The Song of Songs
Title/Superscription
The Desire for Love
The Beloved to Her Lover:4
1:2 Oh, how I wish you5 would kiss me passionately!6
For your lovemaking7 is more delightful8 than wine.9
1:3 The fragrance10 of your colognes11 is delightful;12
your name13 is like the finest14 perfume.15
No wonder the young maidens16 adore17 you!
1:4 Draw me18 after you,
let us hurry!19
May the king20 bring21 me into his22 bedroom chambers!23
The Speaker(s)24 to the Lover:
We will25 rejoice and delight in you;26
we will praise27 your love more than wine.
How rightly28 the maidens29 love you!
The Country Maiden and the Daughters of Jerusalem
The Beloved to the Maidens:
1:5 I am dark but lovely, O maidens30 of Jerusalem,
dark31 like the tents of Qedar,32
lovely33 like the beautiful tent curtains34 of Solomon.35
1:6 Do not stare at me because36 I am dark,
for37 the sun has burned my skin.38
My brothers39 were angry40 with me;
they made me the keeper of the vineyard.
Alas, my own "vineyard"41 I could not keep!42
The Shepherd and the Shepherdess
The Beloved to Her Lover:
1:7 Tell me, O you whom my heart43 loves,
where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest your sheep during the midday heat?
Tell me lest44 I wander around45
beside the flocks of your companions!
The Lover to His Beloved:
1:8 If you do not know, O most beautiful of women,
simply follow the tracks of my flock,
and pasture your little lambs
beside the tents of the shepherds.
The Beautiful Mare and the Fragrant Myrrh
The Lover to His Beloved:
1:9 O my beloved, you are like46 a47 mare48
among Pharaoh's stallions.49
1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments;
your neck is lovely50 with strings of jewels.
1:11 We51 will make for you gold ornaments
studded with silver.52
The Beloved about Her Lover:
1:12 While the king was at his banqueting table,53
my nard54 gave forth its fragrance.55
1:13 My beloved is like a fragrant pouch of myrrh56
spending the night57 between my breasts.
1:14 My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms58
in the vineyards of En-Gedi.59
Mutual Praise and Admiration
The Lover to His Beloved:
1:15 Oh,60 how beautiful you are, my beloved!61
Oh, how beautiful you are!
Your eyes62 are like doves!63
The Beloved to Her Lover:
1:16 Oh, how handsome you are, my lover!64
Oh,65 how delightful66 you are!
The lush foliage67 is our canopied bed;68
1:17 the cedars are the beams of our bedroom chamber;
the pines are the rafters of our bedroom.
The Lily among the Thorns
The Beloved to Her Lover:
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:2 Like5 a lily among the thorns,6
so is my darling among the maidens.
The Apple Tree in the Forest
The Beloved:
2:3 Like7 an apple tree8 among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight9 to sit10 in his shade,11
and his fruit12 is sweet13 to my taste.14
The Banquet Hall for the Love-Sick
The Beloved:
2:4 He brought me15 into the banquet hall,16
and he looked17 at me lovingly.18
2:5 Sustain19 me with raisin cakes,20
refresh me with apples,21
for I am faint with love.22
2:6 His left hand caresses my head,23
and his right hand stimulates me.24
2:7 I adjure you,25 O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does26 of the open fields:27
Do not awaken or arouse28 love29 until it pleases!30
The Arrival of the Lover
The Beloved:
2:8 Listen!31 My lover is approaching!32
Look!33 Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
2:9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.34
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
Gazing through the window,
Peering through the lattice.
The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtle-Dove
The Lover:
2:10 My lover spoke to me, saying:
"Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
2:11 Look! The winter has passed,
the winter rains are over and gone.
2:12 The pomegranates have appeared35 in the land,
the time for pruning and singing36 has come;
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
2:13 The fig tree has budded,
the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance.
Arise, my darling;
my beautiful one, come away with me!"
The Dove in the Clefts of En-Gedi
The Lover:
2:14 O my dove,37 in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places of the mountain crags,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
The Foxes in the Vineyard
The Beloved:
2:15 Catch38 the foxes39 for us,
the little foxes,40
that ruin the vineyards41--
for our vineyard is in bloom.
The Thematic Refrain
The Beloved:
2:16 My lover is mine and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.42
The Gazelle and the Ravenous Mountains
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:17 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,43
turn,44 my beloved--
be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountain gorges.45
The Lost Lover is Found
The Beloved:
3:1 All night long1 on my bed2
I longed for3 my beloved.4
I longed for5 him but he never appeared.6
3:2 "I will arise7 and look all around8 throughout the town,
and throughout the streets9 and squares;
I will search for my beloved."
I searched for him but I did not find him.10
3:3 The night watchmen11 found me--the ones who guard the city walls.
"Have you seen my beloved?"12
3:4 Scarcely13 had I passed them by
when I found my beloved!
I held onto him14 tightly15 and would not let him go16
until I brought him to my mother's house,17
to the bedroom chamber18 of she who conceived me.
The Beloved:
3:519 I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields:
"Do not awake or arouse love until it pleases!"
