The extent of the hyperbole may not be clear to a modern audience, but ten thousand miles was an almost incomprehensible distance when Burns wrote the poem and would have taken a tremendous amount of time, regardless of method of travel.
In sharp contrast to Burns' poem, Shakespeare's poem makes it clear that he does not believe his love is supernatural. While many love poems, like Burns' "A Red, Red Rose," describe love as something greater than nature, Shakespeare celebrates the earthly nature of his love. Instead of using commonplace metaphors to exault his lover's beauty, Shakespeare uses these metaphors to demonstrate that his lover is not an exceptional beauty. Her eyes are "nothing like the sun;...her breasts are dun,...black wires grow on her head," and her breath reeks. (Shakespeare). In other words, Shakespeare acknowledges that his lover is simply a woman, not something greater than this earth. In fact, he specifically states that his lover is not a goddess. Compared with the over-the-top love sonnets of the day, it seems that Shakespeare has little affection for his lover.
However, the poem makes it clear that Shakespeare does have intense feelings for his lover. He loves "to hear her speak," even though her voice is not as pleasing as music. (Shakespeare). More importantly, he proclaims that his love is as rare "as any she belied with false compare." (Shakespeare). What Shakespeare makes clear is that he does not believe that his lover is anything more than human. He does not love her despite the fact that she is merely...
One who loves should not need to speak of it so frequently if he intends rather on showing it. Burns' "Luve" is merely to draw attention to two things: her charms and the emotions they inspire in him. Thus, Burns' ode is not to a girl -- it is to himself. It is distinctly modern in this sense, just as Cervantes' poet shepherds mooning over the loss of innocence in
Introduction William Shakespeare and Robert Burns are both iconic figures in the UK. Also known as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare is often regarded as England’s national poet. Shakespeare is also considered the world’s greatest English writer and dramatist. During his time, Shakespeare authored tens of plays, over a hundred sonnets, and several narrative poems and verses (Marche, 2012). Shakespeare’s work has been translated into virtually all major languages of the
Robert Frost wrote, "I have written to keep the over curious out of the secret places in my mind both in my verse and in my letters." In a poem, he wrote, "I have been one acquainted with the night." Those unfamiliar with Robert Frost's life story might not realize the significance of those words. Frost was born in a nearly lawless city and grew up in a highly dysfunctional
Robert Frost's famous poem, "Birches," might be described as a poem of redemptive realism, a poem that offers a loving, yet tinged-by-the-tragic view of life as seen through the metaphors of nature. In fact, Robert Frost could be called a kind of subversive pastoralist, for unlike the romantic nature poets who preceded him, such as Wordsworth, he sees nature's wildness, her beauty, and yet her relentless harshness as well. The
Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell The publication in 2008 of Words in Air: The Collected Correspondence of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop offers the reader a privileged glimpse into the long and emotional friendship between two major postwar American poets, who were each an active influence on the other's work. Bishop would enclose a poem in a 1961 letter to Lowell, claiming the draft "undoubtedly shows your influence" but also noting
This poem is interesting in that the poet uses humor along with images of nature to illustrate his point. For example, the poet tells us that his lover's eyes are "not at all like the sun" (Shakespeare 1). In addition, her skin is not white like snow. Furthermore, using more humor to make his point, he goes on to say that he knows very well that red roses are
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