Fulsome feelings of love | I kiss a rose instead of you

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by Karl August Friedrich Fetzer (1809 - 1885)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Volles Liebesgefühl

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Eine Rose küß' ich statt deiner,
   Die der Wind entgegen mir trug, 
   Schwellende Lippe ruhet an meiner;
   Eine Rose küß' ich statt deiner.
   Ach! ich küsse sie nimmer genug. 

Eine Lilie sollt' ich kosen, 
   In sie senken der Küsse Fluth,
   Hätte die Lilie die Lippen der Rosen;
   Eine Lilie sollt' ich kosen, 
   Hätte die Lilie der Rose Gluth. 

Eine Rose küß' ich statt deiner, 
   Frage sie tausendmal, liebest du mich? 
   Deine Lippe ruhet an meiner, 
   Eine Rose küß' ich statt deiner,
   Lilienmädchen, ich liebe dich.

Confirmed with Gedichte von Berthold Staufer, Stuttgart: A. Liesching & Comp., 1841, page 213.

Text Authorship:

by Karl August Friedrich Fetzer (1809 - 1885), "Volles Liebesgefühl", appears in Gedichte, in Zweite Abtheilung, in Ein Liebefrühling, no. 21 [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by Walther von Goethe (1818 - 1885), "Volles Liebesgefühl" [ voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Fulsome feelings of love", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-18
Line count: 15
Word count: 85

Fulsome feelings of love

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I kiss a rose instead of you,
  [A rose] borne to me by the wind,
  Swelling lips rest upon mine;
  I kiss a rose instead of you.
  Ah, I never kiss it enough.

I should be caressing a lily,
  Pouring the flood of kisses into her,
  If the lily but had the lips of the rose;
  I should be caressing a lily,
  If the lily but had the fervency of the rose.

I kiss a rose instead of you,
  Asking a thousand times, do you love me?
  Your lips rest upon mine,
  I kiss a rose instead of you,
  Lily-maiden, I love you.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Karl August Friedrich Fetzer (1809 - 1885), "Volles Liebesgefühl", appears in Gedichte, in Zweite Abtheilung, in Ein Liebefrühling, no. 21
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-20
Line count: 15
Word count: 103