"Heidenröslein" tells of a young man who sees a small rose in the swamp and decides to pluck it, despite the rose´s warning that she will stick him with her thorn so he will not forget his transgression. Nevertheless, the "wild" boy "breaks" the rose, who must bear the pain with no recourse. The text could be interpreted as the boy overcoming a girl (the rose) by force; she does not consent to this violation but he does not heed her protests. She must suffer the consequences. There is a companion poem by Goethe, "Das Veilchen", in which the man is represented by a violet.
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