Song of Solomon 3
1 In my litle bed Y souyte hym bi niytis, whom my soule loueth; Y souyte hym, and Y foond not.
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he listened not to me.
2 I shal rise, and Y schal cumpasse the citee, bi litle stretis and large stretis; Y schal seke hym, whom my soule loueth; I souyte hym, and Y foond not.
I will rise now, and go about in the city, in the marketplaces, and in the streets, and I will seek him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but I found him not.
3 Wakeris, that kepen the citee, founden me. Whether ye sien hym, whom my soule loueth?
The watchmen who go their rounds in the city found me. [I said], Have you seen him whom my soul loves?
4 A litil whanne Y hadde passid hem, Y foond hym, whom my soule loueth; Y helde hym, and Y schal not leeue hym, til Y brynge him in to the hous of my modir, and in to the closet of my modir.
[It was] as a little [while] after I parted from them, that I found him whom my soul loves: I held him, and did not let him go, until I brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
5 Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y charge you greetli, bi the capretis, and hertis of feeldis, that ye reise not, nether make to awake the dereworthe spousesse, til sche wole.
I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that you rouse not nor awake [my] love, until he please.
6 Who is this womman, that stieth bi the deseert, as a yerde of smoke of swete smellynge spices, of mirre, and of encence, and of al poudur of an oynement makere?
Who is this that comes up from the wilderness as pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the perfumer?
7 Lo! sixti stronge men of the strongeste men of Israel cumpassen the bed of Salomon; and alle thei holden swerdis,
Behold Solomon's bed; sixty mighty men of the mighty ones of Israel are round about it.
8 and ben moost witti to batels; the swerd of ech man is on his hipe, for the drede of nyytis.
They all hold a sword, being expert in war: every man [has] his sword upon his thigh because of fear by night.
9 Kyng Salomon made to hym a seete, of the trees of Liban;
King Solomon made himself a litter of woods of Lebanon.
10 he made the pilers therof of siluer; he made a goldun restyng place, a stiyng of purpur; and he arayede the myddil thingis with charite, for the douytris of Jerusalem.
He made the pillars of it silver, the bottom of it gold, the covering of it scarlet, in the midst of it a pavement of love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Ye douytris of Sion, go out, and se kyng Salomon in the diademe, bi which his modir crownede hym, in the dai of his spousyng, and in the dai of the gladnesse of his herte.
Go forth, you daughters of Sion, and behold king Solomon, with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
