Canticle of Canticles 5

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 LOVER: I come into my garden, my sister, my promised bride, I pick my myrrh and balsam, I eat myhoney and my honeycomb, I drink my wine and my milk. POET: Eat, friends, and drink, drink deep, my dearestfriends.	1 Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat the fruit of his apple trees. I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrh, with my aromatical spices: I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.
2 BELOVED: I sleep, but my heart is awake. I hear my love knocking. 'Open to me, my sister, my beloved,my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my hair with the drops of night.'	2 I sleep, and my heart watcheth; the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights.
3 -'I have taken off my tunic, am I to put it on again? I have washed my feet, am I to dirty them again?'	3 I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
4 My love thrust his hand through the hole in the door; I trembled to the core of my being.	4 My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch.
5 Then I got up to open to my love, myrrh ran off my hands, pure myrrh off my fingers, on to the handle ofthe bolt.	5 I arose up to open to my beloved: my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the choicest myrrh.
6 I opened to my love, but he had turned and gone. My soul failed at his flight, I sought but could not findhim, I cal ed, but he did not answer.	6 I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: but he had turned aside, and was gone. My soul melted when he spoke: I sought him, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me.
7 The watchmen met me, those who go on their rounds in the city. They beat me, they wounded me, theytook my cloak away from me: those guardians of the ramparts!	7 The keepers that go about the city found me: they struck me: and wounded me: the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
8 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, if you should find my love, what are you to tel him? -That I amsick with love!	8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.
9 CHORUS: What makes your lover better than other lovers, O loveliest of women? What makes yourlover better than other lovers, to put us under such an oath?	9 What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, O thou most beautiful among women? what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou hast so adjured us?
10 BELOVED: My love is fresh and ruddy, to be known among ten thousand.	10 My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.
11 His head is golden, purest gold, his locks are palm fronds and black as the raven.	11 His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-courses, bathing themselves in milk, perching on a fountain-rim.	12 His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.
13 His cheeks are beds of spices, banks sweetly scented. His lips are lilies, distil ing pure myrrh.	13 His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers. His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrb.
14 His hands are golden, rounded, set with jewels of Tarshish. His bel y a block of ivory covered withsapphires.	14 His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.
15 His legs are alabaster columns set in sockets of pure gold. His appearance is that of Lebanon,unrival ed as the cedars.	15 His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. His form as of Libanus, excellent as the cedars.
16 His conversation is sweetness itself, he is altogether lovable. Such is my love, such is my friend, Odaughters of Jerusalem.	16 His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.
	17 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou most beautiful among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside, and we will seek him with thee?