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 sprache: 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 wild Knabe brach
's Röslein auf der Heiden;
Röslein wehrte sich und stach,
Half ihr doch kein Weh und Ach,
Mußt es eben leiden.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,
Röslein auf der Heiden.
TRANSLATION BY LESLIE NORRIS AND ALAN F. KEELE:
Crude boy saw a tiny new
Rosebud in the heather,
Young as dawn and fresh as dew;
Ran straight up and stooped to view,
Filled his eyes with pleasure,
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
Rosebud in the heather.
Said the boy, "I will pick you,
Rosebud in the heather".
Rose replied, "Then I'll stick you,
Let my sharp thorns run you through,
You will not forget me, ever!"
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
Rosebud in the heather.
So the rough boy ripped the little rose,
Rosebud in the heather,
Though she pricked, he held her close,
Though she cried, the poor little rose,
Made no difference for her,
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
Rosebud in the heather.
This poem by Goethe contains many common symbols. The rose is a common metaphor for virginity and femininity. The rose therefore resembles a young and delicate virgin woman. Sex is also a common subject of poetry, but it is covered up with metaphors such as the rose because of its taboo nature. (Sex is so taboo because it comes with many dangers and fears, such as sexually transmitted diseases and rape).
The story, therefore, might be interpreted as such: A boy comes upon a girl ("rose") he has never seen before. This girl stands out from the rest of the flowers (" the heather"). Young, gorgeous, and most likely a virgin ("fresh"), he is overcome by sexual desires ("filled his eyes with pleasure") and decides he must have her. He tells her right out that he desires to have sex with her and it is not up to her to decide if she wants to or not ("I will pick you"). The girl ("rose") responds in a fury and tells the boy that if he tries to have sex with her, she will use violence and fight back against him ("Let my sharp thorns run you through"). However, the boy does not care about what the young girl ("rose") has to say. Through the use of force, he begins to have sex with her ("ripped the little rose"). She tries to fight him off ("though she pricked") but the boy, being much stronger than this young and fragile girl, holds her in place and forces her submit to his desires ("he held her close"). The girl, now aware that she is unable to escape, begins to cry and hopes that the boy might have pity on her sadness ("though she cried"). But the boy is relentless. He has forgotten about how special that one "rose in the heather" was, and does not care about the girl's ("rose"'s) feelings, only about his own wishes ("made no difference for her").
*It should also be noted that the poem consists of 3 stanzas each having 7 lines. This odd number of 7 throws off the traditional balance of symmetrical musical structure, but Schubert obviously works around this in his construction of the lied.
No comments:
Post a Comment