4 — Canticle of Canticles

1How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! thy eyes are doves’ eyes, besides what is hid within. Thy hair is as flocks of goats, which come up from mount Galaad.Quanto mai bella se' tu, o mia Diletta, quanto bella se' tu! Gli occhi tuoi di colomba senza quello, che al di dentro si asconde. I tuoi capelli come i greggi delle capre, le quali spuntano dal monte di Galaad.HOW beautiful art thou my loue, how beautiful art thou! thine eies as it were of doues, besides that, which lyeth hid within. Thy heares as the flockes of goates, which haue come vp from mount Galaad.Sponsus. Quam pulchra es, amica mea ! quam pulchra es ! / Oculi tui columbarum, / absque eo quod intrinsecus latet. / Capilli tui sicut greges caprarum / quæ ascenderunt de monte Galaad. 2Thy teeth as flocks of sheep, that are shorn, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.I denti tuoi come i greggi d'agnelle tosate, che tornano dal lavatoio, tutte hanno gemelli i parti, né alcuna tra di esse è infeconda.Thy teeth as flockes of them that are shorne, which haue come vp from the lauatorie, al with twinnes, and there is no barren among them.Dentes tui sicut greges tonsarum / quæ ascenderunt de lavacro; / omnes gemellis fœtibus, / et sterilis non est inter eas. 3Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet. Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate, besides that which lieth hid within.Come benda di colore di scarlatto le labbra tue, e dolce il tuo favellare. Come la scorza della melagranata, tali son le tue guance, senza quello, che al di dentro nascondesi.Thy lippes as a scarlet lace: and thy speach sweete. As à peece of a pomegranate, so are also thy cheekes, besides that which lyeth hid within.Sicut vitta coccinea labia tua, / et eloquium tuum dulce. / Sicut fragmen mali punici, ita genæ tuæ, / absque eo quod intrinsecus latet. 4Thy neck, is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men.Il tuo collo come la torre di Davidde edificata co' (suoi) baluardi: mille brocchieri da essa pendono, tutta l'armatura dei forti.Thy necke is as the towre of Dauid, which is built with bulworkes: a thousand targattes hang on it, al the armour of the valiants.Sicut turris David collum tuum, / quæ ædificata est cum propugnaculis; / mille clypei pendant ex ea, / omnis armatura fortium. 5Thy two breasts like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.Le due tue mammelle come due teneri caprioli gemelli, che tra' gigli si pascolano fino a tanto che spunti il giorno, e le ombre declinino.Thy two breastes as two fawnes the twinnes of a roe, which feede among the lilies,Duo ubera tua sicut duo hinnuli, / capreæ gemelli, qui pascuntur in liliis. 6Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.Io me n'andrò al monte della mirra, e alla collina dell'incenso.til the day aspire, and the shadowes decline. I wil goe to the mount of myrrhe, and to the little hil of frankencense.Donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbræ, / vadam ad montem myrrhæ, et ad collem thuris.

7Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.Tutta bella se' tu, o mia Diletta, e macchia non è in te.Thou art al fayre ô my loue, and there is not a spotte in thee.Tota pulchra es, amica mea, / et macula non est in te. 8Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.Vieni dal Libano, o mia Sposa, vieni dal Libano, sarai coronata, dalla vetta dell'Amana, dalla cima del Sanir, e dell'Hermon, dalle tane de' lioni, dai monti de' leopardi.Come from Libanus my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the head of Amena, from the toppe of Sanir & Hermon, from the dennes of lions, from the mountaynes of leopardes.Veni de Libano, sponsa mea: / veni de Libano, veni, coronaberis: / de capite Amana, de vertice Sanir et Hermon, / de cubilibus leonum, de montibus pardorum. 9Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy neck.Tu hai ferito il cuor mio, o sorella mia Sposa, tu hai ferito il cuor mio con uno degli occhi tuoi, e con una treccia del tuo collo.Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister spouse, thou hast wounded my heart in one of thine eies, and in one heare of thy necke.Vulnerasti cor meum, soror mea, sponsa; / vulnerasti cor meum in uno oculorum tuorum, / et in uno crine colli tui. 10How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.Quanto è' bello il tuo seno, o sorella mia Sposa! Le tue mammelle sorpassano il vino in bellezza, e l'odore de' tuoi unguenti supera tutti gli aromi.How beautiful are thy breastes my sister spouse! thy breastes are more beautiful then wine, and the odour of thine ointmentes aboue al aromatical spices.Quam pulchræ sunt mammæ tuæ, soror mea sponsa ! / pulchriora sunt ubera tua vino, / et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata. 11Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense.Favo distillante sono o Sposa, le labbra tue: miele, e latte sotto la tua lingua: e l'odor delle tue vestimenta come odore d'incenso.Thy lippes my spouse are as an honie combe distilling, honie and mile kare vnder thy tongue: and the odour of thy garments as the odour of frankincense.Favus distillans labia tua, sponsa; / mel et lac sub lingua tua: / et odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut odor thuris.

12My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.Orto chiuso o sorella mia Sposa, orto chiuso, fonte sigillato.My sister spouse is a garden inclosed, a garden inclosed, a fountaine sealed vp.Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, / hortus conclusus, fons signatus. 13Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard.Le tue piantagioni (fanno) un paradiso di melagrani co' frutti dei pomi. I Cipri col nardo:Thy ofsprings a paradise of pomegranats with orchard fruites. Cypres with spiknard,Emissiones tuæ paradisus malorum punicorum, / cum pomorum fructibus, cypri cum nardo. 14Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Libanus, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes.Il nardo, e il croco, la canna, e il cinnamomo con tutti gli arbori del Libano: la mirra, e l'aloe con tutti i primi aromi.spiknard, and safren, sweete cane and cinnamon, with al •he trees of Libanus, myrrhe and aloes with al the chiefe ointmentes.Nardus et crocus, fistula et cinnamomum, / cum universis lignis Libani; / myrrha et aloë, cum omnibus primis unguentis. 15The fountain of gardens: the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus.Fonte de' giardini: pozzo di acque vive, che scorrono impetuosamente dal Libano.The fountaine of gardens: the wel of liuing waters, which runne with violence from Libanus.Fons hortorum, puteus aquarum viventium, / quæ fluunt impetu de Libano. 16Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow.Sorgi, o aquilone, e vieni tu, austro, e ventila il mio giardino, e gli aromi di esso goccioleranno.Arise Northwinde, & come Southwinde, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices therof flowe.Sponsa. Surge, aquilo, et veni, auster: / perfla hortum meum, et fluant aromata illius.