Ecclesiastes 6
1 Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun, —and it is, common, among men:
Also another yuel is, which Y siy vndur the sunne; and certis it is oft vsid anentis men.
2 A man to whom God giveth riches and gains and honour, so that nothing doth he lack for his soul—of all that he craveth, and yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but, a man unknown, eateth it, —this, was vanity, and, an incurable evil, it was.
A man is, to whom God yaf richessis, and catel, and onour; and no thing failith to his soule of alle thingis which he desirith; and God yyueth not power to hym, that he ete therof, but a straunge man shal deuoure it. This is vanyte, and a greet wretchidnesse.
3 Though a man should beget a hundred children, and live, many years, so that many should be the days of his years but, his own soul, should not be satisfied with the good, and he should not even have, a burial, I said, Better than he, is an untimely birth!
If a man gendrith an hundrid fre sones, and lyueth many yeris, and hath many daies of age, and his soule vsith not the goodis of his catel, and wantith biriyng; Y pronounce of this man, that a deed borun child is betere than he.
4 For, in vain, it came in, and, in darkness, it departeth, —and, with darkness, its name, is covered:
For he cometh in veyn, and goith to derknessis; and his name schal be don a wei bi foryetyng.
5 even the sun, it never saw, nor aught did it know, —more quietness, hath this than the other.
He siy not the sunne, nether knew dyuersyte of good and of yuel;
6 Even though one hath lived a thousand years twice told, yet, good, hath he not seen, —is it not, unto one place, that, all, are going?
also thouy he lyueth twei thousynde yeeris, and vsith not goodis; whether alle thingis hasten not to o place?
7 All the toil of man, is for his mouth, —though, even the desire, is not satisfied!
Al the trauel of a man is in his mouth, but the soule of hym schal not be fillid with goodis.
8 For what profit hath the wise man, over the dullard? What can, the poor man, know—so as to walk before the living?
What hath a wijs man more than a fool? and what hath a pore man, no but that he go thidur, where is lijf?
9 Better what the eyes behold, than the wandering of desire, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
It is betere to se that, that thou coueitist, than to desire that, that thou knowist not; but also this is vanyte, and presumpcioun of spirit.
10 Whatsoever one may be, long ago, was he called by his name, and it is known that it is—Son of Earth, —he cannot, therefore, contend with one stronger than he.
The name of hym that schal come, is clepid now, and it is knowun, that he is a man, and he mai not stryue in doom ayens a strongere than hym silf.
11 Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
Wordis ben ful manye, and han myche vanyte in dispuytinge.
12 For who knoweth what is good for a man throughout his life, for the number of the days of his life of vanity, seeing he will make them, like a shadow, —for who can tell a man, what shall be after him, under the sun?
What nede is it to a man to seke grettere thingis than hym silf; sithen he knowith not, what schal bifalle to hym in his lijf, in the noumbre of daies of his pilgrimage, and in the tyme that passith as schadowe? ether who may schewe to hym, what thing vndur sunne schal come aftir hym?
