O were my love yon Lilac fair Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

O WERE MY LOVE YON LILAC FAIR

O were my love yon lilac fair,
Wi’ purple blossoms to the spring,
And I, a bird to shelter there,
When wearied on my little wing!
How I wad mourn when it was torn,
By autumn wild, and winter rude!
But I wad sing on wanton wing,
When youthfull May its bloom renewed.

O gin my love were yon red rose,
That grows upon the castle wall;
And I myself a drap o’ dew,
Into her bonie breast to fa’!
O there, beyond expression blest,
I’d feast on beauty a’ the night;
Seal’d on her silk saft faulds to rest,
Till fley’d awa by Phoebus’ light!

Unveiling “O were my love yon Lilac fair”: A Summary

Robert Burns, Scotland’s beloved national poet, invites readers into a world of tender longing and imaginative affection in his lyrical poem, “O were my love yon Lilac fair.” Penned around 1793, this piece beautifully captures the essence of romantic desire through vivid natural metaphors, blending the rich traditions of Scottish and English lyric poetry.

The poem centers on a speaker who expresses his profound love and yearning for intimacy by envisioning himself in various forms of nature, intimately connected to his beloved. First, he imagines his love as a beautiful lilac bush, adorned with vibrant purple blossoms in spring. He then pictures himself as a weary bird finding solace and shelter within its branches. This transformation highlights a desire for protection, comfort, and a deep, enduring bond. The speaker contemplates the sorrow of the lilac being ravaged by autumn and winter, and the joy of its renewal in May, mirroring the cyclical nature of love and hope.

In the second stanza, the speaker’s imagination takes an even more intimate turn. He wishes his beloved were a radiant red rose, growing majestically on a castle wall. He then imagines himself as a tiny dewdrop, gently falling “Into her bonie breast to fa’!” This imagery conveys an intense longing for physical closeness and sensual pleasure. The speaker dreams of feasting on her beauty throughout the night, resting “Seal’d on her silk saft faulds” until the morning light, personified as Phoebus, gently dispels his blissful dream. This imaginative journey underscores a powerful desire for both emotional and physical union, celebrating the beauty of his beloved and the depth of his devotion.

Noteworthy Knowledge about “O were my love yon Lilac fair”

A Romantic Era Gem: This poem emerged during a period of burgeoning Romanticism, a movement that celebrated emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature. Burns’s poem perfectly encapsulates these ideals through its passionate expression and natural imagery.
Burns’s Signature Style: The poem showcases Burns’s characteristic blend of Scottish dialect (“gin,” “bonie,” “fa’,” “fley’d”) with standard English, creating a unique linguistic texture that adds to its charm and authenticity.
Enduring Appeal: Its simple yet profound expression of love, combined with its musicality and vivid imagery, has ensured its lasting popularity and place in the canon of romantic poetry.

Exploring the Heart of the Poem: Themes and Central Ideas

“O were my love yon Lilac fair” delves into several profound themes, offering a rich tapestry of human emotion and connection.

The Power of Love and Desire: At its core, the poem is a passionate declaration of love and an intense expression of desire. The speaker’s willingness to transform himself into a bird or a dewdrop illustrates the boundless nature of his affection and his yearning for an ultimate union with his beloved. This desire is not merely emotional but also deeply sensual, particularly in the second stanza’s imagery of the dewdrop.
Intimacy and Union with Nature: Burns masterfully uses nature as a conduit for expressing intimate human emotions. By comparing his beloved to a lilac and a rose, and himself to a bird and a dewdrop, the speaker blurs the lines between human love and the natural world. This suggests that true love is as organic, beautiful, and essential as nature itself, offering shelter, beauty, and renewal.
The Fleeting Nature of Beauty and Bliss: While the poem celebrates intense moments of joy and intimacy, there is also an underlying awareness of their transient nature. The lilac’s vulnerability to “autumn wild, and winter rude” and the dewdrop being “fley’d awa by Phoebus’ light” subtly remind the reader that even the most blissful moments are often temporary, making them all the more precious.
Imagination as an Expression of Love: The entire poem is an exercise in imaginative projection. The speaker’s ability to conjure these vivid scenarios demonstrates how love can inspire profound creativity and a desire to transcend ordinary reality to be closer to the beloved.

Literary Devices in “O were my love yon Lilac fair”: Crafting Imagery and Emotion

Robert Burns masterfully employs a range of literary devices to enrich the poem’s meaning, evoke vivid imagery, and deepen its emotional impact. Let us explore some of these techniques.

Allusion: The poem incorporates subtle allusions that enhance its depth.

Till fley’d awa by Phoebus’ light!

