--- a/babel/messages/pofile.py
+++ b/babel/messages/pofile.py
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@
                           .replace('\n', '\\n') \
                           .replace('\"', '\\"')
 
-def normalize(string, width=76):
+def normalize(string, prefix='', width=76):
     r"""Convert a string into a format that is appropriate for .po files.
     
     >>> print normalize('''Say:
@@ -255,22 +255,24 @@
     " elit, \"\n"
     
     :param string: the string to normalize
+    :param prefix: a string that should be prepended to every line
     :param width: the maximum line width; use `None`, 0, or a negative number
                   to completely disable line wrapping
     :return: the normalized string
     :rtype: `unicode`
     """
     if width and width > 0:
+        prefixlen = len(prefix)
         lines = []
         for idx, line in enumerate(string.splitlines(True)):
-            if len(escape(line)) > width:
+            if len(escape(line)) + prefixlen > width:
                 chunks = WORD_SEP.split(line)
                 chunks.reverse()
                 while chunks:
                     buf = []
                     size = 2
                     while chunks:
-                        l = len(escape(chunks[-1])) - 2
+                        l = len(escape(chunks[-1])) - 2 + prefixlen
                         if size + l < width:
                             buf.append(chunks.pop())
                             size += l
@@ -293,7 +295,7 @@
     if lines and not lines[-1]:
         del lines[-1]
         lines[-1] += '\n'
-    return u'""\n' + u'\n'.join([escape(l) for l in lines])
+    return u'""\n' + u'\n'.join([(prefix + escape(l)) for l in lines])
 
 def write_po(fileobj, catalog, width=76, no_location=False, omit_header=False,
              sort_output=False, sort_by_file=False):
@@ -329,9 +331,9 @@
     :param omit_header: do not include the ``msgid ""`` entry at the top of the
                         output
     """
-    def _normalize(key):
-        return normalize(key, width=width).encode(catalog.charset,
-                                                  'backslashreplace')
+    def _normalize(key, prefix=''):
+        return normalize(key, prefix=prefix, width=width) \
+            .encode(catalog.charset, 'backslashreplace')
 
     def _write(text):
         if isinstance(text, unicode):
@@ -347,14 +349,19 @@
 
     def _write_message(message, prefix=''):
         if isinstance(message.id, (list, tuple)):
-            _write('%smsgid %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.id[0])))
-            _write('%smsgid_plural %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.id[1])))
+            _write('%smsgid %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.id[0], prefix)))
+            _write('%smsgid_plural %s\n' % (
+                prefix, _normalize(message.id[1], prefix)
+            ))
             for i, string in enumerate(message.string):
-                _write('%smsgstr[%d] %s\n' % (prefix, i,
-                                              _normalize(message.string[i])))
+                _write('%smsgstr[%d] %s\n' % (
+                    prefix, i, _normalize(message.string[i], prefix)
+                ))
         else:
-            _write('%smsgid %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.id)))
-            _write('%smsgstr %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.string or '')))
+            _write('%smsgid %s\n' % (prefix, _normalize(message.id, prefix)))
+            _write('%smsgstr %s\n' % (
+                prefix, _normalize(message.string or '', prefix)
+            ))
 
     messages = list(catalog)
     if sort_output:

--- a/babel/messages/tests/pofile.py
+++ b/babel/messages/tests/pofile.py
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
 msgid "bar"
 msgstr ""''', buf.getvalue().strip())
 
-    def test_po_with_obsolete_messages(self):
+    def test_po_with_obsolete_message(self):
         catalog = Catalog()
         catalog.add(u'foo', u'Voh', locations=[('main.py', 1)])
         catalog.obsolete['bar'] = Message(u'bar', u'Bahr',
@@ -166,6 +166,34 @@
 #~ msgid "bar"
 #~ msgstr "Bahr"''', buf.getvalue().strip())
 
+    def test_po_with_multiline_obsolete_message(self):
+        catalog = Catalog()
+        catalog.add(u'foo', u'Voh', locations=[('main.py', 1)])
+        msgid = r"""Here's a message that covers
+multiple lines, and should still be handled
+correctly.
+"""
+        msgstr = r"""Here's a message that covers
+multiple lines, and should still be handled
+correctly.
+"""
+        catalog.obsolete[msgid] = Message(msgid, msgstr,
+                                          locations=[('utils.py', 3)])
+        buf = StringIO()
+        pofile.write_po(buf, catalog, omit_header=True)
+        self.assertEqual(r'''#: main.py:1
+msgid "foo"
+msgstr "Voh"
+
+#~ msgid ""
+#~ "Here's a message that covers\n"
+#~ "multiple lines, and should still be handled\n"
+#~ "correctly.\n"
+#~ msgstr ""
+#~ "Here's a message that covers\n"
+#~ "multiple lines, and should still be handled\n"
+#~ "correctly.\n"''', buf.getvalue().strip())
+
 
 def suite():
     suite = unittest.TestSuite()