Introduction to “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”
“A Red, Red Rose” and “Song” by Robert Burns and Edmund Waller respectively start with the mention of rose and love. However, deeply, they not only demonstrate the life behind the words but also the rich and fertile imagination of the poets. Whereas “A Red, Red Rose” shows the poet’s deep love for his lady and the vows to love more and come back, the “Song” by Edmund Waller also shows the depth of the same love but with a vow of carpe diem or enjoy the moment. It is because everything is to wither away. The desires expressed in both poems are similar in that both the poets have expressed their love for their beloved by using the metaphor of the rose. It happens in Robert Burns that he makes the rose to be a messenger to give a message to the beloved and the same is the case of Edmund Waller. Other than this, the poems are different not only in structure but also in construction and melody, as Burns has used four-lined stanzas with an ABCB rhyme scheme, while Waller has used five-line stanzas throughout his poem with the rhyme scheme of ABABB. However, despite this, both songs, “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”, not only herald the start of the Romantic movement in literature through their musical quality but also a personal expression of the poet and depiction of love through the symbol of the rose.
Musical Quality in “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”
As far as musical quality is concerned, this was the hallmark of the Romantic Movement that ensued in English literature following these poets. These two poems, “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”, show a remarkable feature of that musical quality. Commenting on the musical quality, while tracing this tradition in Major Graham’s song, in her paper, “O My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose”: Does Burns’ Melody Really Matter” Kirsteen McCue argues that as the stress is upon the first person “I” in the first line, it appears after regular intervals in the next four lines, too. She further adds that this is “from the physical immediacy of the color of the rose and the sound of the melody to the expanses of time and space” reflected in several images she has put there (76-77). The same musical quality is in the “Song” by Waller. He has started it with the theme of love, equating it with the rose to convey his message, “Tell her that wastes her time and me” (Waller 2), with the metrical rhythm of “thee, and be” respectively in the fourth and fifth lines. Contrary to this, the musical quality on the lines of Scottish traditions as traced by McCue in her article is more personalized and subjective as “So far art thou, my bonnie lass, / So deep in luve am I;” shows the use of not only metrical rhythm but also first person, a specific feature of the Romantic poetry (Burns 5-6).
Expression of Love in “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”
Both poems, “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”, are expressions of the personal love of the poets. As McCue has pointed it out in Burns’ poem that there is a good use of first person I, my, and me. It points out that personal expression has been merged into the melody of the poem. However, this personal expression is in the form of an extended simile in that the poet sees his love like that of a rose. The double metaphor of rose and melody merge with the claim of the poet of loving his beloved until “the seas gang dry” (Burns 8) adding that although this love is permanent, he would say farewell to it and come again. With Waller, it, however, is different. It is a personal expression, but he has personified the rose as a carrier to convey his message, “Tell her that’s young, / And shuns to have her graces spied” (Waller 7-8). The idea of the poet is that he should convey it to his beloved that beauty is a fleeting moment, and that it must be admired before it fades away. The personal expression is in the use of the first person and the personification of the rose. Both poets have used the same natural element but with different objectives and in a different way.
Symbolism in “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”
Although both poets have used the rose as a symbol of love in “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”, these symbols tell different stories where one is embedded in Scottish folklore traditions, while the other is mired in the personal romantic escapade. As far as Robert Burns is concerned, Kirsteen McCue has pointed it out that this song “A Red, Red Rose” has melodic strains of the Scottish folklore traditions. She claims that its metrical rhythm is also the same (76). However, whereas the case of “Song” by Edmund Waller is concerned, it is more related to his personal history. George Gilfillan has beautifully put that romantic escapade of Edmund Waller saying, “ Waller’s tender ditties, of the incense he offered up–not only to Dorothy, but to her sister Lady Lucy, and even to her maid Mrs. Braughton–his goddess was inexorable, and not only rejected, but spurned him from her feet” (8). This song is also one of those tender ditties that he wrote in the honor of Dorothe.
Conclusion: “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song
In short, both poets have beautifully given hints about the start of the Romantic Movement in their poems, “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”. Whereas Robert Burns has used post-Scottish melodies to make his beloved feel his love through the comparison and contrast of it with the rose and a melody, Robert Burns has personified this rose as the carrier. Using the rose as a symbol, both poets have given expression to their personal feelings of love. They have used the rose as a vehicle to convey their emotions in verses. The features of musical quality, the use of first-person nouns, and the expression of love have made both the poems historically significant, for a cursory reading of both the poems shows that it is the beginning of the Romantic Movement.
Works Cited: “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song
- Burns, Robert. “A Red, Red Rose.” n. d. Poetry Foundation. www.poetryfoundation. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.
- McCue, Kirsteen. “O My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose”: Does Burns’s Melody Really Matter”. Studies in Scottish Literature. 37 (1): (2013) 68-82. Web. 10 March 2016.
- Waller Edmund & Sir John Denham. The Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham. Ed. George Gilfillan. Edinburg. James Nisbet & Company. 1857. Print. 7-10.
- Waller, Edmund. “Song.” Poetry Foundation. www.poetryfoundation. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.
Relevant Questions about “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song”
- How do the themes of love and transience in “A Red, Red Rose” compare to those in “Song”? What differences and similarities can be observed in the poets’ treatment of these themes, and how do these themes reflect the respective poets’ views on love and relationships?
- Both poems employ vivid imagery and metaphorical language. How do Burns and Donne use imagery and metaphor to convey their ideas about love and its fleeting nature? What specific images and metaphors are employed in each poem, and how do they contribute to the overall meaning?
- Consider the structure and tone of “A Red, Red Rose” and “Song.” How do the poets’ choices in terms of rhyme scheme, rhythm, and tone affect the way the poems convey their messages about love and desire? How might the form and style of each poem reflect the cultural and literary contexts of their respective periods?
