Song for the marriage ceremony | Begin, oh Lord, to bless!

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Trauungslied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Heb' an, o Herr, zu segnen!
Gesegnet ewiglich 
Ist, wem du willst begegnen, 
Und freundlich schenken dich. 
  Ziehst du auf unserm Pfade, 
Du treuer Helfer, mit, 
Von Freude trieft und Gnade 
Jedweder Schritt und Tritt. 

  O wie uns frisch und helle 
Der Born der Liebe fließt, 
Wenn aus der ewgen Quelle 
Sie täglich sich ergießt! 
  Ja über Flehn und Hoffen 
Wird Gutes uns zu Theil, 
Stehn unsre Herzen offen 
Dir, unserm Hort und Heil! 

  Heb' an, o Herr, zu segnen! 
Gesegnet ewiglich 
Ist, wem du willst begegnen, 
Und freundlich schenken dich. 
  Sprich selber Ja und Amen! 
Und bis zur letzten Stund' 
O laß' in deinem Namen 
Bestehen unsern Bund!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 218-219.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Trauungslied", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 248 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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

by Johann Heinrich Lützel (1823 - 1899) [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song for the marriage ceremony", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-02-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 110

Song for the marriage ceremony

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Begin, oh Lord, to bless!
Eternally blessed is he
To whom Thou wishest to draw near
And give Thyself amiably.
  It Thou travellest with us
Upon our pathway, Thou faithful helper,
Every one of our steps shall
Be suffused with joy and grace.

  Oh, how the well-spring of love
Flows for us freshly and brightly,
When it flows forth daily
From the eternal source!
  Yes, beyond pleading and hoping,
We receive good things
If our hearts are open for Thee,
Our refuge and our salvation!

  Begin, oh Lord, to bless!
Eternally blessed is he
To whom Thou wishest to draw near
And give Thyself amiably.
  May Thou Thyself assent and say Amen!
And oh, let our bond
Stand in Thy name
Until [our] last hour!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Trauungslied", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 248
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-05-30
Line count: 24
Word count: 126