by Robert Desnos (1900 - 1945)
Translation © by Grant Hicks

Le gardénia
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Chosen for Diff
Dans un jardin en Angleterre
Il était un gardénia.
Pour en fleurir sa boutonnière,
Un vieux lord se l'appropria.
Depuis, au jardin, il n'y a,
N'y a plus de gardénia.

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Gardenia", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 30

The Gardenia
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
In a garden in England 
There was a gardenia.
To decorate his buttonhole, 
An old lord helped himself to it. 
Since then the garden has no,
Has no more gardenias.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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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This text was added to the website: 2026-07-03
Line count: 6
Word count: 30