Song of Songs Chapter 5

English (Douay-Rheims)

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. Let my beloved come into his garden, etc... Garden, mystically the church of Christ, abounding with fruit, that is, the good works of the elect.
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 put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
4 My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch. My beloved put his hand through the key hole, etc... The spouse of Christ, his church, at times as it were penned up by its persecutors, and in fears, expecting the divine assistance, here signified by his hand: and ver. 6, but he had turned aside and was gone, that is, Christ permitting a further trial of suffering: and again, ver. 7, the keepers, etc., signifying the violent and cruel persecutors of the church taking her veil, despoiling the church of its places of worship and ornaments for the divine service.
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 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 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 adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.
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 My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands. My beloved, etc... In this and the following verses, the church mystically describes Christ to those who know him not, that is, to infidels in order to convert them to the true faith.
11 His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.
12 His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.
13 His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers. His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.
14 His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.
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 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?

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 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.
2 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.
3 Sponsa. Expoliavi me tunica mea: quomodo induar illa?
lavi pedes meos: quomodo inquinabo illos?
4 Dilectus meus misit manum suam per foramen,
et venter meus intremuit ad tactum ejus.
5 Surrexi ut aperirem dilecto meo;
manus meæ stillaverunt myrrham,
et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima.
6 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.
7 Invenerunt me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem;
percusserunt me, et vulneraverunt me.
Tulerunt pallium meum mihi custodes murorum.
8 Adjuro vos, filiæ Jerusalem,
si inveneritis dilectum meum,
ut nuntietis ei quia amore langueo.
9 Chorus. Qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, o pulcherrima mulierum?
qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, quia sic adjurasti nos?
10 Sponsa. Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus;
electus ex millibus.
11 Caput ejus aurum optimum;
comæ ejus sicut elatæ palmarum, nigræ quasi corvus.
12 Oculi ejus sicut columbæ super rivulos aquarum,
quæ lacte sunt lotæ, et resident juxta fluenta plenissima.
13 Genæ illius sicut areolæ aromatum,
consitæ a pigmentariis.
Labia ejus lilia,
distillantia myrrham primam.
14 Manus illius tornatiles, aureæ,
plenæ hyacinthis.
Venter ejus eburneus,
distinctus sapphiris.
15 Crura illius columnæ marmoreæ
quæ fundatæ sunt super bases aureas.
Species ejus ut Libani,
electus ut cedri.
16 Guttur illius suavissimum,
et totus desiderabilis.
Talis est dilectus meus,
et ipse est amicus meus, filiæ Jerusalem.
17 Chorus. Quo abiit dilectus tuus, o pulcherrima mulierum?
quo declinavit dilectus tuus?
et quæremus eum tecum.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition

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