This page is a resource for anyone organizing Taizé services with English as the predominant language. It includes free song translations of Taizé chants.

1: Within our darkest night (Dans nos obscurités)

With-in our darkest night, you kin-dle a fire that nev-er dies a-way, that nev-er dies a-way.
OG French. @sticker-pack

2: Your word, O Lord (C’est toi ma lampe)

Your word, O Lord, is a light. My God, en-light—en my dark-ness. O Lord, my God, en-light—n my dark-ness. O Lord, my— God, en-light—en my dark-ness.
OG French. Previously #8.

3: Stay with me (Bleibet hier)

Stay with me, re-main here with me. Watch— and pray,— watch— and pray.—
OG German. @sticker-pack

4: Wait for the Lord

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord: keep watch, take heart!
OG English. Previously #2. English lyrics in the new songbook.

5: Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s ho-ly name. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me in-to life.
OG English. English lyrics in the new songbook.

7: Our soul is waiting (Notre âme attend)

Our soul is wait-ing for God. Our hearts find joy— in the Lord.
OG French. If selecting songs for a Taizé-style service, note the songs which, like this one, have Ooos and thus require a soloist.

9: Lord Jesus Christ(Jésu le Christ)

Lord Je-sus Christ, your light shines with-in us. Let not my doubts or my dark-ness speak to me. Lord Je-sus Christ, your light shines with-in us. Let my heart al-ways wel-come your love.
OG French. @sticker-pack

10: Sing praise and bless the Lord (Laudate Dominum)

Sing, praise and bless the Lord. Sign, praise and bless the Lord. Peo-ples! Na-tions! Al-le-lu-ia!
OG Latin. With this song, I much prefer the Latin to the English even when singing with English speakers who are learning for the first time. “Sing, praise, and bless the Lord” is just such a mouthful!

11: Our eyes are turned (Oculi nostri)

Our eyes are turned to the Lord Je-sus Christ. Our eyes are turned to the Lord God our Sav-ior.
OG Latin. @sticker-pack

12: By night (De noche)

By night we has-ten in dark-ness, to search— for li-ving wa-ter. Only our thirst leads us on-ward. Only our thirst leads us on-ward.
OG Spanish. @sticker-pack

14: Holy Spirit come to us (Tui amoris ignem)

Ho-ly Spir-it, come to us, kin-dle in us the fire of your love. Ho-ly Spir-it, come to us, Ho-ly Spir-it, come to us.
OG Latin. This English translation has an oddity, with 1 less syllable than needed in the notation of the 2025-2026 songbook. I’m assuming “love—” is supposed to extend out for the last two notes, though I think this sounds awkward. The word “fi-re” could be extended instead. Either way there is room for improvement with this song translation.

16: Let us sing to the Lord (Bénissez le Seigneur)🎤

Let us sing to the Lord!
OG French.

17: In the Lord (El Senyor)

In the Lord I’ll be ev-er thank-ful, in the Lord I will re-joice! Look to God, do not be a-fraid. Lift up your voi-ces, the Lord is near. Lift up your voi-ces, the Lord is near.
OG Catalan. English lyrics in the new songbook.

19: Sing out my soul (canon) (Magnificat (canon))💫

Sing out my soul. Sing out my soul. Sing out and glo-ri-fy the Lord who sets us free. Sing out my soul. Sing out my soul. Sing out and glo-ri-fy the Lord God.
OG Latin.

21: We adore you Jesus Christ (Adoramus te Christe)

We a-dore you, Je-sus Christ, and we bless your Ho-ly Name; truly your cross and pas-sion bring us life and hea-ling.
OG Latin. Previously #20. @sticker-pack

22: Come, Creator (canon) (Veni Creator Spiritus (canon))💫

Come, Cre-a—tor, Ho-ly Spir—it , come, Cre-a-tor Spir—it, come!
OG Latin.

23: Sing praises all you peoples (Laudate omnes gentes)

Sing prai-ses, all you peo-ples, sing prai-ses to the Lord.
OG Latin.

