Song of Solomon 1
1 The song of songs, which [is] Solomon’s.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love [is] better than wine.
Kisse he me with the cos of his mouth. For thi tetis ben betere than wyn,
3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name [is as] ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
and yyuen odour with beste oynementis. Thi name is oile sched out; therfor yonge damesels loueden thee.
4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
Drawe thou me after thee; we schulen renne in to the odour of thin oynementis. The kyng ledde me in to hise celeris; we myndeful of thi teetis aboue wyn, schulen make ful out ioye, and schulen be glad in thee; riytful men louen thee.
5 I [am] black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y am blak, but fair, as the tabernaclis of Cedar, as the skynnes of Salomon.
6 Look not upon me, because I [am] black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; [but] mine own vineyard have I not kept.
Nyle ye biholde me, that Y am blak, for the sunne hath discolourid me; the sones of my modir fouyten ayens me, thei settiden me a kepere in vyners; Y kepte not my vyner.
7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy flock] to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
Thou spouse, whom my soule loueth, schewe to me, where thou lesewist, where thou restist in myddai; lest Y bigynne to wandre, aftir the flockis of thi felowis.
8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
A! thou fairest among wymmen, if thou knowist not thi silf, go thou out, and go forth aftir the steppis of thi flockis; and feede thi kidis, bisidis the tabernaclis of scheepherdis.
9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.
Mi frendesse, Y licnede thee to myn oost of knyytis in the charis of Farao.
10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows [of jewels], thy neck with chains [of gold].
Thi chekis ben feire, as of a turtle; thi necke is as brochis.
11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
We schulen make to thee goldun ournementis, departid and maad dyuerse with silver.
12 While the king [sitteth] at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
Whanne the kyng was in his restyng place, my narde yaf his odour.
13 A bundle of myrrh [is] my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
My derlyng is a bundel of myrre to me; he schal dwelle bitwixe my tetis.
14 My beloved [is] unto me [as] a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi.
My derlyng is to me a cluster of cipre tre, among the vyneres of Engaddi.
15 Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves’ eyes.
Lo! my frendesse, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thin iyen ben the iyen of culueris.
16 Behold, thou [art] fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed [is] green.
Lo, my derling, thou art fair, and schapli; oure bed is fair as flouris.
17 The beams of our house [are] cedar, [and] our rafters of fir.
The trees of oure housis ben of cedre; oure couplis ben of cipresse.
