Song of Solomon 1
The Song of Songs, that [is] of Solomon.
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] your loves than wine.
3 and yyuen odour with beste oynementis. Thi name is oile sched out; therfor yonge damesels loueden thee.
For fragrance [are] your good perfumes. Perfume emptied out—your name, Therefore have virgins loved you!
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: we run after you, The king has brought me into his inner chambers, We delight and rejoice in you, We mention your loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved you!
5 Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y am blak, but fair, as the tabernaclis of Cedar, as the skynnes of Salomon.
I [am] dark and lovely, 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.
Do not fear me, because I [am] very dark, Because the sun has 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, you whom my soul has loved, Where you delight, Where you lie down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of your 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 you do not know, O beautiful among women, Go forth by the traces of the flock, And feed your 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 you, my friend,
10 Thi chekis ben feire, as of a turtle; thi necke is as brochis.
Your cheeks have been lovely with garlands, your neck with chains.
11 We schulen make to thee goldun ournementis, departid and maad dyuerse with silver.
We make garlands of gold for you, 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 has 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 lodges.
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.
Behold, you [are] beautiful, my friend, Behold, you [are] beautiful, your eyes [are] doves!
16 Lo, my derling, thou art fair, and schapli; oure bed is fair as flouris.
Behold, you [are] beautiful, my love, indeed, pleasant, Indeed, our bed [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!
