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by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)

The lily has a smooth stalk
Language: English 
Our translations:  SPA
The lily has a smooth stalk,
  Will never hurt your hand;
But the rose upon her briar
  Is lady of the land.

There's sweetness in an apple tree,
  And profit in the corn;
But lady of all beauty
  Is a rose upon a thorn.

When with moss and honey
  She tips her bending briar,
And half unfolds her glowing heart,
  She sets the world on fire. 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894), no title, appears in Sing-song: a nursery rhyme book, first published 1872 [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 Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "The lily has a smooth stalk", published 1922 [ unison chorus, piano ], from School Songs [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978), "The rose", <<2017 [ SATB chorus, piano, optional string quartet ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hilda May Sarson (1901? - 1958), "Lady of the land", published 1933 [ voice and piano ], from Boats and Bridges [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adolf Weidig (1867 - 1931), "There's nothing like the rose", published 1920 [ voice, piano ], in The Progressive Music Series [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2006-01-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 66

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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