O my [Luve's]1 like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June: O my [Luve's]1 like the melodie That's sweetly play'd in tune. As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, [So]2 deep in luve am I: And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry: Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi' the sun; I will luve thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run. And fare thee weel, my only Luve! And fare thee weel a while! And I will come again, my Luve, Tho' it were ten thousand mile.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: due to a similarity in first lines, Berg's song O wär' mein Lieb' jen' Röslein roth is often erroneously indicated as a translation of this poem.
1 Beach and Scott: "Luve is"; Bacon: "love's"2 Scott: "Sae"
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked 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 David Arditti (b. 1964), "O My Luve's Like a Red, Red Rose", op. 1 no. 2, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "The red rose", alternate title: "Melody in June", c1945-9 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "My luve is like a red, red rose", op. 12 (Three Songs) no. 3 (1887) [ treble voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Frederick Brandeis (1835 - 1899), "My love is like the red, red rose", 1886 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Henry) Walford Davies, Sir (1869 - 1941), "The Farewell", op. 3 (Six Songs) no. 1, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], London : Novello, Ewer, & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paulo Florence (1864 - 1949), "My love is like a red red rose", 1926, published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Cinco canções internacionais, no. 4, São Paulo: Ed. do autor [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "O my luve's like a red, red rose", op. 13 (Five songs) no. 1, published 1887, copyright © 1887 [ voice and piano ], Boston, Schmidt [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Linton Gardner (1917 - 2011), "My luve is like a red, red rose", op. 213 no. 3, published 1993 [ mixed chorus and orchestra ], from A Burns Sequence, no. 3, London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Gold (1921 - 1999), "A red, red rose" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mervyn, Lord Horder, the Second Baron of Ashford (1910 - 1998), "A red, red rose" [ voice and piano ], from Five Burns Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Jeffreys (1927 - 2010), "The farewell" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John G. Koch (b. 1928), "O my Luve's like a red, red rose" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leonard J[ordan] Lehrman (b. 1949), "A red, red rose", op. 47 [ voice a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by James MacMillan (b. 1959), "So deep" [ soli and chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895 - 1980), "O my Luve's like a red, red rose" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "O my luve's like a red, red rose" [ four-part chorus and piano? ], from Three Four-Part Songs, no. 2, unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "My luve is like a red, red rose", published 1936 [ baritone and piano ], from Scottish Lyrics, Book 4, no. 12, Bayley & Ferguson; confirmed with Songs of Francis George Scott, selected and edited by Neil Mackay, Roberton Publications, Aylesbury, 1980, page 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "A red, red rose", 1885, published 1886 [ voice and piano ], from Six Songs by Robert Burns, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Theophilus Walker (b. 1922), "A red, red rose" [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich.
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- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Emil Aarestrup (1800 - 1856) , "O, du er lig en Rose rød" ; composed by Leopold Rosenfeld.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858) , "Rothes Röslein" ; composed by Gustav Eggers, Alexander Fesca, Bruno Oscar Klein, Heinrich von Sahr, Robert Schumann.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959) ; composed by Friedrich Niggli.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Carl Bohm, Franciscus Wilhelmus Bouman, Rudolf Buck, George Henschel, Eugène Jámbor, Robert Schwalm, Emil Weeber, Jakob Wolff.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) , no title, appears in Gedichte, in Robert Burns. Elf Lieder [later 13 Lieder], no. 6[8], first published 1836 ; composed by Robert Franz, Peter Gast, Karl Grammann, Ferdinand Gumbert, O. Heller, Carl Hohfeld, Eduard Lassen, Heinrich August Marschner, Elise Schmezer, Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by (Johann) Philipp Kaufmann (1802 - 1846) , first published 1830 ; composed by Carl Ferdinand Konradin, Joseph Rheinberger.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Jan Karol Gall, Louis Rée.
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Gustav Flügel, Ernst Paul Flügel.
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Paul Heinze (1858 - 1912) , no title ; composed by Albert Fuchs.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Samuil Yakovlevich Marschak (1887 - 1964) , "Любовь" ; composed by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov.
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Magnus Gustaf Retzius (1842 - 1919) , "Min vän är lik den röda ros", written 1872 ; composed by Oscar Blom.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- SWG Swiss German (Schwizerdütsch) (August Corrodi) , "Min schatz ist wienes Röseli", first published 1870
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Má milá jest jak růžička"
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Η π’ αγαπώ ’ναι ρόδο ροζ", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (József Lévay) , "Szerelmem, mint piros rózsa..."
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 106
Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros', Die frisch am Stocke glüht; [Eine rothe, rothe Ros'! mein Lieb]1 Ist wie ein süßes Lied! Mein Lieb, so schmuck und schön du bist, So sehr auch lieb' ich dich; Bis daß die See verlaufen ist, [Süße Dirne]2, lieb' ich dich! Bis daß die See verlaufen ist, [Und]3 der Fels zerschmilzt, mein Kind, [Und stets, mein Lieb,]4 so lang mein Blut In meinen Adern rinnt! Leb' wohl, leb' wohl, mein einzig Lieb! Leb' wohl auf kurze Zeit! [Leb' wohl! ich kehr',]5 und wär' ich auch Zehntausend Meilen weit!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Gedichte von Ferdinand Freiligrath, Siebente (der Miniatur-Ausgabe zweite) Auflage, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1844, page 435.
1 Gumbert: "und eine rothe Ros', mein Lieb,"2 Gumbert: "mein Mädchen"
3 omitted by Gumbert
4 Gumbert: "und immerdar"
5 Gumbert: "Ich kehr' zurück"
Text Authorship:
- by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), no title, appears in Gedichte, in Robert Burns. Elf Lieder [later 13 Lieder], no. 6[8], first published 1836 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Mein Lieb ist eine rote Ros'", op. 31 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 3, published 1858 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Senff [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Gast (1854 - 1918), "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", op. 9 (Fünf Lieder für Tenor mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1900 [ tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Hofmeister  [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Christian Heinrich) Karl Grammann (1842 - 1897), "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", op. 36 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1882 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Klemm [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", op. 65 (5 Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianoforte) no. 5, published 1854 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Siegel  [sung text checked 1 time]
- by O. Heller , "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", op. 6 no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Hohfeld (flourished 1884-1895), "Mein Lieb' ist eine rote Ros'", published 1884 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 10, Mainz: Kittlitz-Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduard Lassen (1830 - 1904), "Mein Lieb' ist eine rothe Ros'", published 1864 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ], from 12 Lieder für vierstimmigen Männergesang, no. 9, Weimar, Kühn [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", op. 103 ([Sieben] Lieder nach Rob. Burns von F. Freiligrath für Sopran oder Tenor) no. 7, published 1838 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elise Schmezer (1810 - 1856), "Rothe Rose", op. 4 (Lieder, Romanzen und Balladen für Tenor, Erstes Heft der Gesänge) no. 2, published 1850 [ tenor and piano ], Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1825 - 1904), "Mein Lieb ist eine rothe Ros'", published 1885 [ voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Braunschweig, Bauer [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Η π’ αγαπώ ’ν’ τριαντάφυλλο", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 94