In Robert Burns’s poem “A Red, Red Rose,” how long does the speaker say his love will last?

In Robert Burns’s poem “A Red, Red Rose,” the speaker says his love will last until the seas go dry.

Burns makes the promise through extravagant comparisons. He loves his “bonnie lass” as deeply as a newly bloomed red rose and as sweetly as a melody. He then imagines loving her until the seas have become dry and the rocks have melted in the sun, images that make the declaration effectively everlasting.

Burns wrote the poem in 1794, and it was published in 1795. Its language draws on Scots song and folk tradition, helping give it a direct, singable quality. The poem is commonly performed and quoted as a romantic love lyric.

The complete image is more specific than the general phrase “forever.” Burns first says his love will last until the seas go dry, then extends the promise through the melting of rocks. The poem’s short four-stanza form contributes to its enduring popularity.