Song of Solomon 5
1 My bride, [you who are dearer to me than] my sister, I have come [to cuddle up to you] [MET, EUP]; [it will be as though] I will be gathering myrrh with my other spices, and eating my honey and my honeycomb, and drinking my wine and my milk. You two who love each other, enjoy your lovemaking; enjoy all that you want to.
Mi derlyng, come in to his gardyn, to ete the fruyt of hise applis. Mi sister spousesse, come thou in to my gardyn. Y have rope my myrre, with my swete smellynge spices; Y haue ete an hony combe, with myn hony; Y haue drunke my wyn, with my mylk. Frendis, ete ye, and drynke; and derewortheste frendis, be ye fillid greetli.
2 I was partially asleep, but my mind was [still] awake. Then I heard the one who loves me knocking [at the door]. [He said], “My darling, [you who are dearer to me than] my sister, my dear friend, my perfect one, my dove [MET], open the door for me! My hair is wet from the dew, from the mist [that has fallen during] the night.”
Y slepe, and myn herte wakith. The vois of my derlyng knockynge; my sister, my frendesse, my culuer, my spousesse vnwemmed, opene thou to me; for myn heed is ful of dew, and myn heeris ben ful of dropis of niytis.
3 [But] I had already taken off my robe; I did not [RHQ] want to put it on again [to open the door]. I had [already] washed my feet; I did not [RHQ] want them to become dirty again.
I have vnclothid me of my coote; hou schal Y be clothid ther ynne? I haue waische my feet; hou schal Y defoule tho?
4 The one who loves me put his hand through the opening [in the wall], and I was thrilled [that he was there].
Mi derlyng putte his hond bi an hoole; and my wombe tremblide at the touchyng therof.
5 I got up to open [the door] for the one who loves me, [but first I put a lot of] myrrh on my hands. The myrrh was dripping from my fingers while I unlatched the bolt.
Y roos, for to opene to my derlyng; myn hondis droppiden myrre, and my fyngris weren ful of myrre moost preued.
6 I opened [the door] for the man who loves me, but he had left. He had turned away and was gone! I was very disappointed [IDM]; I searched for him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he did not answer.
Y openede the wiket of my dore to my derlyng; and he hadde bowid awei, and hadde passid. My soule was meltid, as the derlyng spak; Y souyte, and Y foond not hym; Y clepide, and he answerde not to me.
7 The city watchmen saw me while they were walking around the city. They beat me and wounded me [because they thought I must be a prostitute]; those men who were guarding the city walls took my robe.
Keperis that cumpassiden the citee founden me; thei smytiden me, and woundiden me; the keperis of wallis token awey my mentil.
8 You young women of Jerusalem, I plead with you, if you see the man who loves me, tell him [DOU] that I am very disappointed that we did not make love.
Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y biseche you bi an hooli thing, if ye han founde my derlyng, that ye telle to hym, that Y am sijk for loue.
9 You who are the (fairest/most beautiful) among women, why [do you think that] the one who loves you is better than other men? In what way is the man who loves you better than other men with the result that you ask us to tell him that?
A! thou faireste of wymmen, of what manner condicioun is thi derlyng `of the louede? of what manner condicioun is thi derling of a derling? for thou hast bisouyt vs bi an hooli thing.
10 The man who loves me is handsome and healthy, (outstanding among/better than) (10,000/an uncountable number of) [other men].
My derling is whyt and rodi; chosun of thousyndis.
11 His head is [beautiful, like] [MET] purest gold; his hair is wavy and as black as [SIM] a raven/crow.
His heed is best gold; hise heeris ben as the bowis of palm trees, and ben blake as a crowe.
12 His eyes [are as gentle] as [SIM] doves along the streams; [the white parts of] his eyes are as white as [MET] milk, [with what resembles] jewels inlaid in them.
Hise iyen ben as culueris on the strondis of watris, that ben waischid in mylk, and sitten besidis fulleste ryueris.
13 His cheeks are like [SIM] a garden full of spice trees that produce [sweet-smelling] perfume. His lips are [like] [SIM] lilies that have myrrh/perfume dripping from them.
Hise chekis ben as gardyns of swete smellynge spices, set of oynement makeris; hise lippis ben lilies, droppynge doun the best myrre.
14 His arms are like [MET] gold bars/rods that are decorated with precious stones/jewels. His body is like [SIM] [a column/pillar of] ivory that is decorated with (sapphires/valuable [blue] stones).
Hise hondis ben able to turne aboute, goldun, and ful of iacynctis; his wombe is of yuer, ourned with safiris.
15 His legs are [like] [MET] pillars of marble that are set in bases made of pure gold. He is [majestic, like the mountains of] [SIM] Lebanon, as delightful/beautiful as [SIM] cedar [trees].
Hise lippis ben pilers of marble, that ben foundid on foundementis of gold; his schapplinesse is as of the Liban, he is chosun as cedris.
16 His kisses [MTY] are extremely sweet; he is very handsome. You young women of Jerusalem, all that tells you why the one who loves me and who is my friend [is better than other men].
His throte is moost swete, and he is al desirable. Ye douytris of Jerusalem, siche is my derlyng, and this is my freend.
