Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns
Context
Robert Burns (1759-1796)
Robert Burns stands as Scotland's national poet, often known by his affectionate nickname 'Rabbie Burns'. Born on 25 January 1759, he became a celebrated Scottish poet and lyricist who wrote extensively in both Scottish dialect and English. His influence on the literary world was profound, as he helped pioneer the Romantic movement and inspired many contemporary Romantic poets who followed him.
Burns' dual approach of writing in both Scottish dialect and English allowed him to reach a wider audience while preserving Scotland's cultural heritage. This balance between accessibility and cultural preservation became a hallmark of his work.
In 1787, Burns published his collection Poems, Chiefly in Scottish Dialect in Edinburgh, which established his reputation throughout the Scottish capital. During his time in Edinburgh, he encountered numerous influential figures, including James Johnson, who recruited him to rewrite and improve Scottish songs for The Scots Musical Museum (1787-1803). Burns approached this work with dedication, viewing it as a service to Scotland rather than seeking payment. His legacy continues today through his intellectual contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment and his popular, well-known poems that secure his position as Scotland's national poet.
Agnes 'Nancy' McLehose
The inspiration behind 'Ae Fond Kiss' stems from Burns' relationship with Agnes McLehose, who went by the name Nancy. When Burns began his relationship with her, Agnes was married but estranged from her husband. Though their relationship was not documented as physical, the extensive love letters exchanged between them reveal the strong passions they shared.
In 1791, Agnes prepared to leave for Jamaica to reunite with her husband. This departure became the catalyst for Burns writing 'Ae Fond Kiss', making the poem a deeply personal farewell.
Burns met with her one final time and sent her a letter that captures his appreciation for her:
I have yours, my ever-dearest Nancy, this moment. I have just ten minutes before the Post goes and these I shall employ in sending you some Songs I have just been composing to different tunes for the Collection of Songs, of which you have three volumes-& of which you shall have forth
This letter shows Burns reminiscing about what Agnes brought to his life, making her the likely inspiration for the poem.
The poem 'Ae Fond Kiss'
Burns wrote most of his songs to tunes familiar to the Scottish public, which is important to remember when reading 'Ae Fond Kiss', as it may differ from its corresponding tune. Written in 1791 and published in 1792 in the fourth volume of the Scots Musical Museum, the poem follows the regular structure, rhyme and metre of a song lyric set to a Scottish folk song.
The poem takes the form of a traditional Scottish ballad and can be seen as a biographical song, recounting his relationship with Agnes. However, it is more idealistic and includes his imagination about how the relationship was in retrospect. This is partly because Burns later married Jean Armour in 1788 and had an affair with Agnes' maid Jennie Clow. The account of love within the poem may be questionable if interpreted through a biographical lens.
Despite the biographical complexities, the song promises faithfulness, mourns the loss of their lover, and expresses the universal feeling of love. Scottish author Sir Walter Scott particularly noted that lines 13 to 16 contain an exquisitely affecting stanza that captures the essence of a thousand love tales, meaning the song resonates with people worldwide through Burns' account of love.
Summary and synopsis
'Ae Fond Kiss' explores the parting of two lovers from the speaker's perspective. The speaker laments their separation and distance, feeling depressed about this situation as well as other aspects of their life. The opening shows the speaker bidding farewell to their lover whilst simultaneously expressing upset about their departure.
At the beginning, the speaker says goodbye to their lover, clearly mourning the lover's departure through sentimental and depressing language. The speaker explains that they do not regret the relationship, despite the pain it brought them. He recognises that giving into desires and love is not inherently bad, acknowledging that love can be fleeting.
The poem's emotional journey moves from intense sadness to a more accepting, bittersweet farewell. This progression reflects the speaker's attempt to reconcile their feelings of loss with their genuine desire for their lover's happiness.
The poem concludes with the speaker recounting all the positive things their lover provided - including peace and pleasure. Nevertheless, the speaker cannot comprehend their lover's departure, repeating the same lines from the start of the poem. This circular motion suggests the speaker's continuing pain at losing their lover.
Structure
Form
The poem consists of three stanzas with eight lines each, known as octaves. For example, stanza one includes lines 1 to 8, stanza two includes lines 9 to 16, and stanza three includes lines 17 to 24. The song includes internal structural features significant to its form. Each stanza divides into two groups of four lines that link themes together, called a quatrain: lines 1 to 4, lines 5 to 8, lines 9 to 12, lines 13 to 16, lines 17 to 20 and lines 21 to 24.
