My Featured Poem（例）

My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

Text Version

O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly played 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 awhile!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.

Audio Version

From the website, Pearls of Wisdom

Video Version

By Eddi Reader from her album 'Sings the Songs of Robert Burns'

I. About the Poem

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

Works Cited （参考文献）
"A Red, Red Rose." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Red,_Red_Rose>.


II. About the Poet



Robert Burns (25 January 1759 -- 21 July 1796) is a very popular Scottish poet and lyricist. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement in Scotland. Burns wrote many original poems and songs, but he also collected traditional folk songs from around Scotland, which he adapted or revised. 

Works Cited （参考文献）
"Robert Burns." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/robert-burns-9232194>.


III. My Reaction

A. Reaction Point - Simile（のように）

In this poem, Burns uses many similes. A simile is a comparison that uses words such as 'like' or 'as'. For example, Burns says, 'O my Luve's like a red, red rose that's newly sprung in June,' or 'O my Luve's like the melodie that's sweetly played in tune.' These similes compare the writer's lover to things that are very nice such as flowers or a nice song. By comparing his lover to these things, the writer expresses deep feelings of love.

B. Reaction Point - Hyperbole（誇張）

In this poem, Burns uses some hyperbole. Hyperbole is exaggeration of some kind. There are three good examples of hyperbole in this poem.

• And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry (I will love you, my dear, until all the seas go dry) - This is exaggeration because it will take millions of years for the seas to go dry, longer than a human lifespan.
• And the rocks melt wi' the sun (And [I will love you until] the rocks are melted by the sun) - This also is exaggeration because it will take a very long time for the sun to melt the rocks of the earth, maybe hundreds of millions of years.
• Tho' it ware ten thousand miles (Even though [I would have to travel] ten thousand miles [to see you]) - This is exaggeration because traveling a distance of ten thousand miles at the time of the writer (the 1700s) would be almost impossible.

Burns uses hyperbole to show how strong his feelings are for his lover.

C. Reaction Point - Connotation（言葉の意味、含意）

Burns uses words that have a very nice connotation. Connotation is the 'emotional feeling' the reader can get from a word or expression. Two examples of connotation are newly sprung in June, and sweetly played in tune. Both of these expressions give the reader a very positive and fresh feeling.

D. My General Opinion

I like this poem very much because I think it's beautiful and communicates very well how the writer feels about his lover. In this poem, Burns very skillfully uses techniques such as simile, hyperbole and connotation to make his writing interesting and entertaining. Any person would be very happy to receive such a beautiful poem from his or her lover.