Proverbs 7
1 Mi sone, kepe thou my wordis; and kepe myn heestis to thee. Sone, onoure thou the Lord, and thou schalt be `myyti; but outakun hym drede thou not an alien.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my precepts with thee. Son,
2 Kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue; and my lawe as the appil of thin iyen.
Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live: and my law as the apple of thy eye:
3 Bynde thou it in thi fyngris; write thou it in the tablis of thin herte.
Bind it upon thy fingers, write it upon the tables of thy heart.
4 Seie thou to wisdom, Thou art my sistir; and clepe thou prudence thi frendesse.
Say to wisdom: Thou art my sister: and call prudence thy friend,
5 That it kepe thee fro a straunge womman; and fro an alien womman, that makith hir wordis swete.
That she may keep thee from the woman that is not thine, and from the stranger who sweeteneth her words.
6 For whi fro the wyndow of myn hous bi the latijs Y bihelde; and Y se litle children.
For I look out of the window of my house through the lattice,
7 I biholde a yong man coward,
And I see little ones, I behold a foolish young man,
8 that passith bi the stretis, bisidis the corner; and he
Who passeth through the street by the corner, and goeth nigh the way of her house.
9 goith niy the weie of hir hous in derk tyme, whanne the dai drawith to niyt, in the derknessis and myst of the nyyt.
In the dark, when it grows late, in the darkness and obscurity of the night,
10 And lo! a womman, maad redi with ournement of an hoore to disseyue soulis, meetith hym, and sche is a ianglere, and goynge about,
And behold a woman meeteth him in harlot’s attire prepared to deceive souls; talkative and wandering,
11 and vnpacient of reste, and mai not stonde in the hous with hir feet;
Not bearing to be quiet, not able to abide still at home,
12 and now without forth, now in stretis, now bisidis corneris sche `aspieth.
Now abroad, now in the streets, now lying in wait near the corners.
13 And sche takith, and kissith the yong man; and flaterith with wowynge cheer, and seith, Y ouyte sacrifices for heelthe;
And catching the young man, she kisseth him, and with an impudent face, flattereth, saying:
14 to dai Y haue yolde my vowis.
I vowed victims for prosperity, this day I have paid my vows.
15 Therfor Y yede out in to thi meetyng, and Y desiride to se thee; and Y haue founde thee.
Therefore I am come out to meet thee, desirous to see thee, and I have found thee.
16 Y haue maad my bed with coordis, Y haue arayed with tapetis peyntid of Egipt;
I have woven my bed with cords, I have covered it with painted tapestry, brought from Egypt.
17 Y haue bispreynt my bed with myrre, and aloes, and canel.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come thou, be we fillid with tetis, and vse we collyngis that ben coueitid; til the dai bigynne to be cleer.
Come, let us be inebriated with the breasts, and let us enjoy the desired embraces, till the day appear.
19 For myn hosebonde is not in his hows; he is goon a ful long weie.
For my husband is not at home, he is gone a very long journey.
20 He took with hym a bagge of money; he schal turne ayen in to his hous in the dai of ful moone.
He took with him a bag of money: he mill return home the day of the full moon.
21 Sche boonde hym with many wordis; and sche drow forth hym with flateryngis of lippis.
She entangled him with many words, and drew him away with the flattery of her lips.
22 Anoon he as an oxe led to slayn sacrifice sueth hir, and as a ioli lomb and vnkunnynge; and the fool woot not, that he is drawun to bondys,
Immediately he followeth her as an ox led to be a victim, and as a lamb playing the wanton, and not knowing that he is drawn like a fool to bonds,
23 til an arowe perse his mawe. As if a brid hastith to the snare; and woot not, that it is don of the perel of his lijf.
Till the arrow pierce his liver: as if a bird should make haste to the snare, and knoweth not that his life is in danger.
24 Now therfor, my sone, here thou me; and perseyue the wordis of my mouth.
Now therefore, my son, hear me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Lest thi soule be drawun awei in the weies of hir; nether be thou disseyued in the pathis of hir.
Let not thy mind be drawn away in her ways: neither be thou deceived with her paths.
26 For sche castide doun many woundid men; and alle strongeste men weren slayn of hir.
For she hath cast down many wounded, and the strongest have been slain by her.
