Poetry & Analysis
Famous Refrain Poems
Inspirational PoemsSweet and Low
Sweet and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low, low, breathe and blow,
Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and blow,
Blow him again to me;
While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.
Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,
Father will come to thee soon;
Rest, rest, on mother’s breast,
Father will come to thee soon;
Father will come to his babe in the nest,
Silver sails all out of the west
Under the silver moon:
Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep.
Overview Short Summary
A mother’s lullaby calls the wind and comforts a sleeping child with the hope of the father’s return.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Comfort: The repeated words make the poem sound like a song.
- Hope: The repeated promise of return softens the mood.
Literary Device How Repetition Works
The poem uses refrain and repeated commands such as “sleep,” “rest,” and “blow,” making it useful for students studying repetition and rhythm.
The Splendour Falls
The splendour falls on castle walls
And snowy summits old in story:
The long light shakes across the lakes,
And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.
O hark, O hear! how thin and clear,
And thinner, clearer, farther going!
O sweet and far from cliff and scar
The horns of Elfland faintly blowing!
Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying:
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.
O love, they die in yon rich sky,
They faint on hill or field or river:
Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
And grow for ever and for ever.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
And answer, echoes, answer, dying, dying, dying.
Overview Short Summary
The poem describes echoes moving through a beautiful landscape and compares them with human love and memory.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Echo and memory: Repetition makes the poem sound like echo itself.
- Beauty: The landscape feels musical and alive.
Literary Device How Repetition Works
Repeated lines such as “Blow, bugle, blow” and “dying, dying, dying” create a clear refrain and sound pattern.
A Red, Red Rose
O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melodie
That’s sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only Luve!
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.
Overview Short Summary
Burns promises love that will last across distance, time, and impossible change.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Faithful love: Repeated promises make the love feel constant.
- Separation: The final stanza turns repetition into a vow of return.
Literary Device How Repetition Works
The poem repeats “my Luve,” “I will luve thee still,” and farewell phrases to create musical emphasis.
My Heart's in the Highlands
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.
Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow;
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods;
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.
Overview Short Summary
The speaker expresses deep homesickness and love for the Scottish Highlands.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Homesickness: The repeated title line shows that the speaker’s heart remains elsewhere.
- Belonging: Repetition turns landscape into identity.
Literary Device How Repetition Works
The first stanza returns at the end, creating a circular structure and a strong refrain.
Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Overview Short Summary
The song compares winter’s coldness with the pain of human ingratitude.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Ingratitude: The repeated commands make nature seem less cruel than false friendship.
- Resilience: The refrain gives the song a comic, survivable energy.
Literary Device How Repetition Works
The song uses repeated commands “Blow, blow” and “Freeze, freeze,” plus a repeated refrain, making it a clear classroom example of repetition.
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