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Helbach, Wendelin · 1566

They say that burning flames are such for doves,
That if one is snatched away, the other dies,
Or the other avoids the leafy branches, and before
It drinks, it troubles the water with its feet.
May your hearts hold similar fires, and never,
Except by death, may these bound chains be cut.
May the gods make you parents of many a heavenly offspring,
And may Diana be favorable to you, I pray.
Raise your pledges, I ask, with grave modesty,
So that they may honor Christ with a pure mind.
And may they hold you in reverence, as is their duty,
And do with all care what they are bidden by you.
God will then add success to your endeavors,
And all things begun under a happy star will flourish.
May your bed be always free from bloody discord,
For strife cannot exist in true love.
Nurturing peace befits a marriage, let discord depart,
Quarrels and dire wars disgrace the bed.
Add that they tear apart promises and marital faith,
And often drag the bed into adultery.
The wife should love the husband, the husband the wife,
For mutual ardor nourishes a marriage.
I pray that more riches, and much of personal property,
May be given to you, with Fortune not refusing.