His Coy MistressAndrew Marvell · 1 min de lectura