Will singen Euch, im alten Ton,
Ein Lied von [alter]1 Treu;
Es sangens unsre Väter schon;
Doch bleibts der Liebe neu.

Im Glücke macht es freudenvoll,
Kann trösten in der Noth:
Daß nichts die Herzen scheiden soll,
Nichts scheiden, als der Tod;

Daß immerdar mit frischem Muth
Der Mann die Traute schützt,
Und alles opfert, Gut und Blut,
Wenns seinem Weibchen nützt.

Daß er auf weiter Erde nichts
Als sie allein begehrt,
Sie gern im Schweiß des Angesichts
Für ihren Kuß ernährt;

Daß, wenn die Lerch' im Felde schlägt,
Sein Weib ihm Wonne lacht,
Ihm, wenn der Acker Dornen trägt,
Zum Spiel die Arbeit macht,

[Und doppelt süß der Ruhe Lust,
Erquickend jedes Brodt,
Den Kummer leicht]2 an ihrer Brust,
Gelinder seinen Tod.

Dann fühlt er noch die kalte Hand
Von ihrer Hand gedrückt,
Und sich ins neue Vaterland
Aus ihrem Arm entrückt.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Auserlesene Lieder Von J. G. Jacobi; Herausgegeben von Johann Georg Schlosser. Basel, bei J. J. Thurneysen, dem Jüngern, 1784, pages 23-24; with Iris. Siebenter Band. Berlin, bey Haude und Spener, 1776, pages 663-665; and with Gedichte von Johann Georg Jacobi. Zweyter Theil. Wien, 1816. Bey Ch. Kaulfuß & C. Armbruster (Meisterwerke deutscher Dichter und Prosaisten. Siebenzehntes Bändchen), pages 10-11.

¹ Schubert: "Lieb und"
² Jacobi (Iris 1776): "Die Ruhe sanfter, jede Lust / Ihm süßer, jedes Brodt / Ihm labender;

Text Authorship:

• by Johann Georg Jacobi (1740 - 1814), "Hochzeit-Lied", first published 1776 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Hochzeit-Lied", D 463 (1816), published 1895 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó de noces", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Bruiloftslied", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Wedding song", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant de mariage", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 145

I shall sing you, to an old melody,
A song of [old]1 fidelity;
Our forefathers already sang it
Yet it remains new for those in love.

It makes us joyful in good times,
It can comfort us when necessary:
Nothing should separate your hearts,
Nothing but death should separate them.

From now on, with fresh courage may
The husband protect his devoted one,
And let him sacrifice blood and treasure
If his dear wife needs them.

In the wide world may he
Desire nothing else but her,
Let the sweat of his brow
Nourish her in exchange for her kiss;

May it be that when the lark strikes up in the fields
His wife will laugh with delight,
And for him, when the ground produces thorns
His work becomes play,

And may the pleasure of rest be doubly sweet,
Each meal be refreshing,
May troubles be eased on her breast
And may his death be more gentle.

Then when he feels his cold hand
Being pressed by her hand,
May he go to a new fatherland
As he is carried off out of her arms.