"Heidenröslein" or "Heideröslein" ("Rose on the Heath" or "Little Rose of the Field") is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...

, published in 1799. It was written in 1771 during Goethe's stay in Strasbourg when he was in love with Friederike Brion

Friederike Brion

Friederike Elisabetha Brion was a parson's daughter who had a short, but intense love-affair with the young Johann Wolfgang Goethe.- Life :...

, to whom the poem is addressed. The episode is the inspiration for Franz Lehár

Franz Lehár

Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...

's 1928 operetta Friederike, which includes a setting of "Heidenröslein" by Lehár.

"Heidenröslein" tells of a young man's rejected love, the female represented by a rose. A companion poem by Goethe, "Das Veilchen

Das Veilchen

"Das Veilchen" , K. 476, is a song for voice and piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written in Vienna on 8 June 1785, to a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.-Lyrics:Goethe wrote the poem in 1773 or early 1774...

", reverses the situation and describes a woman's love rejected by a careless man, the woman represented by a violet.

It has been set to music by a number of composers, most notably in 1815 by Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...

 as his D.

Otto Erich Deutsch

Otto Erich Deutsch was an Austrian musicologist. He is known for compiling the first comprehensive catalogue of the works of Franz Schubert, first published in 1951 in English, new edition in 1978 in German...

 257. It is partially based on Pamina's and Papageno's duet "Könte jeder brave Mann" from the end of act 1 of Mozart's The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....

. There are also settings by Carl Friedrich Zelter

Carl Friedrich Zelter

Carl Friedrich Zelter was a German composer, conductor and teacher of music.Zelter became friendly with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and his works include settings of Goethe's poems...

 and Heinrich Werner

Heinrich Werner (composer)

Heinrich Werner was a German composer.He was born in 1800 into a musical family in Kirchohmfeld in the Eichsfeld district of Thuringia. Initially trained at home, he played the organ for the local church at the age of 11 and became a choral singer at Sankt Andreasberg at 15...

. The Neue Deutsche Härte

Neue Deutsche Härte

Neue Deutsche Härte is a genre of industrial metal. The term was invented by the German music press after the release of the debut album Herzeleid by Rammstein....

 band Rammstein

Rammstein

Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...

 used the lyrics in their 2005 song "Rosenrot

Rosenrot (song)

"Rosenrot" is a song and single from the album of the same name by the German band Rammstein.The "Rosenrot" track was highly anticipated by fans of Rammstein, as it was first hailed in February 2004 to be the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Reise, Reise .In the end, "Rosenrot"...

". The Japanese singer Ringo Sheena covered the Schubert song on her 2002 album Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi in the song "D. 257".

Text

Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn, Röslein auf der Heiden, War so jung und morgenschön, Lief er schnell es nah zu sehn, Sah's mit vielen Freuden. Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Röslein auf der Heiden. Knabe sprach: "Ich breche dich, Röslein auf der Heiden." Röslein sprach: "Ich steche dich, Dass du ewig denkst an mich, Und ich will's nicht leiden." Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Röslein auf der Heiden. Und der wilde Knabe brach 's Röslein auf der Heiden. Röslein wehrte sich und stach, Half ihm doch kein Weh und Ach, Musst es eben leiden. Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Röslein auf der Heiden.

Saw a boy a little rose, little red rose on the heath, young and lovely like the morning. So he ran to have a close look at it, and gladly did. Little rose, little rose, little red rose on the heath. Said the boy: I will pick you, my red rose on the heath! Said the rose: I will prick you and I won't stand it, and you won't forget me. Little rose, little rose, little red rose on the heath. And the rough boy picked the rose, little red rose on the heath, and the red rose fought and pricked, yet she cried and sighed in vain, and had to let it happen. Little rose, little rose, little red rose on the heath.

Once a boy saw a little rose standing, Little rose of the field, She was so young and beautiful, He dashed there quickly to see her near, Beholden with abundant joy, Little rose, little rose, little rose red, Little rose of the field. The boy then said: "I shall pick thee, Little rose of the field." The little rose said: "I shall stick thee, That you'll always think of me, And, I'll not want to suffer it." Little rose, little rose, little rose red, Little rose of the field. Still the rough boy picked the rose, Little rose of the field. The little rose fought thus and pricked, No prose of pain could help her, Alas, she must suffer it yet. Little rose, little rose, little rose red, Little rose of the field.

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