Study Desk

O howe pleasaunt are thy treadynges with thy shoes, thou princes daughter? the ioyntes of thy thighes are like a faire iewell, which is wrought by a cunnyng workemaister.

Thy nauell is lyke a rounde goblet, which is neuer without drynke. Thy wombe is like a heape of wheate that is set about with lilies.

Thy two breastes are lyke two twinnes of young roes.

Thy necke is as it were a towre of iuorie: thine eyes also are lyke the water pooles that are in Hesebon, beside the port of Bathrabbim, thy nose is lyke the towre of Libanus, which loketh towarde Damascus.

That head that standeth vpon thee is lyke Carmel: and the heere of thy head is like purple, and like a kyng dwellyng among many water conduites.

O Howe faire and louely art thou my dearlyng in pleasures?

Thy stature is lyke a paulme tree, and thy breastes lyke the grapes.

I sayde, I wyll climbe vp into the paulme tree, and take holde of his hye braunches. Thy breastes also shalbe as the wine clusters, the smell of thy nosethrilles like as the smell of apples.

And thy rooffe of thy mouth lyke the best wine, which is meete for my best beloued, pleasaunt for his lippes, and for his teeth to chawe.

I am my beloueds, and he shall turne hym vnto me.

O come on my loue, we wyll go foorth into the fielde, and take our lodgyng in the villages.

In the mornyng wyll we go see the vineyarde, we wyll see yf the vine be sprong foorth, yf the grapes be growen, and yf the pomegranates be shot out.

There will I geue thee my brestes: the Mandragoras geue their sweete smell, and besyde our doores are all maner of pleasaunt fruites both newe and olde, which I haue kept for thee O my beloued.

O that I might finde thee without and kisse thee, whom I loue as my brother whiche suckt my mothers brestes, and that thou shalt not be dispised,

I wyll leade thee and bryng thee into my mothers house, that thou myghtest teache me, and that I myght geue thee drynke of the spiced wine, and of the sweete sappe of my pomegranates.

His left hande shalbe vnder my head, and his ryght hande shall imbrace me.

I charge you O ye daughters of Hierusalem that ye wake not vp my loue, nor touche her, tyll she be content her selfe.

(What is she this that cometh vp from the wildernesse, and leaneth vpon her loue?) I wake thee vp among the apple trees where thy mother conceaued thee, where thy mother [I say] brought thee into the worlde.

O set me as a seale vpon thine heart, and as a seale vpon thine arme: for loue is myghtie as the death, and gelousie as the hell.

Her coales are coales of fire, and a very vehement flambe [of the Lorde]: so that many waters are not able to quenche loue, neither may the streames drowne it: Yea yf a man woulde geue all the good of his house for loue, he shoulde count it nothyng.

Our sister is but young and hath no brestes: what shall we do for our sister when she shalbe spoken for?

If she be a wall, we shall builde a siluer bulwarke thervpon: yf she be a doore, we shall fasten her with boordes of Cedar tree.

I am a wall, and my brestes lyke towres, then was I as one that hath founde fauour in his syght.

Solomon hath a vineyarde at BaalHamon: and this vineyarde deliuered he vnto the kepers, that euery one for the fruite therof shoulde geue hym a thousande peeces of siluer.

My vineyarde which is myne, is in my syght: thou (O Solomon) must haue a thousande, and the kepers two hundred, which kepe the fruite.

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, O let me heare thy voyce, that my companions may hearken to the same.

O get thee away my loue, and be as a roe or a young hart vpon the sweete smellyng mountaynes.