Robert Schumann's "Meine Rose," Op. 90/2 (My Rose), the second song of Sechs Gedichte und Requiem, Op. 90, builds on the melancholy established in "Lied eines Schmiedes," Op. 90/1. Its three verses are reminiscent of the composer's earlier diatonic style and offer a subtle radiance that partially displaces the work's pessimistic chromaticism. Using an ABA form, the description of the wilting flower occupies the first verse; the second is slightly passionate, but still soft, in its questioning of whether a broken heart can be revived with love as a bloom can be with water; and finally, the last stanza literally repeats the first. Written in the key of B flat major, the middle section modulates to the key of G flat major, then returns to the original key for the last stanza. In a quite clever manner, Schumann repeatedly made both the vocal and piano lines fall, in imitation of the flower's wilting action.

Although Lenau left the poem's question unanswered, the composer suggested that the reply was negative; in the singer's last phrase the melody climbs steadily across four notes but drops four times in the last few words. Overall the tune is delicate and is demanding of both the pianist and vocalist.

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Like a graceful lark, the protagonist of Robert Schumann's Die Sennin, Op. 90/4 (The Alpine Dairy Maid), fills the surrounding, lush, resonant hills with her song. Above the piano's quick, hushed triplet arpeggios, the vocal line buoyantly floats and leaps through the treble staff. The phrases are relatively short and frequently repeat main motifs, creating an effect similar to the echo described in Lenau's poem. Midway through the piece the inevitability of the girl's departure is made known. From that point on, a grievous mood dominates the remainder of the composition, leaving the second half quieter and the voice line stripped of its joyfully large intervals. With additional restraint, the last phrase tells of how the hills will cope with the absence of the maiden and her tune; the postlude, marked "Verhallend," dies away.

Both musically and textually the work is reminiscent of Des Sennen Abschied, Op. 79/22 (The Herdsman's Farewell).

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At least one (Der schwere Abend) of these uses material from 1840 and possibly more of these songs were also written earlier than 1850, but most of them are in his later style, with frequent chromaticism and a growing sense of gloom. The last song, Requiem, was added as a tribute to the poet, Lenau, whom Schumann believed had died. Lenau had become insane from syphilis and was dying, but not yet dead at this time. Schumann's own syphilis was exhibiting more symptoms, and he was beginning to show signs of instability. In a way, the song cycle reflects a slow collapse of earthly hopes, and the Requiem, Schumann's own wish for peace after death. The first song is a simple one, without any secret doubts or passions, and whether the steady rhythm is the tapping of the hammer or the horse's trot as it leaves, it expresses a deep contentment. The second, however, is a love song already hinting at death and darkness. While the vocal lines have a tender, caressing tone, there is a carefully preserved ambiguity on whether the water will suffice to revive the rose; after the second verse, asking if a rebirth is possible, the song goes back to the first verse without answering the question, and the last chord, while returning to major, could as easily be the last petal dropping as the rose returns to life. The next song is clearer still in its theme of loss, with both the piano and vocal lines carrying hints of melodies that are briefly introduced but never built upon, until the brief piano postlude, by which time the loss is already established, so the sense of lost pleasure is complete. There is a brief return to an established melodic theme with the fourth song, but while the music is less gloomy, the thoughts of death and loss are still dominant in the text. For the fifth song, Schumann changed to a minor key, but this one is still a quiet, contemplative grief, silent tears falling into the moss illustrated by the soft, sinking lines. The next is almost disjointed, with sudden, heavy minor chords from the accompaniment, which is forte for the first time in the entire song cycle. The last chords after the last word, "Tod," (death), provide their own explanation for the next song, the Requiem. This last song returns to the major, but it is E flat major (the fifth and sixth were E flat minor) and still more or less subdued, as if still remembering past unhappiness. The accompaniment was originally written for a harp, rather than piano, but the effect is not completely lost.

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