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² Kisse he me with the cos of his mouth.³ For thi tetis ben betere than wyn, and yyuen odour with beste oynementis. Thi name is oile sched out; therfor yonge damesels loueden thee.⁴ Drawe thou me after thee; we schulen renne in to the odour of thin oynementis. The kyng ledde me in to hise celeris; we myndeful of thi teetis aboue wyn, schulen make ful out ioye, and schulen be glad in thee; riytful men louen thee.⁵ Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y am blak, but fair, as the tabernaclis of Cedar, as the skynnes of Salomon.⁶ Nyle ye biholde me, that Y am blak, for the sunne hath discolourid me; the sones of my modir fouyten ayens me, thei settiden me a kepere in vyners; Y kepte not my vyner.

⁷ Thou spouse, whom my soule loueth, schewe to me, where thou lesewist, where thou restist in myddai; lest Y bigynne to wandre, aftir the flockis of thi felowis.⁸ A! thou fairest among wymmen, if thou knowist not thi silf, go thou out, and go forth aftir the steppis of thi flockis; and feede thi kidis, bisidis the tabernaclis of scheepherdis.⁹ Mi frendesse, Y licnede thee to myn oost of knyytis in the charis of Farao.¹⁰ Thi chekis ben feire, as of a turtle; thi necke is as brochis.¹¹ We schulen make to thee goldun ournementis, departid and maad dyuerse with silver.

¹² Whanne the kyng was in his restyng place, my narde yaf his odour.¹³ My derlyng is a bundel of myrre to me; he schal dwelle bitwixe my tetis.¹⁴ My derlyng is to me a cluster of cipre tre, among the vyneres of Engaddi.¹⁵ Lo! my frendesse, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thin iyen ben the iyen of culueris.¹⁶ Lo, my derling, thou art fair, and schapli; oure bed is fair as flouris.¹⁷ The trees of oure housis ben of cedre; oure couplis ben of cipresse.