The only comparison I can see is that in "A Red, Red Rose"
speaks of the newness of life in the season of early summer. It is a time of promise,
and the tone of the poem is filled with promise. He says that he will love her for all
time. He is leaving her, but promises to return, even if he has to travel a thousand
miles to do so.
And fare thee weel, my only
Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my
Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand
mile.
In comparison,
"To A Mouse" has a very different tone: the opposite, in fact. He is sympathetic to the
mouse's future that seems to hold little promise for survival, and notes that he feels
much the same way. He feels responsible for what he has done, and as he continues to
speak about his own difficulties, perhaps he is inferring that he has caused his own
heartaches as well.
That wee-bit heap
o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now
thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald.
To thole
the Winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch
cauld!
In that the mouse thought she
was ready for the harsh conditions of the cold months and had worked to provide for
herself, perhaps he, too, has done the same, but misfortune has fallen on him as it has
on her: he says they both face hard times and struggles, and that they can neither of
them be assured that there will be any reward at the end of these
struggles.
He believes that while her problems may only be
momentary, when he looks back at his life and believes the problems will reach far into
his future.
Still, thou art blest, compar'd wi'
me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my
e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna
see,
I guess an'
fear!
This contradicts the
sense in "To a Red, Red Rose," that his love will last far into the
future.
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