How roses came red

Roses at first were white
Till they could not agree,
Whether my Sappho's breast
Or they more white should be. 

But, being vanquish'd quite,
A blush their cheeks bespread;
Since which, believe the rest,
The roses first came red.

by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

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

by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874-1949) , "How roses came red", op. 10 (Fourteen songs) no. 11 (1912). [voice and piano]
by Andy Vores (1956-) , "How roses came red", from Household Tales, no. 9.

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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