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.
On my bed, in the nights, I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
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 the city; In the streets and in the broadways Will I seek him whom my soul loveth: 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 that go about the city found me: — Have ye seen him whom my soul loveth?
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.
— Scarcely had I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had 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 charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till 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, [she] that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant? ...
7 Lo! sixti stronge men of the strongeste men of Israel cumpassen the bed of Salomon; and alle thei holden swerdis,
Behold his couch, Solomon's own: Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty of Israel.
8 and ben moost witti to batels; the swerd of ech man is on his hipe, for the drede of nyytis.
They all hold the sword, Experts in war; Each hath his sword upon his thigh Because of alarm in the nights.
9 Kyng Salomon made to hym a seete, of the trees of Liban;
King Solomon made himself a palanquin Of the wood 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.
Its pillars he made of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of purple; The midst thereof was paved [with] love By 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, daughters of Zion, 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.