25: Sing to God (Singt dem Herrn)

Sing to God with joy-ful hearts. Praise the Lord for ev-er-more, praise the Lord for ev-er-more.
OG Dutch. Previously #24. This one is also missing a syllable at the end in the soprano and alto parts. I believe it sounds best and most like the original as “praise the Lord for e— ver-more.” The bass and tenor parts also do not line up with the new words, due to too many syllables. It appears the long note of “lob” in the Dutch must become two notes “praise the” (matching the sop/alt). In addition, the ending for the bass and tenor parts now appear to have an offset syllable with the sop/alt (which is different than the original Dutch but still sounds cool), going “praise-the Lord for e-ver-more,” reaching the “ver” slightly before the sop/alt part.

27: Our darkness (La ténèbre)

Our— dark-ness is nev-er dark-ness in your sight: the deep-est night is clear as the day-light.
OG French. Previously #26. @sticker-pack. I also have included the Arabic in my sticker, because it’s excellent and we sing it at the Taizé prayers I facilitate.
Al-za la-mou lay-sa za-la-man 'in-da-ka al-lay-lou kal-na-ha-ri you-di-'ou.
الظَّلَامُ لَيْسَ ظَلَامًا عِنْدَكَ، اللَّيْلُ كَالنَّهَارِ يُضِيءُ
Alza lamou laysa zalaman indaka allaylou kalnahari youdiou

28: This is the day (Psallte Deo)🎤

Ooo. This is the day the Lord has made. Ooo. Al-le-lu-ia, al-le-lu-ia.
OG Latin. Previously #38.

30: My soul can only rest (Mon âme se repose)

My soul can only rest in God's per-fect peace: true peace and sav-ing love. On-ly in God my soul can find its rest:— per-fect rest and peace.
OG French. Previously #32. Song translation by Daniel Hickman. @sticker-pack. This song has an English song translation in the 2025-2026 songbook, but I don’t love it. It goes like this: “In God a-lone my soul can find rest and peace, in God my peace and joy. On-ly in God my soul can find its rest,— find its rest— and peace.” There are a few rough points in this song translation that I fixed in mine. First, my translation begins more true to the French: “Mon” is “my,” so beginning with “my” in the English preserves the opening personal feel and even existential focus of the song. It also avoids starting the song with a preposition, which is a relatively weak option for starting. Second, the sound of “peace—” in the old translation, extended over two different notes (in the sop/ten 3rd measure) sounds a bit off and not as resonant as the original (“mon”). Also ending the phrase on a long “joy” sounds strange in the English mouth (“joy” is not as resonant or beautiful a syllable to extend as the original “lut”). Ending on “love” in my translation, while not quite as resonant as “lut,” is definitely better than “joy.” “Joy” as a concept is also not in the original French, which is literally translated: “From him comes my salvation.” The old translation removes the concept of salvation entirely, while my translation preserves it. Overall, this updated song translation is closer to the original and sounds better to sing.

32: Let your servant (Nunc dimittis)

Let your ser-vant now— go in peace, O— Lord,— now— go in peace ac—cord-ing to your word.
OG Latin. Previously #33. This translation changes the singing rhythm from the original Latin quite a bit. In the first line, for the alt/ten/bas, “now—” extends across two identical eighth notes (functionally becoming a quarter note) and “go in peace” has the rhythm of the soprano part (so “go” and “in” are eighth notes). In the second line, the same change happens for “go in peace” and also “to your word,” with “word—” being the final syllable, but starting a quarter note earlier than in the original Latin, blending into the next note.

33: The Lord is risen (Surrexit Christus)🎤

Ooo. The Lord is r-sen al-le-lu-ia. Ooo. Sing out and praise the Lord, al-le-lu-ia.
OG Latin. Previously #40.

37: Jesus, remember me

Je-sus, re-mem-ber me when you come in-to your king-dom.
OG English.

38: Jesus, the Lord, is risen (Surrexit Dominus vere)💫

Jesus, the Lord,— is ris-en! Al-le-lu-ia, al-le-lu-ia. Je-sus, the Lord, is ris-en to-day! Al-le-lu-ia, al-le-lu-ia.
OG Latin. Previously #49.

39: Heavens sing with gladness (Jubilate caeli)

Hea-vens,— sing with glad-ness; earth, sing out re-joic-ing: Je-sus Christ— is ris-en from the dead.
OG Latin. Previously #61.

