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LyricRomantic · 17943 min · 1 passageGentle

A Red, Red Rose

Robert Burns →

Burns builds a love poem out of similes a child could follow, then stretches the promise past the end of the physical world.

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The whole poem
Simile

O my is like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June; O my is like the melody That's sweetly played in tune. So art thou, my lass, So deep in am I; And I will thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas dry. Till a' the seas dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi' the sun; I will thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run. And fare thee , my only ! And fare thee awhile! And I will come again, my , Though it were ten thousand mile.

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Plain English

My love is like a red, red rose newly opened in June; my love is like a melody sweetly in tune. You are so beautiful, my bonnie lass, and I am so deeply in love. I will love you still, my dear, till all the seas run dry — till the seas run dry and the rocks melt in the sun. I will love you while the sands of my life still run. And farewell, my only love, farewell for a while; I will come again, my love, though it were ten thousand miles.

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Read it again slowly — it gets better the second time.

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