The Rose-Bush

Johann Ludwig Uhland (1787–1862)

From the German by William Warren Caldwell

A CHILD sleeps under a rose-bush fair,

The buds swell out in the soft May air;

Sweetly it rests, and on dream-wings flies

To play with the angels in Paradise.

And the years glide by.

A Maiden stands by the rose-bush fair,

The dewy blossoms perfume the air;

She presses her hand to her throbbing breast,

With love’s first wonderful rapture blest.

And the years glide by.

A Mother kneels by the rose-bush fair,

Soft sigh the leaves in the evening air;

Sorrowing thoughts of the past arise,

And tears of anguish bedim her eyes.

And the years glide by.

Naked and lone stands the rose-bush fair,

Whirled are the leaves in the autumn air,

Withered and dead they fall to the ground,

And silently cover a new-made mound.

And the years glide by.