When I see the rose blooming | When I see the rose blooming

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Quant voi la rose espanir

Language: Old French (Ancien français)

Our translations: ENG

Quant voi la rose espanir
Contre la douce seison,
Qe chantent cil oisellon
Au tens que voient radoucir:
Adone pens et puis soupir,
Qant de ce qe plus desir
Ne puis ioir
Ne mon voloir acomplir.
Deus por qoi mi fet languir
Cele a la clere façon
Por cui soupir!
Bien voi q'il m'estuet mourir,
Se ie par li n'ai guerison.

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, first published 1099 [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 Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Quant voi la rose espanir", 1953/4 [soprano, tenor, alto, and SATB chorus a cappella], from Canti amorosi, no. 1, Mainz, Schott [ sung text not verified ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-03-06
Line count: 13
Word count: 61

When I see the rose blooming

Language: English after the Old French (Ancien français)

When I see the rose blooming
At the coming of sweet Spring, 
Which the little birds sing about
Seeing the weather grow mild:
A thought arises and then a sigh,
Since what I most desire
I can neither enjoy 
Nor fulfill my wish for.
God, why does she make me languish 
She, fair of face,
For whom I sigh!
I see clearly that I must die,
If she does not preserve me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Old French (Ancien 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 Old French (Ancien français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , first published 1099
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-10
Line count: 13
Word count: 72