Song of Solomon 1
The Song of Songs, that [is] Solomon's.
2 Kisse he me with the cos of his mouth. For thi tetis ben betere than wyn,
Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better [are] thy loves than wine.
3 and yyuen odour with beste oynementis. Thi name is oile sched out; therfor yonge damesels loueden thee.
For fragrance [are] thy perfumes good. Perfume emptied out — thy name, Therefore have virgins loved thee!
4 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.
Draw me: after thee we run, The king hath brought me into his inner chambers, We do joy and rejoice in thee, We mention thy loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved thee!
5 Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y am blak, but fair, as the tabernaclis of Cedar, as the skynnes of Salomon.
Dark [am] I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.
6 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.
Fear me not, because I [am] very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard — my own — I have not kept.
7 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.
Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?
8 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.
If thou knowest not, O fair among women, Get thee forth by the traces of the flock, And feed thy kids by the shepherds' dwellings!
9 Mi frendesse, Y licnede thee to myn oost of knyytis in the charis of Farao.
To my joyous one in chariots of Pharaoh, I have compared thee, my friend,
10 Thi chekis ben feire, as of a turtle; thi necke is as brochis.
Comely have been thy cheeks with garlands, Thy neck with chains.
11 We schulen make to thee goldun ournementis, departid and maad dyuerse with silver.
Garlands of gold we do make for thee, With studs of silver!
12 Whanne the kyng was in his restyng place, my narde yaf his odour.
While the king [is] in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.
13 My derlyng is a bundel of myrre to me; he schal dwelle bitwixe my tetis.
A bundle of myrrh [is] my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.
14 My derlyng is to me a cluster of cipre tre, among the vyneres of Engaddi.
A cluster of cypress [is] my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!
15 Lo! my frendesse, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thin iyen ben the iyen of culueris.
Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, Lo, thou [art] fair, thine eyes [are] doves!
16 Lo, my derling, thou art fair, and schapli; oure bed is fair as flouris.
Lo, thou [art] fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch [is] green,
17 The trees of oure housis ben of cedre; oure couplis ben of cipresse.
The beams of our houses [are] cedars, Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!