Understanding Quatrains in Stanza One
Lines 5 to 8 form a quatrain that places greater emphasis on the binary of hope and hopelessness, using an apostrophe to link the lines together. This quatrain creates a distinct emotional unit within the larger stanza.
When each quatrain divides in half again, they include two rhyming lines called couplets. This structure is significant because the speaker uses rhyme to connect lines to each couplet, supported by the parallel structure of the song. This is particularly evident in lines 17 to 18, where the lines begin with 'Fare thee well', utilising parallelism to list her positive qualities, including 'first and fairest' and 'best and dearest'.
These structural aspects - the couplets, quatrains and octaves - serve important functions in the poem as a whole:
- The quatrains allow an opportunity to examine the many sides of love: regret, loss and an optimistic outlook on the future
- The couplets enable two different ideas to emerge, especially in lines 11 to 12, which show Nancy's effect on others
- Line 11 makes a general comment on how anyone can love her, whilst line 12 specifies that the speaker would love her only
The form enables the speaker to explore love deeply and broadly.
Metre
The poem employs a trochaic tetrameter, meaning there are four stressed beat patterns per line, called trochees. For example, in lines 3 to 4, the speaker stresses certain syllables to emphasise words central to explaining their sorrow:
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Every line begins with a stressed syllable, whilst the line ends with an unstressed syllable. This makes the metre regular throughout, which was intended by Burns to make it easier to play music to the poem. The music may highlight the speaker's emotional state more distinctly.
This highly regular metre makes the speaker's calmness and quietness clearer, even though they are grieving their love. Furthermore, each line is end-stopped with eight syllables.
Additionally, the trochaic metre creates a calm yet sorrowful tone that becomes more pronounced as the lines end with unstressed syllables, suggesting the slow fading away of the speaker's voice after every line. For example, 'pledge thee' depicts the speaker's love but also a quiet acceptance of their departure. This is significant as it resonates with the end of their relationship, signifying that their love is lost.
The Effect of Caesura on Metre
The metre is also affected by the use of caesura in the middle of some lines. This introduces pauses within the lines, suggesting that the speaker is deliberately prolonging their farewell. For instance, at the start the speaker wants one last kiss from their lover, which is repeated in line 21, further slowing down time before saying farewell.
Overall, the slow, rhythmic and regular metre emphasises the emotional state of the speaker who wants to delay the moment before saying goodbye to their lover.
Rhyme scheme
The rhyme scheme follows an AABBCCDD pattern, with rhyming couplets in each eight-line stanza, repeated throughout the poem. Furthermore, most rhymes are slant rhymes where the stressed syllables in the lines may not rhyme properly but have a similar consonant sound - this is also known as consonance. Slant rhymes can be found in lines 3 to 4, 11 to 12, 17 to 18 and 23 to 24.
Identifying Slant Rhymes
For example, 'fairest' and 'dearest' do not rhyme but have a similar consonant sound. This creates a softer, more subtle connection between the lines compared to perfect rhymes.
Nevertheless, Burns utilises regular rhymes such as 'sever' and 'ever' as well as repeating some rhymes. This is significant because it makes it easier to play music with it.
Rhyming couplets in this romantic poem are important because they reflect how two words are always in relation with each other. Placing them together parallels the speaker and their lover's relationship, reflecting their optimism regarding their love.
This parallelism within the couplets throughout the poem allows the themes to be linked more easily, creating a regular rhythm with the couplets and allowing readers to anticipate them. As a result, the sound of each line is similar and the reader begins to tie the poem together effortlessly.
Overall, rhyme is utilised by Burns to create a steady flow in each line whilst reflecting the speaker's relationship to their lover.
Speaker
'Ae Fond Kiss' differs from some other poems in the anthology because it has biographical influences. The speaker can be read as both a universal individual or as reflecting Burns' own experience. For example, the name Nancy may be attributed to Burns' previous lover Agnes McLehose, whose nickname was Nancy. She left him to go to Jamaica to be with her husband, suggesting that the speaker's sense of sorrow parallels Burns' own sense of loss.
The first stanza includes references to sadness through words such as 'tears', 'groans' and 'sighs' because of losing his lover. It is clear that the speaker is affected by this through the use of the pronoun 'me' throughout the poem, reinforcing their broken heart. However, the speaker then introduces the pronoun 'we' to encompass the experience of the lover as well, including them in their emotional turmoil.
