Goethe

The Rose-bush on the Moor

The Rose-bush on the Moor - meaning Summary

Innocence Harmed by Impulse

A simple narrative describes a young man who finds a bright rosebush on a moor, decides to pluck its bloom, and is pricked as the plant defends itself. The poem frames a brief encounter between desire and resistance, suggesting consequences when curiosity or possession meets natural limits. It leaves a compact moral impression about respect, impulsiveness, and the cost of taking what belongs to another.

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A lad he saw a rose-bush growing, Rose-bush on the moor, Young and lovely as the morning, Quick he ran to see it glowing, With delight he saw. Rose-bush, rose-bush, rose-bush red, Rose-bush on the moor. Said the lad: I’ll pick your bloom, Rose-bush on the moor! Said the rose: ‘Ah, I’ll prick you, So you will remember true, I’ll let you do no more. Rose-bush, rose-bush, rose-bush red, Rose-bush on the moor. Then her bloom the cruel lad picked, The rose-bush on the moor: To protect herself she pricked, Cried, sighed, in vain, but quickly Could defend no more. Rose-bush, rose-bush, rose-bush red, Rose-bush on the moor.

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