O, wär' mein Lieb' die rote Ros',
Die auf des Schlosses Mauer glüht!
O, wär' ich selbst der Tropfen Thau,
Den man im Kelch der Rose sieht!

An ihrer Brust die ganze Nacht
Läg' ich, und schwelgt' in trunkner Lust;
Bis Morgens, wo der Tag erwacht,
Läg' ich an ihrer süßen Brust.

O, wär' mein Lieb ein Holderstrauch,
Wie der, voll Blumen jeder Ast!
O, wär' ich selbst ein Vögelein!
Auf seinen Zweigen hielt' ich Rast.

Wie wollt' ich trauern, säh' ich ihn
Entblättern [des Novembers Wehn]1;
Wie singen, sähe [blüh'nd]2 und grün
Ich wieder ihn im Lenze stehn!

F. Brandeis sets stanzas 3-4, 1-2
V. Tomášek sets stanzas 1, 3-4

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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 438.

Note: Freiligrath has divided his translation into four stanzas, where Burns' original is usually published in two. He has also rearranged the stanzas, so Burns' stanza 1 corresponds to stanzas 3 and 4 of Freiligrath.

¹ Brandeis: "von Herbst und Winters Weh'n"; Tomášek: "durch des Herbstes Wehn"
² Tomášek: "schmuck"

Authorship:

• by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

• a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "O were my Love yon lilac fair"
  • Go to the text page.

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

• by Carl Banck (1809 - 1889), "Liebeswunsch", op. 16 (Acht Lieder und Gesänge) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Frederick Brandeis (1835 - 1899), "O wär mein Lieb ein Holderstrauch", op. 43 no. 1, published 1877, stanzas 3-4,1-2 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs, no. 1, New York: Martens Brothers, also set in Scottish (Scots) [sung text checked 1 time]
• by August Conradi (1821 - 1873), "O wär' mein Lieb' die Rose roth", op. 13 (Vier Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1850 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Damköhler [sung text not yet checked]
• by Wilhelm Heiser (1816 - 1897), "O, wär mein Lieb' die rothe Ros'!", op. 170, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Forberg [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ludwig Hoffmann (1830 - 1870), "O, wär' mein Lieb' die rothe Ros'", op. 22 (Vier Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1868 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text not yet checked]
• by Carl Hohfeld (flourished 1884-1895), "O wär' mein Lieb' die rote Ros'", published 1884 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 9, Mainz: Kittlitz-Schott [sung text not yet checked]
• by Carl August Krebs (1804 - 1880), "Mein Lieb", op. 74, published 1840 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Schuberth und Co. [sung text not yet checked]
• by Arnold Krug (1849 - 1904), "O wär' mein Lieb die rothe Ros'", op. 19 ([Acht] Lieder und Romanzen für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Thiemer [sung text not yet checked]
• by C. Adolph Oberdörffer , "O wär mein Lieb", op. 5 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Fr. Schuberth [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Michael Schletterer (1824 - 1893), "O, wär' mein Lieb' die rote Ros'", op. 19 (5 Lieder für Mezzosopran) no. 4, published 1866 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Mein Lieb", op. 92 (Drei Gesänge) no. 2, stanzas 1,3-4 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 99

Oh, were my love the red rose
That glows upon the castle's wall!
Oh, were I myself the drop of dew
That one sees in the calyx of the rose!

Upon her breast the whole night long
I would lie and revel in intoxicated joy;
Until morning, when the day awakens,
I would lie upon her sweet breast.

Oh, were my love a juniper bush,
Like that one, every branch full of blossoms!
Oh, were I myself a little bird!
Upon its branches I would rest.

How I would sorrow if I saw it
Being stripped of leaves by the blowing of [November]1;
How would I sing, when once more in springtime
I saw it standing [in bloom]2 and green!