The Royal Wedding Procession
The Beloved:20
3:6 Who is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
like21 a fragrant billow22 of myrrh and frankincense,23
every kind of fragrant powder24 of the traveling merchants?25
3:7 Look! It is Solomon's portable couch!26
It is surrounded by sixty warriors,
some of Israel's mightiest warriors.
3:8 All of them are skilled with a sword,27
well-trained in the art of warfare.28
Each has his sword at his side,
to guard against the terrors of the night.
3:9 King Solomon made a sedan chair29 for himself
of wood imported from Lebanon.30
3:10 Its posts were made31 of silver;32
Its back33 was made of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple wool;34
its interior was inlaid35 with leather36 by the maidens37 of Jerusalem.
3:11 Come out, O maidens of Zion,
and gaze upon King Solomon!
He is wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him
on his wedding day,
on the most joyous day of his life!38
The Wedding Night: Praise of the Bride39
The Lover:
4:1 Oh,1 you are beautiful, my darling!2
Oh, you are beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are like doves.3
Your hair is like a flock of female goats
flowing down4 from Mount Gilead.
4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep
coming up from the washing place;5
each of them has a twin,
and not one of them is missing.
4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread;6
your mouth is lovely.
Your forehead behind your veil
is like a slice of pomegranate.
4:4 Your neck is like the tower7 of David
built with courses of stones;8
one thousand shields are hung on it--
all shields of valiant warriors.9
4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of the gazelle
browsing among the lilies.
4:6 Until the dawn arrives10
and the shadows flee,
I will go up to the mountain of myrrh,
and to the hill of frankincense.
4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling!
There is no blemish in you!
The Wedding Night: Beautiful as Lebanon
4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions' dens
and the mountain haunts of the leopards.
4:9 You have stolen my heart,11 my sister,12 my bride!
You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes,13
with one jewel of your necklace.
4:10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine;
the fragrance of your perfume is better than any spice!
4:11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride,
honey and milk are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
The Wedding Night: The Delightful Garden
The Lover:
4:12 You are a garden locked,14 my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed up.
4:13 Your shoots are a royal garden15 full of pomegranates
with choice fruits:
henna with nard,
4:14 nard and saffron;
calamus and cinnamon with every kind of spice,
myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices.16
4:15 You are a garden spring,17
a well18 of fresh water19 flowing down from Lebanon.
The Beloved:
4:16 Awake, O north wind; come, O south wind!
Blow on my garden that its fragrant spices may waft forth.
May my beloved come into his garden
and eat its delightful fruit!
The Lover:
The Friends (Wedding Guests):1
Eat, friends, and drink!2
Drink freely, O lovers!
The Trials of Love: The Beloved's Dream of Losing Solomon
The Beloved:
5:2 I was asleep but my mind3 was dreaming.4
Listen!5 My lover6 is knocking7 at the door!8
The Lover:
"Open9 for me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one!
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night."
The Beloved:
5:3 "I have already taken off my robe--must I put it on again?
I have already washed my feet--must I soil them again?"
5:4 My lover thrust his hand10 through11 the hole,12
And my feelings13 were stirred14 for him.
5:5 I arose to open for my beloved;
my hands dripped with myrrh--
my fingers flowed with myrrh
on the handles of the lock.
5:6 I opened for my beloved,
but my lover had already turned15 and gone away.16
I fell into despair17 when he departed.18
I looked for him but did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer.
5:7 The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak, those watchmen on the walls!
The Triumph of Love: The Beloved Praises Solomon
The Beloved to the Maidens:
5:8 O maidens of Jerusalem, I charge you--
If you find my beloved, what will you tell him?
Tell him that I am lovesick!19
The Maidens to The Beloved:
5:9 Why is your beloved better than others, 20
O most beautiful of women?
Why is your beloved better than others,
that you would charge us in this manner?
The Beloved to the Maidens:
5:10 My beloved21 is dazzling22 and ruddy;23
he stands out24 in comparison to25 all other men.26
5:11 His head is like the most pure gold.27
His hair is curly28--black like a raven.
5:12 His eyes are like doves by streams of water,
washed in milk, mounted like jewels.
5:13 His cheeks are like garden beds full of balsam trees29 yielding30 perfume.
His lips are like lilies dripping with drops of myrrh.
5:14 His arms are like rods of gold set with chrysolite.
His abdomen31 is like polished ivory inlaid with sapphires.
5:15 His legs are like pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.
5:16 His mouth is very sweet;32
he is totally desirable.33
This is my beloved!
This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!
The Search for Solomon
The Daughters of Jerusalem:
The Beloved:
6:2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,3
to the flowerbeds of balsam spices,4
to browse5 in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.6
The Poetic Refrain
The Beloved:
6:3 I am my lover's 7and my lover is mine;8
he grazes among the lilies.
The Renewal of Love
The Lover:
6:4 My darling, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,9
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as awe-inspiring10 as bannered armies!
6:5 Turn your eyes away from me--
they overwhelm11 me!
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Mount Gilead.
6:6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing;
each has its twin;
not one of them is missing.
