Content

CAP 1
1 Kisse he me with the cos of his mouth.
2 For thi tetis ben betere than wyn, and yyuen odour with beste oynementis. Thi name is oile sched out; therfor yonge damesels loueden thee.
3 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.
4 Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y am blak, but fair, as the tabernaclis of Cedar, as the skynnes of Salomon.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 Mi frendesse, Y licnede thee to myn oost of knyytis in the charis of Farao.
9 Thi chekis ben feire, as of a turtle; thi necke is as brochis.
10 We schulen make to thee goldun ournementis, departid and maad dyuerse with silver.
11 Whanne the kyng was in his restyng place, my narde yaf his odour.
12 My derlyng is a bundel of myrre to me; he schal dwelle bitwixe my tetis.
13 My derlyng is to me a cluster of cipre tre, among the vyneres of Engaddi.
14 Lo! my frendesse, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thin iyen ben the iyen of culueris.
15 Lo, my derling, thou art fair, and schapli; oure bed is fair as flouris.
16 The trees of oure housis ben of cedre; oure couplis ben of cipresse.
1 I am a flour of the feeld, and a lilye of grete valeis.
2 As a lilie among thornes, so is my frendesse among douytris.
3 As an apple tre among the trees of wodis, so my derlyng among sones.