40: Sing out my soul (Magnificat (choral))🎤

Sing out my soul, my heart re-joic-es in the Lord! Ooo. Sing out my soul! Ooo. Sing out my soul!
OG Latin. Previously #41.

41: Christ of compassion (In te confido)🎤

Ooo. Christ of com-pas-sion. Ooo. Lord God, I trust you.
OG Latin. Previously #46. While I generally prefer the Latin, if singing in English, I like to keep “Jesus” in the translation (as it appears in the original Latin) and end with “Je-sus I trust you.”

42: Veni luman (choral)🎤

Ooo. Come, Ho-ly Spir-it Com-fort-or. Come, Cre-a-tor Spir-it, come! Come and— lead us with your light!
OG Latin. Previously #43.

43: We adore you, Lord Jesus (Adoramus te O Christe)🎤

Ooo. We A-dore you , Lord Je-sus Christ.
OG Latin. Previously #44. @sticker-pack.

44: Jesus Christ is risen (Christus resurrexit)🎤

Ooo. Je-sus Christ is ris-en, Je-sus Christ is ris-en! Ooo. Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia!
OG Latin. Previously #45.

49: Lord God you love us (Toi, tu nous aime)

Lord God you love us: source of com-pas-sion.
OG French. Previously #54. @sticker-pack.

50: Nothing can trouble (Nada te turbe)

No-thing can trou-ble, no-thing can frigh-ten. Those who seek God shall ne-ver go want-ing. No-thing can trou-ble, no-thing can frigh-ten. God a-lone fills us.
OG Spanish. @sticker-pack.

52: Stay with us (Bleib mit deiner Ganade)

Stay with us O Lord Je-sus Christ, night will soon fall. Then stay with us O Lord Je-sus Christ, light in our dark-ness.
OG German. Previously #112. @sticker-pack. Fun fact: Taizé brother Emile came up with these lyrics.

53: Come and pray in us (Vieni Spirito creatore (canon))💫

Come and pray in us, Ho-ly Spir-it. Come and pray in us. Come and vis-it us, Ho-ly Spirit. Spir-it come, Spir-it come.
OG Latin. Previously #57.

54: Jesus Christ, bread of life

Je-sus Christ, bread of life, those who come to you will not hun-ger. Je-sus Christ, Ris-en Lord, those who trust in you will not thirst.
OG English. Previously #143. The new songbook as removed an alternate set of lyrics. I prefer the ones they kept, but it’s nice to have options or switch things up occasionally. The alternative lyrics are: “Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to him and ne-ver be hun-gry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in him and you will not thirst.”

55: Grant us your peace, O Lord (Da pacem… in diebus)💫

Grant us your peace, O Lord, grant us your peace O Lord. May it fill all our days.
OG Latin. Previously #42. This is my favorite to sing as a duo, though I always sing the Latin, not the English. The Latin syllables really do sound better and have fewer consonants, especially hard consonants, ending syllables.

56: Raise a song of gladness (Jubilate Deo)💫

Raise a song of glad-ness, peo-ples of the earth. Christ has come, bringing peace: joy to ev-’ry heart. Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia. Joy to ev-’ry heart. Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia. Joy to ev-’ry heart.
OG Latin. Previously #31.

57: There can be no greater love (Grande est ta bonté)🎤

There can be no great—er love than to lay down our life for those we love—. Ooo. Bless the Lord, our GOd, whose good-ness a-bounds.
OG French. Previously #64.

58: God can only give faithful love (Dieu ne peut que donner son amour)🎤

God can on-ly— give faith-ful love: ten-der-ness and for-give-ness! Ooo. God ev-er car-ing. Ooo. God who for-gives us.
OG French. Previously #51.

59: Where there is charity (Ubi caritas Deus ibi est)

Where there_is char-i-ty, self-less love, Where there_is char-i-ty, God— is truly there.
OG in Latin. Previously #4. I recommend sticking with the Latin for this one. Latin is easy to pronounce and I’m not a fan of this English translation.

60: A desire fills our being (Une soif emplit notre âme)🎤

A de-sire fills our be-ing: to sur-ren-der all to you, O Christ. Ooo. The Lord hears when I call! Ooo.
OG French. Previously #62.

