Wisdom 7

¹ His left hond is vndur myn heed; and his riyt hond schal biclippe me. ² Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y charge you greetli, bi capretis, and hertis of feeldis, that ye reise not, nether make to awake the dereworthe spousesse, til sche wole. The vois of my derlyng; lo! ³ this derlyng cometh leepynge in mounteyns, and skippynge ouer litle hillis. ⁴ My derlyng is lijk a capret, and a calf of hertis; lo! he stondith bihynde oure wal, and biholdith bi the wyndows, and lokith thorouy the latisis. ⁵ Lo! my derlyng spekith to me, My frendesse, my culuer, my faire spousesse, rise thou, haaste thou, and come thou; ⁶ for wyntir is passid now, reyn is goon, and is departid awei. ⁷ Flouris apperiden in oure lond, the tyme of schridyng is comun; the vois of a turtle is herd in oure lond, ⁸ the fige tre hath brouyt forth hise buddis; vyneris flourynge han youe her odour. My frendesse, my fayre spousesse, rise thou, haaste thou, and come thou. ⁹ My culuer is in the hoolis of stoon, in the chyne of a wal with out morter. Schewe thi face to me, thi vois sowne in myn eeris; for thi vois is swete, and thi face is fair. ¹⁰ Catche ye litle foxis to vs, that destrien the vyneris; for oure vyner hath flourid. ¹¹ My derlyng is to me, and Y am to hym, which is fed among lilies; ¹² til the dai sprynge, and schadewis be bowid doun. My derlyng, turne thou ayen; be thou lijk a capret, and a calf of hertis, on the hillis of Betel. ¹⁴ In my litle bed Y souyte hym bi niytis, whom my soule loueth; Y souyte hym, and Y foond not. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ Wakeris, that kepen the citee, founden me. Whether ye sien hym, whom my soule loueth? ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ 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? ²⁰ Lo! sixti stronge men of the strongeste men of Israel cumpassen the bed of Salomon; and alle thei holden swerdis, ²¹ and ben moost witti to batels; the swerd of ech man is on his hipe, for the drede of nyytis. ²² Kyng Salomon made to hym a seete, of the trees of Liban; ²³ 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. ²⁴ 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. ²⁶ Mi frendesse, thou art ful fair; thin iyen ben of culueris, with outen that that is hid with ynne; thin heeris ben as the flockis of geete, that stieden fro the hil of Galaad. ²⁷ Thi teeth ben as the flockis of clippid sheep, that stieden fro waischyng; alle ben with double lambren, and no bareyn is among tho. ²⁸ Thi lippis ben as a reed lace, and thi speche is swete; as the relif of an appil of Punyk, so ben thi chekis, with outen that, that is hid with ynne. ²⁹ Thi necke is as the tour of Dauid, which is bildid with strengthis maad bifore for defense; a thousynde scheldis hangen on it, al armure of stronge men. ³⁰ Thi twei tetis ben as twey kidis, twynnes of a capret, that ben fed in lilies,