by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation Singable translation by Eleonore D'Esterre-Keeling (1856 - 1939)

Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT CHI DUT ENG ENG FRE HUN HUN ITA
Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn,
Röslein auf der Heiden,
War so jung und morgenschön,
Lief er schnell es nah zu sehn,
Sah's mit vielen Freuden.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein [roth]1,
Röslein auf der Heiden.
 
Knabe sprach: ich breche dich,
Röslein auf der Heiden!
Röslein sprach: ich steche dich,
Daß du ewig denkst an mich,
Und ich will's nicht leiden.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein roth,
Röslein auf der Heiden.
 
Und der wilde Knabe brach
's Röslein auf der Heiden;
Röslein wehrte sich und stach,
Half [ihr]2 doch kein Weh und Ach,
Mußt' es eben leiden.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein roth,
Röslein auf der Heiden.

J. Lang sets stanza 1

About the headline (FAQ)

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Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1827, page 17.

First published in a different version by Johann Gottfried Herder in 1772 with the title "Fabelliedchen", and again in 1779 with the title "Röschen auf der Heide" (see below).

1 Lang: "schön"
2 Reichardt: "ihm"

Text Authorship:

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "野地上的小玫瑰", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Karel Dostál-Lutinov) , "Růžička"
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jan Evangelista Nečas) , "Růže pustých polí"
  • CZE Czech (Čeština) (Otokar Fischer) , "Růžička"
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Heideroosje", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Walter Meyer) , "Rose blossom on the heath", copyright © 1996, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ESP Esperanto (Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof) , "La rozeto"
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Valter Juva) , "Ruusu metsätiellä"
  • FRE French (Français) [singable] (Édouard Bélanger) , "Rose sauvage"
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Petite rose de la lande", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Rosellina selvaggia", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 101

The rose‑bud on the heather
 (Sung text for setting by N. Gade)
 Matches base text
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Once a boy a rose did view,
Rose-bud on the heather!
And so young and fair it grew,
That to see it near he flew,
Through the summer weather;
Rose-bud, rose-bud, rose-bud red,
Rose-bud on the heather!
 
Spoke the boy: I gather thee,
Rose-bud on the heather!
Said the rose: My thorn for thee!
Thou shalt long remember me,
If thou wilt me gather.
Rose-bud, rose-bud, rose-bud red,
Rose-bud on the heather!
 
And the boy the rose-bud broke,
Rose-bud on the heather!
Soon he felt the vengeful stroke,
And the sudden pain, awoke
Sighs and groans together.
Rose-bud, rose-bud, rose-bud red,
Rose-bud on the heather!

Composition:

Text Authorship:

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Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2016-05-05
Line count: 21
Word count: 105