1 Oh, that you were like my brother, who nursed at my mothers breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised.2 I would lead you and bring you into my mothers house, to teach me; I would cause you to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.3 To the Daughters of Jerusalem: His left hand under my head, and his right hand embracing me.4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem: Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.5 A Relative: Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother travailed with you; there she travailed with you and bore you.6 Shulamite to Her Beloved: Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as Sheol; its flames are flames of fire, a flame of YAH.7 Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the rivers overflow it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be despised with contempt.8 Relatives: We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is spoken for?9 If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of silver; and if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.10 Shulamite: I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; then I was in his eyes as one who found peace.11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; he leased the vineyard to keepers; everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.12 To Solomon: My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who tend its fruit two hundred.13 The Beloved: You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice; let me hear it!14 Shulamite: Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
1 Who `mai grante to me thee, my brother, soukynge the tetis of my modir, that Y fynde thee aloone without forth, and that Y kisse thee, and no man dispise me thanne?2 Y schal take thee, and Y schal lede thee in to the hous of my modir, and in to the closet of my modir; there thou schalt teche me, and Y schal yyue to thee drink of wyn maad swete, and of the must of my pumgranatis.3 His lefthond vndur myn heed, and his riythond schal biclippe me.4 Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y charge you greetli, that ye reise not, nether make the dereworthe spousesse to awake, til sche wole.5 Who is this spousesse, that stieth fro desert, and flowith in delices, and restith on hir derlynge? Y reiside thee vndur a pumgranate tre; there thi modir was corrupt, there thi modir was defoulid.6 Set thou me as a signet on thin herte, as a signet on thin arm; for loue is strong as deth, enuy is hard as helle; the laumpis therof ben laumpis of fier, and of flawmes.7 Many watris moun not quenche charite, nether floodis schulen oppresse it. Thouy a man yyue al the catel of his hous for loue, he schal dispise `that catel as nouyt.8 Oure sistir is litil, and hath no tetys; what schulen we do to oure sistir, in the dai whanne sche schal be spokun to?9 If it is a wal, bilde we theronne siluerne touris; if it is a dore, ioyne we it togidere with tablis of cedre.10 I am a wal, and my tetis ben as a tour; sithen Y am maad as fyndynge pees bifore hym.11 A vyner was to the pesible; in that citee, that hath puplis, he bitook it to keperis; a man bryngith a thousynde platis of siluer for the fruyt therof.12 The vyner is bifore me; a thousynde ben of thee pesible, and two hundrid to hem that kepen the fruytis therof.13 Frendis herkene thee, that dwellist in orchertis; make thou me to here thi vois.14 My derlyng, fle thou; be thou maad lijk a capret, and a calf of hertis, on the hillis of swete smellynge spices.