Lyrical Poetry: Robert Burn’s “A Red Rose” – A Pure Lyric of Love

A poet of lyric poetry expresses his own thoughts and sentiments in short, easy and simple form. Such poetry is very easy to understand compared to what is called “metaphysical” poetry but is difficult to compose.

Lyrics come directly from the heart of the poet and therefore can go straight to the heart of the reader. Browning’s Home Thoughts from Abroad and Mansfield’s Sea Fever are some of the powerful lyrics in the history of English literature. Both lyrics express the feeling of love and longings for home and places.

The favorite topic of lyrics and lyrical poetry has always been love. Robert Burn’s poem A Red Rose is best example of such lyric of love.

A Red Rose

“O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June.
O, my love is like the melodie
That’s sweetly played in tune.

A fair art thou, my bonny lass,
So deep in love am I,
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till all the seas gang dry.

Till all the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun!
And I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands of life shall run.

And fare thee well, my only love!
And fare thee well a while!
And I will come again, my love,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.”

-- Robert Burn

It is purely lyric poem which is entirely of heart and not of intellect. But you can imagine that much labor and skills might have gone after its composition. It touches the heart of the reader. Because of its directness and simplicity, is has secured its place as one of the greatest lyrical poetry of the world.