¹I am a rose1 of Sharon,

ka lily of the valleys.

He

²As a lily among brambles,

so is lmy love among the young women.

She

³As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my mbeloved among the young men.

With great delight I sat nin his shadow,

and his ofruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴He pbrought me to the banqueting house,2

and his qbanner over me was love.

⁵Sustain me with rraisins;

refresh me with apples,

sfor I am sick with love.

⁶His tleft hand is under my head,

and his right hand uembraces me!

⁷I vadjure you,3 O wdaughters of Jerusalem,

by xthe gazelles or the does of the field,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases.

The Bride Adores Her Beloved

⁸The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes,

leaping yover the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

⁹My beloved is like za gazelle

or a young stag.

Behold, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

looking through the lattice.

¹⁰My beloved speaks and says to me:

a“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away,

¹¹for behold, the winter is past;

bthe rain is over and gone.

¹²cThe flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing4 has come,

and the voice of dthe turtledove

is heard in our land.

¹³eThe fig tree ripens its figs,

and fthe vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

gArise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away.

¹⁴O my hdove, in the iclefts of the rock,

in the crannies of the cliff,

let me see your face,

let me jhear your voice,

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is klovely.

¹⁵Catch lthe foxes5 for us,

the little foxes

that spoil the vineyards,

ffor our vineyards are in blossom.”

¹⁶mMy beloved is mine, and I am his;

he ngrazes6 among the lilies.

¹⁷Until othe day breathes

and pthe shadows flee,

turn, my beloved, be like qa gazelle

or a young stag on cleft mountains.7