5 — Canticle of Canticles

1Let 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.Venga il mio Diletto nel suo giardino, e il frutto mangi de' pomi suoi. Son venuto nel mio giardino, sorella mia Sposa: io ho raccolta la mia mirra co' miei aromati: ho mangiato il favo col mio miele: ho bevuto il mio vino col latte mio. Mangiate amici, e bevete, e inebriatevi, o carissimi.LET my beloued come into his garden, and eate the fruite of his appletrees. I am come into my garden ô my sister spouse, I haue reaped my myrrhe, with myne aromatical spices: I haue eaten the honiecombe with mine honie, I haue drunke my wine with my milke: eate ô frendes, and drinke, and be inebriated my dearest. I sleepe,Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum, / et comedat fructum pomorum suorum. / Sponsus. Veni in hortum meum, soror mea, sponsa; / messui myrrham meam cum aromatibus meis; / comedi favum cum melle meo; / bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo; / comedite, amici, et bibite, / et inebriamini, carissimi. 2I 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.Io dormo, e veglia il mio cuore: la voce del mio Diletto che picchia: Aprimi, sorella mia, amica mia, mia colomba, mia immacolata: perocché il mio capo è pieno di rugiada, e i miei capelli dell'umido della notte.and my hart watcheth: the voice of my beloued knocking: Open to me my sister, my loue, my doue, mine immaculate: because my head is ful of dew, and my lockes of the droppes of the nightes.Sponsa. Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat. / Vox dilecti mei pulsantis: / Sponsus. Aperi mihi, soror mea, amica mea, / columba mea, immaculata mea, / quia caput meum plenum est rore, / et cincinni mei guttis noctium. 3I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?Mi spogliai della mia tonaca, come farò a rivestirmene? Lavai i miei piedi, come tornerò io ad imbrattarli?I haue spoyled myselfe of my robe, how shal I be clothed with it? I haue washed my feete, how shal I defile them?Sponsa. Expoliavi me tunica mea: quomodo induar illa ? / lavi pedes meos: quomodo inquinabo illos ? 4My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch.Il mio Diletto passò la sua mano e per l'apertura dell'uscio, e in quel, ch'ei lo toccava, le mie viscere si commossero.My beloued put his hand through the hole, and my bellie trembled at his touch.Dilectus meus misit manum suam per foramen, / et venter meus intremuit ad tactum ejus.

5I arose up to open to my beloved: my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the choicest myrrh.Mi alzai per aprire al mio Diletto, che mani mie stillarono mirra, e le mia dita furon piene di squisitissima mirra.I arose, that I might open to my beloued: my handes haue distilled myrrhe, and my fingers are ful of most approued myrrhe.Surrexi ut aperirem dilecto meo; / manus meæ stillaverunt myrrham, / et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima. 6I 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.Apersi del mio uscio il serrarne al mio Diletto; ma egli si era ritirato, ed era passato avanti. L'anima mia si liquefece tosto ch'egli ebbe parlato: lo cercai, e noi trovai, chiamai, e non mi rispose.I opened the bolt of my dore to my beloued: but he had turned aside, and was passed. My soule melted, as he spake: I sought, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me.Pessulum ostii mei aperui dilecto meo, / at ille declinaverat, atque transierat. / Anima mea liquefacta est, ut locutus est; / quæsivi, et non inveni illum; / vocavi, et non respondit mihi. 7The 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.Mi trovaron i custodi, che vanno attorno per la città: mi batterono, e mi ferirono: mi tolsero il mio pallio i custodi delle mura.The keepers that goe about the citie found me: they stroke me, and wounded me: the keepers of the walles tooke away my cloke.Invenerunt me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem; / percusserunt me, et vulneraverunt me. / Tulerunt pallium meum mihi custodes murorum. 8I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.Figlie di Gerusalemme, io vi scongiuro, che se troverete il mio Diletto, voi gli diciate, ch'io d'amore languisco.I adiure you ô daughters of Hierusalem, if you shal finde my beloued, that you tel him, that I languishe with loue.Adjuro vos, filiæ Jerusalem, / si inveneritis dilectum meum, / ut nuntietis ei quia amore langueo. 9What 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?Qual è il tuo Diletto più che Diletto, o bellissima tralle donne? Qual è il tuo Diletto più che Diletto, che tu così ci scongiuri?What maner of one is thy beloued of the beloued, ô most beautiful of wemen? What maner of one is thy beloued of the beloued, that thou hast so adiured vs?Chorus. Qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, o pulcherrima mulierum ? / qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, quia sic adjurasti nos ?

10My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.Il mio Diletto candido, e rubicondo, eletto tralle migliaia.My beloued is white and ruddie, chosen of thousands.Sponsa. Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus; / electus ex millibus. 11His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.Il capo di lui oro ottimo: le chiome del suo capo come l'involto de' fiori delle palme, nere come il corvo.His head is as the best gold: his heares as the branches of palmetrees, blacke as à rauen.Caput ejus aurum optimum; / comæ ejus sicut elatæ palmarum, nigræ quasi corvus. 12His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.Gli occhi di lui come colombe lungo ai ruscelli delle acque, le quali son lavate col latte, e si posano presso alle copiose correnti.His eies as doues vpon the litle riuers of waters, which are washed with milke, and sitte beside the most ful streames.Oculi ejus sicut columbæ super rivulos aquarum, / quæ lacte sunt lotæ, et resident juxta fluenta plenissima. 13His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers. His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.Le sue guance (son) come le areole di aromi piantate dai compositori di unguenti. Le sue labbra come gigli stillanti mirra perfetta.His cheekes are as litle beddes of aromatical spices set of the pigmentaries. His lippes are as lilies distilling principal myrrhe.Genæ illius sicut areolæ aromatum, / consitæ a pigmentariis. / Labia ejus lilia, / distillantia myrrham primam. 14His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.Le sue mani fatte al tornio auree piene di giacinti. Il suo ventre d'avorio smaltato di zaffiri.His handes wrought round of gold, ful of hyacinthes. His bellie of iuorie, distinguished with sapphires.Manus illius tornatiles, aureæ, / plenæ hyacinthis. / Venter ejus eburneus, / distinctus sapphiris. 15His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. His form as of Libanus, excellent as the cedars.Le sue gambe colonne di marmo fondate sopra basi d'oro. Egli a vedersi è come il Libano, eletto come i cedri.His thighes as pillers of marble, that are vpon feete of gold. His forme as of Libanus, elect as the cedars.Crura illius columnæ marmoreæ / quæ fundatæ sunt super bases aureas. / Species ejus ut Libani, / electus ut cedri. 16His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.Soavissime sono le sue fauci, ed egli è tutto desiderabile: tale è il mio Diletto, ed egli è l'amico mio, o figlie di Gerusalemme.His throte most sweete, and he whole to be desired: such an one is my beloued, and he is my frend, ô daughters of Hierusalem.Guttur illius suavissimum, / et totus desiderabilis. / Talis est dilectus meus, / et ipse est amicus meus, filiæ Jerusalem.

17Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou most beautiful among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside, and we will seek him with thee?Dove andonne il tuo Diletto, o bellissima tralle donne? dove volse i suoi passi il tuo Diletto? e teco lo cercheremo.Whither is thy beloued gone ô most beautiful of wemen? whither is thy beloued turned aside, and we wil seeke him with thee?Chorus. Quo abiit dilectus tuus, o pulcherrima mulierum ? / quo declinavit dilectus tuus ? / et quæremus eum tecum.