Come in to my garden o my sister, my
spouse: I haue gathered my Myrre &wt;
my spyce. I wil eate my hony and my
hony c&obar;be, I wil drynke my wyne ∧ my mylk
Eate o (ye frendes) drynke and be mery, o ye
beloued.
As I was a slepe, ∧ my hert wakynge, I
herde the voyce of my beloued, wh&abar; he knocked.
Open to me (sayde he) o my sister, my loue,
my doue, my derlinge: for my heade is full
of dew, and þe; lockes of my hayre are full of
the night droppes.
B I haue put off my cote, how c&abar; I do it on
agayne? I haue washed my fete, how shal I
fyle them agayne? But whan my loue put in
his hande at the hole, my hert was moued towarde
him: so that I stode vp to open vnto
my beloued. My h&abar;des dropped &wt; Myrre, ∧
the Myrre ranne downe my fyngers vpon þe;
lock. Neuerthelesse wh&abar; I had opened vnto
my beloued, he was departed, and gone his
waye.
Now like as afore tyme whan he spake,
my hert coude no longer refrayne: Euen so
now I sought h&ibar;, but I coude not fynde him:
C I cried vpon him, neuerthelesse he gaue me
no answere. So the watchmen that wente aboute
the cite, fo&ubar;de me, smote me, and wounded
me: Yee they that kepte the walles, toke
awaye my garm&ebar;t fro me. I charge you therfore
(o ye doughters of Ierusalem) yf ye fynde
my beloued, that ye tell him, how that I am
sick for loue.
Who is thy loue aboue other louers, O thou
-- --
fayrest amonge wemen? Or, what can thy
loue do, more then other louers, that thou
chargest vs so straitly?
As for my loue, he is whyte and reade coloured,
a synguler personne amonge many
thousandes: his heade is the most fyne golde,
the lockes of his hayre are bu&esset;shed, browne
as the euenynge: His eyes are as the eyes
of doues by the water brokes, washen with
mylck, and remaynynge in a plenteous place:
D
His chekes are like a garden bedd, where
in the Apotecaryes pl&abar;te all maner of swete
thinges: His lippes droppe as the floures of
the most pryncipall Myrre, his h&abar;des are full
of golde rynges and precious stones. His body
is as the pure yuery, decte ouer with Saphyres: note
His legges are as the pilers of Marbell,
sett vpon sokettes of golde: His face is
as Libanus, and as the bewty of the Cedre
trees: His throte is swete, yee he is alltogether
louely. Soch one is my loue (o ye doughters
of Ierusalem) soch one is my loue.
Whither is thy loue gone th&ebar; (o thou fayrest
amonge wem&ebar;) whither is thy loue departed,
that we maye seke him with the?
Coverdale [1535], BIBLIA The Bible / that is, the holy Scripture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully and truly translated out of Douche and Latyn in to Englishe () [word count] [B04000].
