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| [1]Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, whiles the evil days come not, nor the years approach, wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them: |
[1]Haue thou mynde on thi creatour in the daies of thi yongthe, bifore that the tyme of thi turment come, and the yeris of thi deth neiye, of whiche thou schalt seie, Tho plesen not me. |
| [2]Whiles the sun is not dark, nor the light, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the clouds return after the rain: |
[2]`Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, bifor that the sunne be derk, and the liyt, and sterrys, and the mone; and cloude turne ayen after reyn. |
| [3]When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders shall cease, because they are few, and they wax dark that look out by the windows: |
[3]Whanne the keperis of the hous schulen be mouyd, and strongeste men schulen tremble; and grynderis schulen be idel, whanne the noumbre schal be maad lesse, and seeris bi the hoolis schulen wexe derk; |
| [4]And the doors shall be shut without by the base sound of the grinding, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird: and all the daughters of singing shall be abased. |
[4]and schulen close the doris in the street, in the lownesse of vois of a gryndere; and thei schulen rise at the vois of a brid, and alle the douytris of song schulen wexe deef. |
| [5]Also they shall be afraid of the high thing, and fear shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and concupiscence shall be driven away: for man goeth to the house of his age, and the mourners go about in the street. |
[5]And hiy thingis schulen drede, and schulen be aferd in the weie; an alemaunde tre schal floure, a locuste schal be maad fat, and capparis schal be distried; for a man schal go in to the hous of his euerlastyngnesse, and weileris schulen go aboute in the street. |
| [6]Whiles the silver cord is not lengthened, nor the golden ewer broken, nor the pitcher broken at the well, nor the wheel broken at the cistern: |
[6]Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, byfore that a siluerne roop be brokun, and a goldun lace renne ayen, and a watir pot be al to-brokun on the welle, and a wheele be brokun togidere on the cisterne; |
| [7]And dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to God that gave it. |
[7]and dust turne ayen in to his erthe, wherof it was, and the spirit turne ayen to God, that yaf it. |
| [8]Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, all is vanity. |
[8]The vanyte of vanytees, seide Ecclesiastes, the vanyte of vanytees, and alle thingis ben vanyte. |
| [9]And the more wise the Preacher was, the more he taught the people knowledge, and caused them to hear, and searched forth, and prepared many parables. |
[9]And whanne Ecclesiastes was moost wijs, he tauyte the puple, and he telde out the thingis whiche he dide, |
| [10]The Preacher sought to find out pleasant words, and an upright writing, even the words of truth. |
[10]and he souyte out wisdom, and made many parablis; he souyte profitable wordis, and he wroot moost riytful wordis, and ful of treuthe. |
| [11]The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are given by one pastor. |
[11]The wordis of wise men ben as prickis, and as nailis fastned deepe, whiche ben youun of o scheepherde bi the counsels of maistris. |
| [12]And of other things beside these, my son, take thou heed: for there is none end in making many books, and much reading is a weariness of the flesh. |
[12]My sone, seke thou no more than these; noon ende is to make many bookis, and ofte thenkyng is turment of fleisch. |
| [13]Let us hear the end of all: fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. |
[13]Alle we here togydere the ende of spekyng. Drede thou God, and kepe hise heestis; `that is to seie, ech man. |
| [14]For God will bring every work unto judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. |
[14]God schal brynge alle thingis in to dom, that ben don; for ech thing don bi errour, whether it be good, ether yuel. |