The reference to “Phoebus,” the Greek sun god, evokes a sense of radiant beauty and the inevitable arrival of day, which brings an end to the night’s intimate bliss. This classical reference adds a touch of timelessness and grandeur to the speaker’s personal experience.
Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds creates a musicality within the poem, drawing attention to specific phrases and enhancing their lyrical quality.

Into her bonie breast to fa’!

Notice the repetition of the ‘b’ sound in “bonie breast,” which gently emphasizes the beauty and tenderness of the beloved’s form.
Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words contributes to the poem’s harmonious flow and melodic rhythm.

When wearied on my little wing!

Observe the repetition of the ‘ea’ sound in “wearied” and the ‘i’ sound in “little wing,” which creates a soft, flowing sound that mirrors the gentle movement of a tired bird.
Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within words, often at the end or middle, adds texture and richness to the poem’s language.

And I, a bird to shelter there,

Consider the subtle echo of the ‘r’ sound in “bird,” “shelter,” and “there,” which creates a sense of continuity and connection.
Imagery: Burns utilizes vivid imagery to engage the reader’s senses and paint a clear picture of the speaker’s desires and the natural world.

O were my love yon lilac fair,
Wi’ purple blossoms to the spring,

The description of the “lilac fair” with its “purple blossoms” immediately creates a visual of natural beauty and freshness. Similarly, the image of a “drap o’ dew, Into her bonie breast to fa’!” evokes a powerful sense of intimacy and tenderness, appealing to both sight and touch.
Metaphor: The central and most powerful device in the poem is metaphor. The speaker uses extended metaphors to express his profound affection and desire for union.

O were my love yon lilac fair, […] And I, a bird to shelter there,

Here, the beloved is metaphorically a “lilac fair,” and the speaker is a “bird.” This comparison allows the speaker to express complex emotions of longing, protection, and belonging in a poetic and imaginative way, transforming abstract feelings into concrete, relatable images.
Symbolism: The natural elements in the poem carry significant symbolic weight, enriching its meaning.
- The lilac symbolizes spring, renewal, and the blossoming of love. Its “purple blossoms” suggest beauty and perhaps even royalty or deep affection.
- The rose, particularly a “red rose,” is a classic symbol of beauty, passion, and intense love. Its growth “upon the castle wall” might suggest a love that is noble, enduring, or perhaps slightly out of reach.
- The bird represents freedom, longing, and the desire for closeness and shelter within the beloved’s presence.
- The dewdrop symbolizes purity, fragility, and an intense, intimate connection, allowing the speaker to experience the beloved’s beauty in the most direct and sensual way.

Poetic Devices in “O were my love yon Lilac fair”: The Music and Structure of Love

These devices, intrinsic to poetry, further shape the poem’s aesthetic and thematic impact, contributing to its overall charm and memorability.

Diction: Burns employs a diction that is both formal and tender, blending traditional poetic language with Scottish dialect.

O gin my love were yon red rose, […] And I myself a drap o’ dew, Into her bonie breast to fa’!

Words like “gin” (if), “bonie” (beautiful), and “fa’” (fall) contribute to the poem’s distinctive tone, evoking a sense of timeless romance and a connection to Scottish heritage. This choice of words makes the speaker’s voice authentic and endearing.
End Rhyme: The poem is characterized by its consistent use of end rhyme, creating a pleasing musicality and a sense of completion at the end of each line.

O were my love yon lilac fair,
Wi’ purple blossoms to the spring,
And I, a bird to shelter there,
When wearied on my little wing!

The rhyming pairs like “fair” and “there,” and “spring” and “wing,” contribute significantly to the poem’s lyrical flow and make it delightful to read aloud.
Rhyme Scheme: The poem consistently follows an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme in both stanzas. This regular pattern adds structure and predictability to the poem’s form, making it feel balanced and harmonious. This consistent scheme enhances the poem’s song-like quality.
Stanza: The poem is comprised of two stanzas, each containing eight lines (octaves). This balanced structure provides a cohesive presentation of the speaker’s evolving thoughts and feelings, allowing for a clear development of his imaginative desires from the more protective to the more intimate.
Tone: The poem is infused with a deeply loving, tender, and sensual tone. The speaker’s longing and desire are palpable in every line, creating a passionate and intimate atmosphere.

O there, beyond expression blest,
I’d feast on beauty a’ the night;

Phrases such as “beyond expression blest” and the idea of feasting on beauty convey an overwhelming sense of joy and fulfillment in the imagined union, highlighting the intensity of the speaker’s emotions.

Through its elegant language, imaginative metaphors, and skillful use of both literary and poetic devices, “O were my love yon Lilac fair” remains a captivating exploration of love, desire, and the profound beauty found in the natural world. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to evoke a sense of romantic longing and to remind us of the boundless power of imagination when fueled by affection.