6:7 Like a slice of pomegranate
is your temple12 behind your veil.
6:8 Sixty13 queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and maidens14 beyond number.
6:9 But she is the only one!15
My dove, my perfect one!
She is the special daughter16 of her mother,
she is the favorite17 of the one who bore her.
The maidens18 saw her and called her blessed;19
the queens and concubines praised her:
6:10 "Who20 is this who appears21 like the dawn? 22
Beautiful as the moon,23 bright24 as the sun,
awe-inspiring25 as the stars in procession?"26
The Return to the Vineyards
The Lover or the Beloved: 27
6:11 I went down to the orchard of walnut trees,28
to look for the blossoms of the valley,29
to see if the vines had budded
or if the pomegranates were in bloom.
6:1230 I was beside myself with joy!31
There please give me your "myrrh,"32
O daughter of my princely people.33
The Wasfs Song and Dance
Solomon to The Beloved:
6:13 (7:1)34 Turn35, turn, O36 "Perfect One"!37
Turn, turn, that I38 may stare at you!
The Beloved to Solomon:
Why39 do you gaze upon the "Beautiful One"
like the dance of the Mahanaim?40
Solomon to The Beloved:
7:1 (7:2) How beautiful are your sandaled1 feet,
O nobleman's daughter!2
The curves3 of your thighs4 are like jewels,
the work of the hands of a master craftsman.
7:2 Your "navel"5 is a round mixing bowl6--
may it never lack7 mixed wine!8
Your belly9 is a mound of wheat,
encircled10 by lilies.
7:3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
7:4 Your neck is like a tower made of ivory.11
Your eyes are the pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-Rabbin.12
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
overlooking Damascus.
7:5 Your head crowns13 you like Mount Carmel.14
The locks of your hair15 are like royal tapestries16--
the king is held captive17 in its tresses!
7:6 How beautiful you are! How lovely,
O love,18 with your delights!19
The Palm Tree and The Palm Tree Climber
Solomon to The Beloved:
7:7 Your stature20 is like a palm tree,21
and your breasts are like clusters of grapes.22
7:8 I want23 to climb the palm tree,24
and take hold of its fruit stalks.
May your breasts be like the clusters of grapes,25
and may the fragrance of your breath be like apricots!26
7:9 May your mouth27 be like the best wine,
flowing smoothly for my beloved,
gliding gently over our lips as we sleep together.28
The Poetic Refrain
The Beloved:
7:10 I am my beloved's,
and he desires me!29
The Journey to the Countryside
The Beloved to Solomon:
7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside;
let us spend the night in the villages.
7:12 Let us rise early to go to the vineyards,
to see if the vines have budded,
to see if their blossoms have opened,
if the pomegranates are in bloom--
there I will give you my love.
7:13 The mandrakes30 send out their fragrance;
Over our door is every delicacy,31
Both new and old, which I have stored up for you, my lover.
The Beloved's Wish Song
The Beloved to Solomon:
8:1 Oh, how I wish you were1 my little brother,2
nursing at my mother's breasts;
If I saw3 you outside, I could kiss you--
surely4 no one would despise me!5
8:2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house,
the one who taught me.6
I would give you7 spiced wine8 to drink,9
the nectar of my pomegranates.10
The Proper Awakening of Love
The Beloved to the Daughters of Jerusalem:
8:3 His left hand caresses my head,
His right hand stimulates me.11
8:4 I admonish you, O maidens12 of Jerusalem:
"Do not13 arouse or awaken love until it pleases!"
Daughters of Jerusalem:
8:5 Who is this coming up from the desert,
leaning on her beloved?
The Beloved to Solomon:
Under the apple tree I awakened you;14
There your mother conceived you,
there she who bore you was in labor of childbirth.15
The Nature of True Love
8:6 Set me like a cylinder seal16 over your heart,17
Like a signet18 on your arm.19
For love is as strong as death,20
passion21 is as unrelenting22 as Sheol.
Its flames are ferocious,23
it is a mighty flame.24
8:7 Many waters cannot quench love;
floodwaters25 cannot overflow it.
If someone were to offer all his possessions26 to buy love,27
they would be utterly despised.28
The Brother's Plan and The Sister's Reward
The Beloved's Brothers:
8:8 We have a little sister,
and as yet she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?29
8:9 If she is a wall,30
we will build on her a battlement31 of silver;
but if she is a door,
we will barricade32 her with boards33 of cedar.34
The Beloved:
8:10 I was a wall,
and my breasts were like fortress towers.35
Then I found favor36 in his eyes.37
Solomon's Vineyard and The Beloved's "Vineyard"
The Beloved:
8:11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon;
he leased out38 the vineyard to those who maintained it.
Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
8:12 My "vineyard,"39 which belongs to me,40 is at my disposal alone.41
The "thousand shekels" belong to you, O Solomon,
And two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its "fruit."
Epilogue: Solomon's Request and the Beloved's Invitation
Solomon to The Beloved:
8:13 O you who stay in the gardens,
my companions are listening attentively42 for your voice;
let me be the one to43 hear it!44
The Beloved to Solomon:
8:14 Make haste, my beloved!
Be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.