< Song of Solomon 6 >
1 Thou faireste of wymmen, whidur yede thi derlyng? whidur bowide thi derlyng? and we schulen seke hym with thee.
Where has your beloved gone, you fairest amongst women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
2 My derlyng yede doun in to his orcherd, to the gardyn of swete smellynge spices, that he be fed there in orcherdis, and gadere lilyes.
My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 Y to my derlyng; and my derlyng, that is fed among the lilies, be to me.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses amongst the lilies.
4 Mi frendesse, thou art fair, swete and schappli as Jerusalem, thou art ferdful as the scheltrun of oostis set in good ordre.
You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turne awei thin iyen fro me, for tho maden me to fle awei; thin heeris ben as the flockis of geet, that apperiden fro Galaad.
Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Thi teeth as a flok of scheep, that stieden fro waischyng; alle ben with double lambren, `ether twynnes, and no bareyn is among tho.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing, of which every one has twins; not one is bereaved amongst them.
7 As the rynde of a pumgranate, so ben thi chekis, without thi priuytees.
Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8 Sixti ben queenys, and eiyti ben secundarie wyues; and of yong damesels is noon noumbre.
There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
9 Oon is my culuer, my perfit spousesse, oon is to hir modir, and is the chosun of hir modir; the douytris of Syon sien hir, and prechiden hir moost blessid; queenys, and secundarie wyues preisiden hir.
My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favourite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed. The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.
10 Who is this, that goith forth, as the moreutid risynge, fair as the moone, chosun as the sunne, ferdful as the scheltrun of oostis set in good ordre?
Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
11 Y cam doun in to myn orcherd, to se the applis of grete valeis, and to biholde, if vyneris hadden flourid, and if pumgranate trees hadden buriowned.
I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Y knew not; my soule disturblide me, for the charis of Amynadab.
Without realising it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
13 Turne ayen, turne ayen, thou Sunamyte; turne ayen, turne ayen, that we biholde thee. What schalt thou se in the Sunamyte, no but cumpenyes of oostis?
Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?