As the pronoun 'we' becomes dominant within the poem, the speaker shows their selfless side because they want their lover to have peace, enjoyment and pleasure. The speaker wants them to be happy in the future and focus on their happiness, even if it means the speaker will experience sadness.
Overall, the speaker reveals that their love is purely selfless, highlighted through the intimate and direct address to 'Nancy'.
Language techniques
Similes
Similes are a figure of speech used by poets to make a comparison between two concepts or objects. Poets utilise this technique to make certain imagery more vivid or appeal to the readers' feelings.
Similes Showing Value and Joy
The speaker compares their lover to 'joy' and 'treasure'. This suggests the speaker sees their lover as valuable and something that brings them happiness. This is important because it shows how attached the speaker is to their love interest, reinforcing the extent of their love. Furthermore, it emphasises the difficulty of letting go that the speaker experiences.
Antithesis
Antithesis occurs when two phrases and clauses with opposite meanings are combined. Writers use this technique to highlight the difference between two ideas, which can have great emotional effects. As a result, the writer can highlight which idea is better or more meaningful.
Burns utilises antithesis throughout the poem to illuminate their emotional turmoil. For example, in stanza 2, Burns creates imagery related to loss and sadness to emphasise the emotional state of the speaker.
This directly contrasts with stanza 3, where the speaker recounts the positive aspects about his lover. This contrast between the stanzas is significant because it suggests the speaker is trying to reconcile with the idea of their lover leaving them.
This is concluded and summarised in stanza 3, where 'peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure' is contrasted with the final imagery of 'warring sighs and groans'. This shows the dual nature of love, as the speaker feels depressed about their lover leaving but wishes them well because they love them deeply.
As such, antithesis is central in Burns' conceptualisation of love as painful but fulfilling.
Parallelism
Parallelism is central within the poem and appears within each line. For example, lines 1 to 2 and 3 to 4 demonstrate this:
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, and then forever! Deep in heart wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
How Parallelism Develops Themes
The parallelism between lines 3 to 4 start by describing how the speaker feels sorrowful at the departure of their lover. The last part of the line suggests that they promise their lover eternal love. Furthermore, parallelism highlights certain themes and develops them, as can be seen from lines 1 to 4, which reinforces the speaker's feelings.
Part of line 18 also parallels line 17, as it highlights the speaker's unconventional farewell. This is because the speaker understands that it is bittersweet, putting their lover's happiness first and wishing them to be truly happy in the future. Line 17 first develops the speaker's admiration for their lover as she is the first woman he has loved, allowing the ideas to be further explained in line 18 to justify the speaker's sense of loss when their lover leaves.
Overall, parallelism is important in the poem because it allows it to have a more regular rhythm and express ideas more clearly.
Anaphora
Anaphora refers to when a word is used to refer to a previous part of the text, avoiding repetition of that word, usually at the beginning of clauses. For example, in some stanzas anaphora can be observed:
Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met—or never parted— We had ne'er been broken-hearted.
Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest! Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest! Thine be ilka joy and treasure, Peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure! Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, forever!
Anaphora Creating Emotional Impact
In repeating these parts within the poem multiple times, Burns relates his emotions to the reader, evoking a sense of empathy. The repetition of 'Had we never' suggests the sense of regret that the speaker feels about losing their lover. The speaker emphasises that if they never met, they would not have to experience this sense of loss. This is then developed in the next line with the repetition of 'never'.
In the next stanza, the speaker repeats the phrase 'Fare thee weel' to delay their farewell but also insist on the positive nature of the farewell. This is a change from the beginning of the poem, where the 'Fareweel' was saturated with sadness. As such, repeating the same words at the end of the poem suggests that the speaker is ready to finally say goodbye.
Refrain
A refrain is when a phrase or word is repeated within the same line or stanza. This is usually used to create a rhythm or emphasise a line phrase.
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, and then forever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee
This refrain is repeated twice in the whole poem: once at the start and once at the end. This allows the song to have a much more regular metre and active rhythm when played to music. As the reader comes across these lines again, the pace speeds up due to the familiarity with the lines.
The use of a refrain also links back to Burns' purpose of the poem actually being a song, making it easier to be played to music.
Key themes
Love and loss
The poem explores the complex emotions associated with parting from a loved one. The speaker expresses deep sorrow at their separation whilst simultaneously wishing their lover happiness in the future. This dual nature of love is captured through the contrasting imagery of 'peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure' against 'warring sighs and groans'.
