×
Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé
Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?
Language: German (Deutsch)
Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß? O sprich mein Lieb warum? Warum sind denn im grünen Gras Die blauen Veilchen so stumm? Warum singt denn mit so kläglichem Laut, Die Lerche in der Luft? Warum steigt denn aus dem Balsamkraut Verwelkter Blütenduft? Warum scheint denn die Sonn' auf die Au, So kalt und verdrießlich herab? Warum ist denn die Erde so grau, Und öde wie ein Grab? Warum bin ich selbst so krank und so trüb? Mein liebes Liebchen sprich O sprich mein herzallerliebstes Lieb, Warum verließest du mich?
P. Cornelius sets stanzas 1-2, 4
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 129.
Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 23 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Jules Bleichmann (1868 - 1909), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 14 (Zehn lyrische Intermezzi) no. 7, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albert Bratfisch (1823 - 1874), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 5 (Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Friedrich) August Bungert (1845 - 1915), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 11 no. 1, published 1876 [ medium voice and piano ], from Junge Leiden : Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 1, Berlin, Luckhardt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans van den Burg , "Warum", published 18--? [ alto or baritone and piano ], from Drei Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vladimir Castrioto-Scanderberg (1820 - 1879), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Andenken an Horodetz : Sechs Lieder von Heine, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?", published 1905-7, stanzas 1-2,4 [ voice and piano ], from Neun Lieder und Duette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Dessau (1894 - 1979), "Lyrisches Intermezzo", 1919 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by G. J. van Dongen , "Warum?", op. 14 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, published 1911 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich (Ludwig Egmont) Dorn (1804 - 1892), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 9 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexander Julius Paul Dorn (1833 - 1901), "Die Trauer der Natur", op. 27 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Drechsler (1861 - 1935), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Luisa Erdődy, née Drasche-Wartimberg, Countess , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from [23] Lieder und Gesänge, no. 10, as Luisa Lios [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig von Erlanger (b. 1862), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 21 (Acht Gedichte von Heinrich Heine), Heft 2 no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Don Forsythe (1932 - 2015), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published c2004-5 [ low voice and piano ], from Eine Dichtererzählung - Frühlingzyklus, no. 16 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabel , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thecla de Gähler , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Fire Sange, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georgiana , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Greif (1950 - 2000), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?", op. 49 (Light music) no. 4 (1974) [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf Gritzner , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Grünberger (1839 - 1896), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 17 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 90 (Fünf Lieder) no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henry Kimball Hadley (1871 - 1937), "Warum", op. 7 (Seven lyrics) no. 3, published 1897 [ low voice and piano ], also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lennart Hedwall (b. 1932), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published 1974/5 [ mezzo-soprano and clarinet ], from Heine-Svit : Fem sånger, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henrik Hennings (1848 - 1923), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Sechs Lieder von H. Heine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder) no. 3 (1837), published 1846 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Hervey (1855 - 1922), "Warum?", published 1883?, from Sechs Liebeslieder von Heine, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Hol (1825 - 1904), "Warum?", published 18--?, from Zwei Gesänge, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Gustav Jansen (1831 - 1910), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 29 (Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mariya P. Kavelina , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [ voice, violoncello, and piano ], also set in Russian [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolay Filippovich Khristianovich (1828 - 1890), "Warum", op. 9 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 5, published 1858 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oskar Karlovich Klemm (1821 - 1891), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Theodor Kugler (1808 - 1858), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published 1830, from Skizzenbuch [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georg Karl Kulenkamp (1799 - 1850), "Lied von Heine" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Warum?", op. 96 (Sängerfahrt : achtzehn Lieder), Heft 1 no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Löwenberg , "Warum", from Acht Lieder von Heine, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", 1834, fragment [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Hermann Meyer (1905 - 1988), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", 1922, published 1922/3, from Zehn Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Victor Ernst Nessler (1841 - 1890), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 19 (Vier Lieder von Heine) no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by C. Adolph Oberdörffer , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 5 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Fr. Schuberth [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf Philipp , "Warum?", op. 42 (Fünf Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edna Frida Pietsch (1894 - 1982), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 6 (Neun Lieder) no. 5, published 1980 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Catharine Adelaide Agnes Ranken , "Warum", published 1881 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Reisenauer (1863 - 1907), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Traurige Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jakob Rosenhain (1813 - 1894), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 40 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Rottenberg (1864 - 1932), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published 1914, from Zwölf Lieder von Heinrich Heine, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1836 - 1865) and by Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1825 - 1904), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Neun Lieder, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?", op. 4 no. 2 (1906), published 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder von Heine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josef Schreier , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Liederstrauß : 30 Original-Lieder , no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by F. J. Schumann , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 6 (Sechs Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by E. von Selle , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 2 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Yulyevich Simon (1850 - 1916), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Korstiaan Stougie (1908 - 1988), "Warum", op. 1 no. 123 (1952), published 1972, from Zeven Heine-liederen, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Korstiaan Stougie (1908 - 1988), "Warum", op. 10 no. 2b (1959) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Reginald Lindsey Sweet (1885 - 1950?), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 7 (Sechs ernste Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sigismund Thalberg (1812 - 1871), "Warum?", op. 30 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 6 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Feofil Matveyevich Tolstoy (1809 - 1881), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albert Theodor Töpken , "Warum?", published 1882 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte (Heft II der nachgelassenen Werke), no. 2, Bremen, Praeger & Meier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Uterhart , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published 1900 [ medium voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 2, Leipzig, (Hofmeister) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Visser (b. 1939), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", published 1930 [ high voice and piano ], from Lieder auf Gedichte von Heinrich Heine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cornelis Christian Adriaan de Vliegh , "Warum?", op. 6 (Drei Lieder) no. 1, published 1881 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joel Weiss , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass", 2016 [ voice and piano ], from Heine Lieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hermann Wichmann (1824 - 1905), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 4 (Fünf Lieder von Heine) no. 4 [ duet for 2 voices and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Rudolph Willmers (1821 - 1878), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 31 (Zehn Liebeslieder), Heft 1 no. 4 [ tenor or soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Theodor Winkelmann , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", from Neun Lieder, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gerhard Wuensch , "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 78b (Five German Songs) no. 2, published 1979? [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Zenger (1837 - 1911), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß", op. 38 (Lieder) no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Oscar Strasnoy (b. 1970), "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass" [ duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], from Heine, no. 7
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by J. Emory Shaw.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation possibly by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882); composed by Hazel Cobb.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Victor Despommier.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Henry Kimball Hadley.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Francis Alexander Korbay.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by A. P. Lighthill.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by C. Archer ; composed by Ross Oliver.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by George Rochberg.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Felix Schelling.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Pierre-René Hirsch (1870 - 1891) and by Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (1864 - 1955) ; composed by Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 23 ; composed by Marcel Bertrand, Georges Adolphe Hüe.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Abel Nathan ; composed by Abel Nathan.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Vincenzo Baffi ; composed by Ferruccio Busoni.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Francesco Cipolla, Conte (1848 - 1914) , no title ; composed by Giovanni Sgambati.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by César Antonovich Cui.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862) , no title, written 1858 ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Ilya Fyodorovich Tyumenev (1855 - 1927) ; composed by Jules Bleichmann.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Ukrainian (Українська), a translation by Larisa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka (1871 - 1913) , no title ; composed by Mykola Vitaliyovych Lysenko.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Perquè són les roses tan pàl·lides", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Why are the roses so pale?", copyright ©
- ENG English (John Todhunter) , appears in Heine's Book of Songs, first published 1907
- FRE French (Français) (Charles Beltjens) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 23, first published 1827
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pourquoi les roses sont-elles si pâles?", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Axel Bergstedt) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 90
Pourquoi donc les roses sont‑elles si...
Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)
Pourquoi donc les roses sont-elles si pâles ? Ô mon amour, dis-moi pourquoi, Pourquoi donc les herbes sont-elles si vertes, Les violettes bleues si muettes ? Pourquoi donc le chant si plaintif De l'alouette monte-t-il dans le ciel ? Pourquoi donc s'élève de la balsamite Un parfum de fleur fanée ? Pourquoi donc l'éclat du soleil sur le pré Est-il si froid et si chagrin ? Pourquoi donc la terre est-elle si grise Et déserte comme une tombe ? Pourquoi suis-je moi-même morbide et maussade ? Dis-moi, ma chère bien-aimée, Ô dis-moi, mon amour, préférée de mon cœur, Pourquoi m'as-tu quitté ?
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2016 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:
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 23
This text was added to the website: 2016-12-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 102