I see you, rose, half-open book

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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Je te vois, rose, livre entrebâillé

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Je te vois, rose, livre entrebâillé,
qui contient tant de pages
de bonheur détaillé
qu'on ne lira jamais. Livre-mage,

qui s'ouvre au vent et qui peut être lu
les yeux fermés...,
dont les papillons sortent confus
d'avoir eu les mêmes idées.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• S. Grill

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Poèmes français, in 3. Les Roses, no. 2, first published 1927 [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 Emmanuel Clerc (b. 1963), "Les Roses", 2004, published 2005, first performed 2004 [ vocal duet for sopranos or children's chorus and piano ], from Trois mélodies à deux voix pour sopranos ou chœur d'enfants et piano, no. 2, Crozon, Éditions Buissonnières [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacqueline Fontyn (b. 1930), "Les roses", op. 67 no. 2 (1986), published 1987? [ vocal duet for soprano and contralto with clarinet, violin, harp, and piano ], from Rosa, rosae, no. 2, Limelette : Fontyn [sung text not yet checked]
by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), no title, copyright © 2019 [ soprano, oboe and violin ], from Selections from Les Roses, no. 1, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]

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

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-01-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 41

I see you, rose, half‑open book

Language: English after the French (Français)

I see you, rose, half-open book, 
containing so many pages
of detailed happiness 
that will never be read. Magus-book, 

which opens in the wind and can be read
with closed eyes..., 
which butterflies leave embarrassed 
at having had the same ideas.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Les Roses" = "The Roses"

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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Poèmes français, in 3. Les Roses, no. 2, first published 1927
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-06-27
Line count: 8
Word count: 41