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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!
...
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 durch des Herbstes Wehn;
Wie singen, sähe schmuck und grün
Ich wieder ihn im Lenze stehn!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,3-4 of the original text.
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.
Composition:
- Set to music by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Mein Lieb", op. 92 (Drei Gesänge) no. 2, stanzas 1,3-4 [ voice and piano ]
Text Authorship:
- 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"
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
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!
...
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 autumn;
How would I sing, when once more in springtime
I saw it standing trim and green!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1,3-4 of the original text.
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"
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This text was added to the website: 2022-08-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 122