Study Desk

I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I haue gathered my Myrre with my spice: I haue eate hony with my hony combe, I haue drunke my wine with my milke: Eate O ye frendes, drinke and be merie O ye beloued.

I am a sleepe, but my heart is waking: I heare the voyce of my beloued when he knocketh, saying, Open to me O my sister, my loue, my doue, my dearling: for my head is full of deawe, and the lockes of my heere are full of the nyght doppes.

I haue put of my coate, howe can I do it on agayne? I haue washed my feete, howe shall I fyle them agayne?

My loue put in his hande at the hole, and my heart was moued within me.

I stoode vp to open vnto my beloued, and my handes dropped with Myrre, & the Myrre ranne downe my fingers vpon the locke.

I opened vnto my beloued, but he was departed and gone his way: Now whe he spake, my heart was gone: I sought him, but I coulde not finde him: I cryed vpon hym, neuerthelesse he gaue me no aunswere.

So the watchmen that went about the citie, founde me, smote me, and wounded me: yea they that kept the walles toke away my kerchaffe from me.

I charge you therfore O ye daughters of Hierusalem, yf ye fynde my beloued, that ye tell hym howe that I am sicke for loue.

What maner of man is thy loue aboue other louers, O thou fairest among women? Or what can thy loue do more then other louers, that thou chargest vs so straytly?

As for my loue, he is whyte and red coloured, a goodly person among tenne thousande.

His head is as the most fine golde, the lockes of his heere are busshed, & blacke as a crowe.

His eyes are as the eyes of doues by the water brookes as though they were wasshed with mylke, and are set lyke pearles in golde.

His cheekes are lyke a garden bed, wherin the Apothecaries plant all maner of sweete thynges. His lippes are lyke lilies that droppe sweete smellyng Myrre:

His handes are lyke golde rynges, hauyng inclosed the precious stone of Tharsis. His body is as the pure iuorie, dect ouer with Saphires:

His legges are as the pillers of Marble set vpon sockettes of golde. His face is as Libanus: and as the beautie of the Cedar trees.

The wordes of his mouth are sweete: yea he is altogether louely: Such a one is my loue O ye daughters of Hierusalem, such a one is my loue.

Whyther is thy loue gone then O thou fairest among women? whyther is thy loue departed, and we wyll seke hym with thee?

My loue is gone downe into his garden vnto the sweete smellyng beddes, that he may refreshe hym selfe in the garden, & gather lilies.

My loue is myne, and I am his, which feedeth among the lilies.

Thou are beautifull O my loue as is [the place] Thirza, thou art faire as Hierusalem, fearefull as an armie of men with their banners.

Turne away thine eyes from me, for they haue set me on fire: Thy heery lockes are lyke a flocke of goates shorne vpon the mount of Gilead.

Thy teeth are lyke a flocke of shorne sheepe which go out of the wasshyng place, where euery one beareth twinnes, and not one vnfruitfull among them.

Thy cheekes are like a peece of a pomegranate within thy lockes of heere.

There are threescore queenes, fourescore wiues, and damselles without number.

One is my doue, one is my dearlyng: She is the only beloued of her mother, and deare vnto her that bare her: When the daughters sawe her, they sayde she was blessed, yea the queenes & wiues praysed her.

What is she this that loketh foorth as the mornyng, faire as the moone, cleare as the sunne, and fearfull as an armie of men with their banners?

I went downe into the nut garden to see what grewe by the brookes, and to loke yf the vineyarde florished, or yf the pomegranates were not foorth.

I knewe not that my soule had made me the charyot of the people that be vnder tribute.

Turne agayne turne agayne O thou perfect one, turne agayne turne agayne and we wyll loke vpon thee: What will ye see in the Sulamite? She is lyke men of warre singing in a companie.