by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906)
Translation by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934)
Svarta rosor
Language: Swedish (Svenska)
Säg hvarför är du så ledsen i dag, Du, som alltid är så lustig och glad? Och inte är jag mera ledsen i dag Än när jag tyckes dig lustig och glad; Ty sorgen har nattsvarta rosor. I mitt hjerta der växer ett rosendeträd Som aldrig nånsin vill lemna mig fred. Och på stjelkarne sitter [tagg]1 vid tagg, Och det vållar mig ständigt sveda och agg; Ty sorgen har nattsvarta rosor. Men af rosor blir det en hel klenod, Än hvita som döden, än röda som blod. Det växer och växer. Jag tror jag förgår, I hjertträdets rötter det rycker och slår; Ty sorgen har nattsvarta rosor.
View original text (without footnotes)
Note: "hjerta der" is spelled "hjärta där" in some editions.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Note: "hjerta der" is spelled "hjärta där" in some editions.
1 Sibelius: "det tagg"
Authorship:
- by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Svarta rosor", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), "Svarta rosor", op. 36 (Kuusi yksinlaulua pianon säestyksellä = 6 sånger (Six Songs)) no. 1 (1899), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934) ; composed by Frederick Delius.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jelka Rosen (Delius) (1868 - 1935) ; composed by Frederick Delius.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Alfred Julius Boruttau (1877 - 1940) and by Ferdinand Tilgmann (1832 - 1911) ; composed by Jean Sibelius.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Anna Hersey) , "Black roses", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Mustat ruusut", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Roses noires", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 107
Black Roses
Language: English  after the Swedish (Svenska)
Tell me, why are you so sad today? You have always been so merry and gay! Believe me, I am no more sad today Than when you thought that I was merry and gay; For sorrow has nightblack roses. A tangle of roses grows thick round my heart And stinging thorns make wounds that smart. And roses and thorns spread night and day; They have driven all joy and peace away, For sorrow has nightblack roses!
Authorship:
- by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Svarta rosor", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frederick Delius (1862 - 1934), "Black Roses", 1901, published 1915 [voice and piano], from Fünf Gesänge, no. 4, Köln am Rhein, Tischer und Jagenberg, also set in German (Deutsch) [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-24
Line count: 10
Word count: 76