1 — Cantico dei Cantici

1Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine,Mi baci egli col bacio della sua bocca; perocché migliori sono del vino le tue mammelle, che spiran fragranza di ottimi unguenti.LET him kisse me with the kisse of his mouth: because thy brestes are better then wine,Sponsa. Osculetur me osculo oris sui; / quia meliora sunt ubera tua vino, 2Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee.Olio sparso è il tuo nome: per questo le fanciulle ti amarono.smelling fragrantly of the best ointments. Oile powred out is thy name: therfore haue yongmaydes loued thee.fragrantia unguentis optimis. / Oleum effusum nomen tuum; / ideo adolescentulæ dilexerunt te. 3Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee.Traimi tu dietro a te, correremo noi all'odore de' tuoi profumi. M'introdusse il Re ne' suoi penetrali: esulteremo, e ci allegreremo in te, ripensando alle tue mammelle migliori del vino: Te amano i giusti.Draw me: we wil runne after thee in the odour of thine ointments. The king hath brought me into his cellars: we wil reioyce & be glad in thee, mindful of thy brests aboue wine: the righteous loue thee.Chorus Adolescentularum. Trahe me, post te curremus / in odorem unguentorum tuorum. / Introduxit me rex in cellaria sua; / exsultabimus et lætabimur in te, / memores uberum tuorum super vinum. / Recti diligunt te. 4I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.Negra son io, o figlie di Gerusalemme, come le tende di Cedar, ma bella come i padiglioni di Salomone.I am blacke but beutiful, ô ye daughters of Ierusalem, as the tabernacles of Cedar, as the skinnes of Salomon.Sponsa. Nigra sum, sed formosa, filiæ Jerusalem, / sicut tabernacula Cedar, sicut pelles Salomonis. 5Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept.Non badate, che io sia bruna: perocché il sole mi fe' cangiar di colore. I figli della madre mia mi fecero guerra. Mi dettero a custodir delle vigne: la vigna mia non fu custodita da me.Doe not consider me that I am browne, because the sunne hath altered my colour: the sonnes of my mother haue fought against me, they haue made me a keeper in the vinyards: my vinyard I haue not kept.Nolite me considerare quod fusca sim, / quia decoloravit me sol. / Filii matris meæ pugnaverunt contra me; / posuerunt me custodem in vineis: / vineam meam non custodivi.

6Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions.Fammi sapere, o amore dell'anima mia, il luogo de' tuoi paschi, il luogo, dove in sul meriggio riposi, perch'io non cominci d'andar vagando dietro a' greggi de' tuoi compagni.Shew me ô thou, whom my soule loueth, where thou feedest, where thou lyest in the midday, lest I beginne to wander after the flockes of thy companyons.Indica mihi, quem diligit anima mea, ubi pascas, / ubi cubes in meridie, / ne vagari incipiam post greges sodalium tuorum. 7If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds.Se tu non conosci te stessa, o bellissima tralle donne, esci fuora, e vai dietro alle pedate de' greggi, e pasci i tuoi capretti presso ai padiglioni dei pastori.If thou know not thyselfe, ô most fayrest among wemen, goeforth, and folow after the steppes of the flockes, and feede thy kiddes byside the tabernacles of the pastours.Sponsus. Si ignoras te, o pulcherrima inter mulieres, / egredere, et abi post vestigia gregum, / et pasce hædos tuos juxta tabernacula pastorum. 8To my company of horsemen, in Pharao’s chariots, have I likened thee, O my love.A' miei destrieri nei cocchi di Faraone io ti rassomiglio, o mia Diletta.To my companie of horsemen, in the chariotes of Pharao, haue I likened thee, ô my loue.Equitatui meo in curribus Pharaonis / assimilavi te, amica mea. 9Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove’s, thy neck as jewels.Belle son le tue guance come di tortorella: il collo tuo come monili.Thy cheekes are beautiful as the turteldoues, thy necke as iewels.Pulchræ sunt genæ tuæ sicut turturis; / collum tuum sicut monilia. 10We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver.Noi ti faremo delle piccole murene a oro punteggiate d'argento.We wil make thee cheynes of gold, enamoled with siluer.Murenulas aureas faciemus tibi, / vermiculatas argento. 11While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof.Mentre il re stavasi alla sua mensa, il mio nardo spirò il suo odore.Whiles the king was at his repose, my spikenard gaue the odour thereof.Sponsa. Dum esset rex in accubitu suo, / nardus mea dedit odorem suum. 12A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts.Mazzetto di mirra (è) a me il mio diletto: si starà sempre al mio seno.A bundle of myrrhe my beloued is to me, he shal abide betwen my brestes.Fasciculus myrrhæ dilectus meus mihi; / inter ubera mea commorabitur. 13A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi.Il mio Diletto (è) a me un grappolo di cipro delle vigne d'Engaddi.A clustre of cypre my loue is to me, in the vineyardes of Engaddi.Botrus cypri dilectus meus mihi / in vineis Engaddi.

14Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.Bella veramente se' tu, o mia Diletta: bella veramente se' tu, gli occhi tuoi son di colomba.Behold thou art fayre, ô my loue, behold thou art fayre, thyne eyes are as of doues.Sponsus. Ecce tu pulchra es, amica mea ! ecce tu pulchra es ! / Oculi tui columbarum. 15Behold thou art fair, my beloved, and comely. Our bed is flourishing.Bello veramente se' tu, o mio diletto le pieno di grazia: il talamo nostro è fiorito:Behold thou art fayre my beloued, & comlie: our litle bed is florishing.Sponsa. Ecce tu pulcher es, dilecte mi, et decorus ! / Lectulus noster floridus. 16The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress trees.Delle nostre case le travi (sono) di cedro, le soffitte di cipresso.The beames of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypresse trees.Tigna domorum nostrarum cedrina, / laquearia nostra cypressina.