Song of Solomon 8
1 How I wish you were like a brother to me, one who nursed at my mother's breasts! Then if I met you on the street I could kiss you and no one would tell me off.
Who `mai grante to me thee, my brother, soukynge the tetis of my modir, that Y fynde thee aloone without forth, and that Y kisse thee, and no man dispise me thanne?
2 Then I could take you home to my mother's house, where she used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate.
Y schal take thee, and Y schal lede thee in to the hous of my modir, and in to the closet of my modir; there thou schalt teche me, and Y schal yyue to thee drink of wyn maad swete, and of the must of my pumgranatis.
3 He supports my head with his left hand, and holds me close with his right.
His lefthond vndur myn heed, and his riythond schal biclippe me.
4 Women of Jerusalem, swear to me that you won't disturb our love until the right time.
Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y charge you greetli, that ye reise not, nether make the dereworthe spousesse to awake, til sche wole.
5 Who is this coming in from the wilderness holding her love close to her? Woman: I woke you up under the apple tree where your mother conceived you, and where she gave birth to you.
Who is this spousesse, that stieth fro desert, and flowith in delices, and restith on hir derlynge? Y reiside thee vndur a pumgranate tre; there thi modir was corrupt, there thi modir was defoulid.
6 Stamp my name as a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is strong as death, passion as unyielding as the grave—its arrows flash like fire, a blazing flame of the Lord. (Sheol h7585)
Set thou me as a signet on thin herte, as a signet on thin arm; for loue is strong as deth, enuy is hard as helle; the laumpis therof ben laumpis of fier, and of flawmes. (Sheol h7585)
7 Floods of water cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot submerge it. If a man offered everything he owned in order to buy love he would be completely rejected.
Many watris moun not quenche charite, nether floodis schulen oppresse it. Thouy a man yyue al the catel of his hous for loue, he schal dispise `that catel as nouyt.
8 We have a younger sister whose breasts are still small. What shall we do for our sister when someone asks to marry her?
Oure sistir is litil, and hath no tetys; what schulen we do to oure sistir, in the dai whanne sche schal be spokun to?
9 If she is a wall, we will build a silver tower on it. But if she is a door, we will bar the way with cedar planks.
If it is a wal, bilde we theronne siluerne touris; if it is a dore, ioyne we it togidere with tablis of cedre.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So when he looks at me he's happy!
I am a wal, and my tetis ben as a tour; sithen Y am maad as fyndynge pees bifore hym.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon which he leased to tenant farmers. Each of them paid him one thousand silver coins for the fruit it produced.
A vyner was to the pesible; in that citee, that hath puplis, he bitook it to keperis; a man bryngith a thousynde platis of siluer for the fruyt therof.
12 But I own my vineyard, it is mine alone. One thousand silver coins are for you, Solomon, and two hundred for those who look after it.
The vyner is bifore me; a thousynde ben of thee pesible, and two hundrid to hem that kepen the fruytis therof.
13 My darling, sitting there in the gardens with companions listening to you—please talk to me!
Frendis herkene thee, that dwellist in orchertis; make thou me to here thi vois.
14 Come quickly, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountains of spices.
My derlyng, fle thou; be thou maad lijk a capret, and a calf of hertis, on the hillis of swete smellynge spices.