63: O You who transcend all things (Ô toi, l’au-delà de tout)

O you who tan-scend all things, could my mind ev-er grasp you? All cre-a-tion cel-eb-rates you. The long-ing of all ex-tends out to you.
OG French. Previously #149. Song translation by Daniel Hickman. @sticker-pack. This is a beautiful prayer from Cappadocian Father, Gregory of Nazianzus. It is beautiful in the French, but I wanted to also be able to sing in English lyrics that communicated the meaning to me (and were easier to teach to English speakers). Any version of this prayer in English is already a translation from the Greek in which he wrote. I believe I’ve preserved the meaning while keeping the flow of the song quite well. The first line begins with “O you,” which is equivalent to the original (“O toi”). For each of the four phrases, the English is saying essentially the same thing as the French.

66: O Come and let us sing (Venite, exultemus Domino)

O com and let us sing to God— our hope. God’s mer-cy is for-ev-er.
OG Latin. Previously #59.

68: How blessed are you the poor (Beati voi poveri)

How bles-sed are you the poor. God gives to you the kingdom of heaven.
OG Italian. Previously #114. Song translation by Daniel Hickman. This is a simple and beautiful song based on Luke 6:20. I have translated it here in a way which preserves the meaning, maps it quite well onto the original Italian, and does not blur notes together. The 2025-26 songbook has an English translation that goes like this: “How bless-ed the poor in heart, for— theirs— is the king-dom of heav-en.” Unfortunately, in this translation, the first half is not a grammatically correct phrase and the second half has two places where identical quarter notes become functionally a half note, changing the song’s rhythm. It also appears to draw from Matthew instead of Luke, adding the “poor in heart” and addressing the poor as “them” instead of “you,” as Luke does, and the original song in Italian.

69: God is forgiveness (Bóg jest miłością)

God is for-give-ness. Dare to for-give and God will be with you. God is for-give-ness. Love and do not fear.
OG Polish. Previously #113. @sticker-pack. The lyrics are not found in the 2025/26 songbook, but can be found in the 2024/25 songbook. The original Polish literally translates to “God is love. Dare to live for love. Do not be afraid.” The English translation is thus adding quite a bit of meaning, but I have found that it does so in a profound and thought-provoking way. And the translation flows very nicely.

71: You breathe through us(Atme in uns)

You breathe through us, Spi-rit of God.
OG German. Previously #158. Song translation by Daniel Hickman. Honestly, I have not settled on one way to translate this into English. I quite like what these lyrics provoke while singing. But a more direct translation would simply be “Come breathe in us, Spir-it of God” (though starting with “come” sounds strange with this song) or just “Breathe— in us, Spi-rit of God,” which sounds better by the words, but leaves the alt/ten/bas parts stuck with a long, boring half note.

73: The kingdom of God

The king-dom of God is jus-tice and peace and joy in the Ho-ly Spi-rit. COme, Lord, and o-pen in us the gates of your— king-dom.
OG English. Previously #115.

77: Nothing can ever

No-thing can e-ver come be-tween us and the love of God, the love of God re-vealed to us in Christ Je-sus.
OG English. Previously #119.

79: All my heart lies open (Viešpatie, tu viską žinai)🎤

All my heart lies o-pen to you, and you know, Lord, that I love you. Ooo.
OG Latvian. Previously #136. This translation is in the new 26/27 songbook, as a secondary song lyric.

83: Peace I leave you (Frieden, Frieden)

Peace I leave you; my own peace is for you. This is peace be-yond all com-pare; do not let your hearts be troub-led.
OG German. Previously #135. Song translation by Daniel Hickman. This song puts Jesus’ words in John 14:27 to music. My translation follows the verse closely, with the 4 phrases of the song following Jesus’ words in order. (The original German leaves out “I do not give to you as the world gives,” which I tried to capture as best I could in meter with “This is peace beyond all compare.”) My translations usually stay exactly true to the rhythm of notes, though in this case I made a slight change to the final note, extending it over the two syllables of “troubled” (the original German has just “nicht”). Perhaps surprisingly, this change feels natural and sounds great.

O Lord hear my prayer

Translations By Daniel Hickman

In my desire to sing these songs in my language and more easily share them with others, I have translated the following Taizé songs into singable English: