Robert Burns

Name : Dhruvita Dhameliya

Roll no : 03

Semester : 1

Year : 2021 to 2023

Subject : Neo Classical Literature

Topic : Robert Burns as poet

E-mail ID: dhameliyadhruvita24@gmail.com

Submitted to : S. B. Gardi Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Introduction : 

Robert Burns 

Poet Robert Burns is considered one of the most famous characters of Scotland's cultural history. He is best known as a pioneer of the Romantic movement.

Who Was Robert Burns?

Robert Burns 

Born : 25 January 1759 

Died: 21 July 1796 

NATIONALITY: Scottish

GENRE: Poetry

MAJOR WORKS:

"Auld Lang Syne" (1788)

“The Battle of Sherramuir” (1790)

“Tam o' Shanter” (1791)

“A Red, Red Rose” (1794

He also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns. 

The National Bard, Bard of Ayrshire, the Ploughman Poet and various other names and epithets. He was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

Poet Robert Burns began life as a poor tenant farmer but was able to channel his intellectual energy into poetry and song to become one of the most famous characters of Scotland's cultural history. He is best known as a pioneer of the Romantic movement for his lyrical poetry and his rewriting of Scottish folk songs, many of which are still well known across the world today. Since his death on July 21, 1796, his work has inspired many Western thinkers.

The "big six" English Romantic poets are justly famous and easy to name:

 1)William Blake

2)William Wordsworth

3) Samuel Taylor Coleridge

4) George Gordon (Lord -

Byron)

5)Percy Bysshe Shelley

6) John Keats

But seven is the number of completeness and perfection: 

seven days in a week, seven notes in a musical scale, seven wonders of the ancient world, etc. And I submit that there was a Seventh Romantic who completes and perfects the school: Robert Burns.

He wrote in three languages : Scots, English and the Scots-English dialect for which he is best known today.

Literary style of writing :

Through his treatment of such themes as the importance of 'freedom to the human spirit', 'the beauties of love' and 'friendship', and the 'pleasures of the simple life', Burns achieved a universality that commentators believe is the single most important element in his work.

Freedom and Love The topic of freedom—political, religious, personal, and sexual—dominates Burns's poetry and songs. Burns's innumerable love poems and songs are acknowledged to be touching expressions of the human experience of love in all its phases: The sexual love of ,“The Fornicator,” The emotion of

 “A Red, Red Rose,” and The happiness of a couple grown old together in “John Anderson, My Jo.”

Vitality :

Vitality Another frequently cited aspect of Burns's poetry is its vitality. Whatever his subject, critics find in his verses a riotous celebration of life, an irrepressible joy in the fact of living. This vitality is often expressed through the humor prevalent in Burns's work, from the bawdy humor of “The Jolly Beggars” and the broad farce of “Tam o' Shanter” to the irreverent mockery of “The Twa Dogs” and the sharp satire of “Holy Willie's Prayer.” Burns's subjects and characters are invariably humble, their stories told against the background of the Scottish rural countryside. Although natural surroundings figure prominently in his work, Burns differed from Romantic poets in that he had little interest in nature itself, which in his poetry serves but to set the scene for human activity and emotion.

Scottish Nationalism Burns's deep interest in Scotland's poetic heritage and folkloric tradition resulted in his amending or composing more than three hundred songs, for which he refused payment, maintaining that this labor was rendered in service to Scotland. Each written to an existing tune, the songs are mainly simple yet affecting lyrics of the common concerns of love and life. A great part of Burns's continuing fame rests on such songs as “Green Grow the Rashes O” and, particularly, “Auld Lang Syne".

A RED, RED ROSE :

"A Red, Red Rose" is a 1794 song in Scots by Robert Burns based on traditional sources. The song is also referred to by the title,

 "Oh, My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose"

 "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" "Red, Red Rose" and is often published as a poem.

Original poem :

My luve is like a red red rose

That's newly sprung in june;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune;

As fair art thou, my bonnie 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, a while!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

STYLE of POEM :

“A Red, Red Rose” is written in four four-line stanzas, or quatrains, consisting of alternating tetrameter and trimeter lines. This means that the first and third lines of each stanza have four stressed syllables, or beats, while the second and fourth lines have three stressed syllables. Quatrains written in this manner are called ballad stanzas.

 

Summary of poem : 

In this very little love poem, the speaker expresses his deep love for his beloved and assures her that his love for her will last longer than human life and even the world itself. In other words, he will love her for ever and ever.

He has compared his love with a fresh red rose and beautifully played melody. Then he promises that he will love her till all the seas of the world will dry and all the mountains will melt by the heat of the sun.

Finally he bids her farewell. He is going on a long journey. But he assures that he will certainly return back to her by all means, however long the journey it might be. 

Stanza One : 

In this stanza the speaker tells his beloved how beautiful she is. She is like a fresh red rose. Red rose is the symbol of love and romance. It represents true love. Then he compares her with nicely played melody. Here he has used two similes, the first, comparing his love to a rose, and second, comparing her to a sweet melody. Here we find a sincere praise of the poet for his beloved's appearance and temperament. 

 Stanza 2 :

In this stanza he expresses how deep his love is. He will love her till infinite. He will love her till all the seas go dry. In the last line of the stanza he uses hyperbole. It is a figure of speech that exaggerates. Seas going dry is a hyperbole. 

Stanza 3 :

 As in the second stanza, in this stanza also the speaker says how much he loves her. He will continue to love her till the rocks melt by the heat of the sun. This also shows his eternal love for her. He also says that his love will continue while 'the sands of life shall run'. This means till the end of his life.

Stanza 4 :

 In this stanza he says that although he has to leave her for a while, he will certainly return to her, even if he has to take a long journey ten thousand miles. In other words, he promises to love her how far he might go.

Conclusion : 

In short, we find that the first stanza is an introduction about her beauty. The next three stanzas (stanza 2, stanza 3, stanza 4) describe his love for her from three dimensions : depth, length and distance.

 All this also prove that a true love never dies even if the natural phenomenon stops working.

1)What is love ??? 

There are different kinds of love - love for country, love for pets, parental love, etc. But in the reference of this poem, it is about romantic love. 

Different people have different ways of expressing love. At the same time, expressing love depends upon in which culture one lives. 

Whichever the culture it might be, if you want to maintain a loving relationship, then it is important to show your loved one how much you love him/her. There are several ways to do so. But the best way is to express your care and concern for him/her. Some words of compliments showing positive feeling is also a good way. Little gifts, form jewelry to a simple flower, also a good way of expressing love. But the best way to express love is to share his/her worries and responsibilities.

Symbol of rose :

Roses are most commonly associated with love and romance. But it's not that simple. The symbolic meaning of a rose also depends on its colour. For example, pink roses symbolize gratitude, admiration and joy. White is for innocence and purity.

 Red rose is the symbol of love and romance. It represents true love. 

There are several images in nature which people use to express their love. Poets have found several images. There is no end to it. 

But mostly two images are frequently used to express love. They are --- flowers, mostly red rose, and full moon.

Personally, I like the image of a fresh red rose.

Conclusion : 

The poem tells the meaning of love, and it is durable to believe those reminiscences if fall in love to somebody. Robert Burns sought to get married with his love that was pregnant by his twins; however the father-in-law would not agree to it. Burns turned into a legendary success and did really revisit to marry his first love. It is said that this is a true story that he has lived, and therefore he is very passionate about love and inspiring others to get bind into true love.

Words : 1623

References : https://study.com/academy/lesson/a-red-red-rose-by-robert-burns-summary-analysis.html