Rhythm and rhyme

In this section, we will help you analyse the rhythm and the rhyme in the poem “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns.

Rhythm

The poem “A Red, Red Rose” alternates between iambic tetrameter (in the odd-numbered lines) and iambic trimeter (in the even-numbered lines). An iambic rhythm involves the verse beginning with an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed one.

Iambic tetrameter means that there are four stressed feet in a line. Here is an instance where iambic tetrameter is observed: “So fair art thou, my bonnie lass” (l. 5)

By iambic trimeter, we understand the existence of three iambs (stressed feet) in a line. Here is an example of iambic trimeter: “So deep in luve am I” (l. 6)

Rhyme

The poem “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns can be partly read a...