Roses noires | Dis, pourquoi es-tu si triste aujourd'hui

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by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Svarta rosor

Language: Swedish (Svenska)

Our translations: ENG FIN FRE JPN

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.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Sibelius

View original text (without footnotes)
Note: "hjerta der" is spelled "hjärta där" in some editions.

¹ Sibelius: "det tagg"

Text 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.
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Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jelka Rosen (Delius) (1868 - 1935) ; composed by Frederick Delius.
- Go to the text.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Alfred Julius Boruttau (1877 - 1940) and by Ferdinand Tilgmann (1832 - 1911) ; composed by Jean Sibelius.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

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: 108

Roses noires

Language: French (Français) after the Swedish (Svenska)

Dis, pourquoi es-tu si triste aujourd'hui,
Toi qui es toujours si joyeux et si gai ?
Je ne suis pas plus triste aujourd'hui
Que lorsque je te semble joyeux et si gai ;
Car le chagrin a des roses noires comme la nuit.

Dans mon cœur pousse un rosier
Qui jamais ne me laisse en paix.
Et sur ses tiges poussent épines sur épines
Qui me causent sans cesse douleur et aversion ;
Car le chagrin a des roses noires comme la nuit.

Mais de la rose naît un pur joyau,
Tantôt blanc comme la mort, tantôt rouge comme le sang,
Qui croît et croît. Je crois que je vais mourir,
Les racines de mon cœur sont arrachées et fauchées ;
Car le chagrin a des roses noires comme la nuit.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Swedish (Svenska) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Swedish (Svenska) by Ernst Josephson (1851 - 1906), "Svarta rosor", appears in Svarta Rosor och Gula
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-09-16
Line count: 15
Word count: 127