The speaker's selfless love is evident in their willingness to prioritise their lover's happiness over their own pain. This selflessness becomes a defining characteristic of the speaker's emotional journey throughout the poem.
Memory and time
The circular structure of the poem, with the repetition of the opening refrain at the end, suggests the ongoing nature of grief and memory. The speaker's desire to 'pledge' their love shows commitment to preserving the memory of their relationship, even as they acknowledge that they must part forever.
The repetition of the refrain creates a sense of being trapped in a cycle of grief, unable to move forward from the moment of parting. This reflects how powerful memories can keep us emotionally connected to past experiences.
Impossibility and acceptance
The poem contains lines that suggest regret - 'Had we never lov'd sae kindly, / Had we never lov'd sae blindly' - which implies that if they had never met, they would never have to experience the pain of parting. However, this is balanced with acceptance, as the speaker recognises that love, even painful love, is worthwhile.
The progression from sadness to a more positive farewell shows the speaker coming to terms with their loss. This emotional journey demonstrates the complex process of accepting an inevitable separation.
Comparisons with other anthology poems
'Ae Fond Kiss' and 'Whoso list to Hunt'
Both poems speak about an immense attraction towards another individual. However, 'Ae Fond Kiss' ends with a more hopeful and bittersweet tone whilst 'Whoso list to Hunt' explores unrequited love. In 'Ae Fond Kiss', the speaker states 'to see her was to love her', showing how merely seeing their lover creates love. In contrast, 'Whoso list to Hunt' presents the speaker as pursuing someone who 'fleeth afore', suggesting the love is one-sided.
The language of emotional intensity differs between the poems. 'Ae Fond Kiss' uses 'Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!' to express the speaker's internal conflict, whilst 'Whoso list to Hunt' employs 'I leave off therefore, / Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind', suggesting the futility of the pursuit.
'Ae Fond Kiss' describes how 'Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me; Dark despair around benights me', showing the contrast between joy and sorrow, whilst 'Whoso list to Hunt' states 'wild for to hold, though I seem tame', revealing a different kind of frustration.
'Ae Fond Kiss' and 'She Walks in Beauty'
Both poems communicate a sense of impossibility. The woman in 'She Walks in Beauty' is impossibly beautiful, with her beauty perfect in every last 'shade' and 'ray'. In contrast, 'Ae Fond Kiss' suggests the impossibility of attaining the lover's love as they are departing from them.
The speakers' positions vary significantly. In 'She Walks in Beauty', the speaker makes no attempt to court the woman walking by, content in admiring her beauty from afar. In comparison, 'Ae Fond Kiss' relates how the speaker wants to follow her but knows they should not - it has a strained but optimistic tone.
In 'She Walks in Beauty', the focus of the poem is on the unnamed woman and her beauty. There is no information on the speaker and we can assume they have no real desire to be with her. In 'Ae Fond Kiss', there is an insinuation that Burns may be the speaker relating his love for Agnes, or it can also be universalised to other individuals in love.
'Ae Fond Kiss' and 'Remember'
Both poems explore the idea of memories. In 'Remember', the speaker wants their lover to remember them after death and asks them to look back on their happier days when upset. In 'Ae Fond Kiss', the speaker also alludes to the memories they have with their lover which delays the finality of their farewell.
'Remember' is written in a grounded and balanced voice, similarly to 'Ae Fond Kiss' which has a calm and regular voice.
In 'Remember', the theme of death is prominent as it alludes to the grave, a 'marble vault' where mistress' beauty 'shall nor more be found'. In comparison, 'Ae Fond Kiss' explores the speaker's will to relive the memories of their lover, with much more positive imagery.
The speaker in 'Remember' is the passive subject who is asking their lover to remember them, whilst in 'Ae Fond Kiss' the speaker promises their lover that he will remember them.
Key Points to Remember:
- 'Ae Fond Kiss' was written by Robert Burns in 1791, inspired by his relationship with Agnes 'Nancy' McLehose who left to rejoin her husband in Jamaica.
- The poem is structured as a traditional Scottish ballad with three octaves, using an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme and trochaic tetrameter to create a song-like quality.
- Key language techniques include similes, antithesis, parallelism, anaphora and refrain, which work together to emphasise the emotional turmoil of parting.
- The speaker demonstrates selfless love, prioritising their lover's future happiness over their own pain, as seen in the wish for 'peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure'.
- The circular structure, with the refrain repeated at the beginning and end, reflects the continuing pain of loss and the difficulty of saying goodbye.