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| [1]Mi sone, perseyue thou my wisdom, and bowe doun thin eere to my prudence; that thou kepe thi thouytis, |
[1]My son, attend unto my wisdom; incline thine ear to my understanding; |
| [2]and thi lippis kepe teching. Yyue thou not tent to the falsnesse of a womman; |
[2]That thou mayest preserve discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. |
| [3]for the lippis of an hoore ben an hony coomb droppinge, and hir throte is clerere than oile; |
[3]For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; |
| [4]but the last thingis ben bittir as wormod, and hir tunge is scharp as a swerd keruynge on ech side. |
[4]But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. |
| [5]Hir feet gon doun in to deeth; and hir steppis persen to hellis. |
[5]Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on the nether-world; |
| [6]Tho goon not bi the path of lijf; hir steppis ben vncerteyn, and moun not be souyt out. |
[6]Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not. |
| [7]Now therfor, my sone, here thou me, and go not awei fro the wordis of my mouth. |
[7]Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. |
| [8]Make fer thi weie fro hir, and neiye thou not to the doris of hir hous. |
[8]Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house; |
| [9]Yyue thou not thin onour to aliens, and thi yeeris to the cruel; |
[9]Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; |
| [10]lest perauenture straungeris be fillid with thi strengthis, and lest thi trauels be in an alien hous; |
[10]Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours be in the house of an alien; |
| [11]and thou biweile in the laste daies, whanne thou hast wastid thi fleschis, and thi bodi; and thou seie, |
[11]And thou moan, when thine end cometh, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, |
| [12]Whi wlatide Y teching, and myn herte assentide not to blamyngis; |
[12]And say: 'How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; |
| [13]nether Y herde the voys of men techinge me, and Y bowide not doun myn eere to maistris? |
[13]Neither have I hearkened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! |
| [14]Almest Y was in al yuel, in the myddis of the chirche, and of the synagoge. |
[14]I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.' |
| [15]Drinke thou watir of thi cisterne, and the floodis of thi pit. |
[15]Drink waters out of thine own cistern, an running waters out of thine own well. |
| [16]Thi wellis be stremed forth; and departe thi watris in stretis. |
[16]Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and courses of water in the streets. |
| [17]Haue thou aloone `tho watris; and aliens be not thi parceneris. |
[17]Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. |
| [18]Thi veyne be blessid; and be thou glad with the womman of thi yong wexynge age. |
[18]Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth. |
| [19]An hynde moost dereworthe; and an hert calf moost acceptable. Hir teetis fille thee in al tyme; and delite thou contynueli in the loue of hir. |
[19]A lovely hind and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; with her love be thou ravished always. |
| [20]Mi sone, whi art thou disseyued of an alien womman; and art fostrid in the bosum of an othere? |
[20]Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of an alien? |
| [21]The Lord seeth the weie of a man; and biholdith alle hise steppis. |
[21]For the ways of man are before the eyes of 𐤉𐤇𐤅𐤇, and He maketh even all his paths. |
| [22]The wickidnessis of a wyckid man taken hym; and he is boundun with the roopis of hise synnes. |
[22]His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. |
| [23]He schal die, for he hadde not lernyng; and he schal be disseyued in the mychilnesse of his fooli. |
[23]He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall reel. |