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O, wär' mein Lieb' die rote Ros', Die auf des Schlosses Mauer glüht! O, wär' ich selbst der Tropfen Thau, Den man im Kelch der Rose sieht! An ihrer Brust die ganze Nacht Läg' ich, und schwelgt' in trunkner Lust; Bis Morgens, wo der Tag erwacht, Läg' ich an ihrer süßen Brust. O, wär' mein Lieb ein Holderstrauch, Wie der, voll Blumen jeder Ast! O, wär' ich selbst ein Vögelein! Auf seinen Zweigen hielt' ich Rast. Wie wollt' ich trauern, säh' ich ihn Entblättern des Novembers Wehn; Wie singen, sähe blüh'nd und grün Ich wieder ihn im Lenze stehn!
F. Brandeis sets stanzas 3-4, 1-2
V. Tomášek sets stanzas 1, 3-4
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Gedichte von Ferdinand Freiligrath, Siebente (der Miniatur-Ausgabe zweite) Auflage, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1844, page 438.
Note: Freiligrath has divided his translation into four stanzas, where Burns' original is usually published in two. He has also rearranged the stanzas, so Burns' stanza 1 corresponds to stanzas 3 and 4 of Freiligrath.
Text Authorship:
- by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), no title [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O were my Love yon lilac fair"
Go to the general view
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2011-04-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 104
Oh, were my love the red rose That glows upon the castle's wall! Oh, were I myself the drop of dew That one sees in the calyx of the rose! Upon her breast the whole night long I would lie and revel in intoxicated joy; Until morning, when the day awakens, I would lie upon her sweet breast. Oh, were my love a juniper bush, Like that one, every branch full of blossoms! Oh, were I myself a little bird! Upon its branches I would rest. How I would sorrow if I saw it Being stripped of leaves by the blowing of November; How would I sing, when once more in springtime I saw it standing in bloom and green!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesTranslations of title(s):
"Liebeswunsch" = "Love's wish"
"Mein Lieb" = "My love"
"O wär mein Lieb" = "Oh were my love"
"O wär' mein Lieb' die Rose roth" = "Oh were my love the rose so red"
"O wär' mein Lieb' die rote Ros'" = "Oh were my love the red rose"
"O, wär' mein Lieb' die rothe Ros'" = "Oh, were my love the red rose"
"O wär mein Lieb ein Holderstrauch" = "Oh were my love a juniper"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), no title [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O were my Love yon lilac fair"
Go to the general view
This text was added to the website: 2022-08-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 122