Song of Solomon 5

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The Bride’s Dream

On my bed rby night

I sought shim whom my soul loves;

tI sought him, but found him not.

I will rise now and go about the city,

in uthe streets and in the squares;

I will seek shim whom my soul loves.

I sought him, but found him not.

vThe watchmen found me

as they went about in the city.

Have you seen him whom my soul loves?

Scarcely had I passed them

when I found shim whom my soul loves.

I wheld him, and would not let him go

until I had xbrought him into my mother’s house,

and into the chamber of yher who conceived me.

zI adjure you, aO daughters of Jerusalem,

bby the gazelles or the does of the field,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases.

Solomon Arrives for the Wedding

cWhat is that coming up from the wilderness

like dcolumns of smoke,

perfumed with emyrrh and frankincense,

with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?

Behold, it is the litter1 of Solomon!

Around it are fsixty gmighty men,

some of the mighty men of Israel,

all of them wearing swords

and expert in war,

each with his hsword at his thigh,

against iterror by night.

King Solomon made himself a carriage2

from the wood of Lebanon.

10  He made its posts of silver,

its back of gold, its seat of purple;

its interior was inlaid with love

by jthe daughters of Jerusalem.

11  Go out, O kdaughters of Zion,

and look upon King Solomon,

with the crown with which his mother crowned him

on lthe day of his wedding,

on the day of the gladness of his heart.

Solomon Admires His Bride’s Beauty

He

Behold, myou are beautiful, my love,

behold, you are beautiful!

nYour eyes are doves

obehind your veil.

pYour hair is like a flock of goats

leaping down qthe slopes of Gilead.

Your rteeth are like a flock of shorn ewes

that have come up from the washing,

all of which bear twins,

and not one among them has lost its young.

Your lips are like sa scarlet thread,

and your mouth is tlovely.

Your ucheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

obehind your veil.

Your vneck is like the tower of David,

built in wrows of stone;1

on it xhang a thousand shields,

all of ythem shields of warriors.

Your ztwo breasts are like two afawns,

twins of a gazelle,

that bgraze among the lilies.

cUntil the day breathes

and the shadows flee,

I will go away to the mountain of dmyrrh

and the hill of dfrankincense.

eYou are altogether beautiful, my love;

there is no fflaw in you.

gCome with me from hLebanon, my ibride;

come with me from hLebanon.

Depart2 from the peak of Amana,

from the peak of jSenir and kHermon,

from the dens of lions,

from the mountains of leopards.

You have captivated my heart, my lsister, my bride;

you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one mjewel of your necklace.

10  How beautiful is your love, my lsister, my bride!

How much nbetter is your love than wine,

and othe fragrance of your oils than any spice!

11  Your plips drip nectar, my bride;

qhoney and milk are under your tongue;

the fragrance of your garments is rlike the fragrance of hLebanon.

12  A garden locked is my lsister, my bride,

a spring locked, sa fountain tsealed.

13  Your shoots are uan orchard of pomegranates

with all vchoicest fruits,

whenna with xnard,

14  nard and saffron, ycalamus and ycinnamon,

with all trees of zfrankincense,

amyrrh and baloes,

with all ychoice spices

15  a garden fountain, a well of cliving water,

and flowing streams from hLebanon.

16  Awake, O north wind,

and come, O south wind!

Blow upon my dgarden,

let its spices flow.

Together in the Garden of Love

She

eLet my beloved come to his fgarden,

and eat its vchoicest fruits.

He

I gcame to my garden, my hsister, my bride,

I gathered my imyrrh with my spice,

I ate my jhoneycomb with my honey,

I kdrank my wine with my milk.

Others

Eat, lfriends, drink,

and be drunk with love!

The Bride Searches for Her Beloved

She

I slept, but my heart was awake.

A sound! My beloved is mknocking.

Open to me, my nsister, my olove,

my pdove, my qperfect one,

for my head is wet with dew,

my rlocks with the drops of the night.

sI had put off my garment;

how could I put it on?

I had tbathed my feet;

how could I soil them?

My beloved put his hand to the latch,

and my heart was thrilled within me.

I arose to open to my beloved,

and my hands dripped with myrrh,

my fingers with uliquid myrrh,

on the handles of the bolt.

I opened to my beloved,

but my beloved had turned and gone.

My soul failed me when he vspoke.

wI sought him, but found him not;

xI called him, but he gave no answer.

yThe watchmen found me

as they went about in the city;

they beat me, they bruised me,

they took away my veil,

those watchmen of the walls.

I zadjure you, O adaughters of Jerusalem,

if you find my beloved,

that you tell him

bI am sick with love.

Others

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

O cmost beautiful among women?

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

that you thus zadjure us?

The Bride Praises Her Beloved

She

10  My beloved is radiant and druddy,

edistinguished among ten thousand.

11  His head is the finest gold;

fhis locks are wavy,

black as a raven.

12  His geyes are like doves

beside streams of water,

bathed in milk,

sitting beside a full pool.1

13  His icheeks are like jbeds of spices,

mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.

His lips are klilies,

dripping uliquid myrrh.

14  His arms are rods of gold,

set with ljewels.

His body is polished ivory,2

bedecked with msapphires.3

15  His legs are alabaster columns,

set on bases of gold.

His appearance is like oLebanon,

choice as the cedars.

16  His pmouth4 is most sweet,

and he is altogether desirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O adaughters of Jerusalem.

Others

Where has your beloved gone,

O cmost beautiful among women?

Where has your beloved turned,

that we may seek him with you?

Together in the Garden of Love

She

My beloved has gone down to his qgarden

to rthe beds of spices,

to sgraze1 in the gardens

and to gather tlilies.

uI am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;

he grazes among the lilies.

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

You are beautiful as vTirzah, wmy love,

xlovely as yJerusalem,

zawesome as an army with banners.

Turn away your eyes from me,

for they overwhelm me

aYour hair is like a flock of goats

leaping down the slopes of Gilead.

bYour teeth are like a flock of ewes

that have come up from the washing;

all of them bear twins;

not one among them has lost its young.

cYour cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

behind your veil.

There are dsixty equeens and eighty econcubines,

and fvirgins without number.

My gdove, my hperfect one, is the only one,

the only one of her mother,

pure to iher who bore her.

jThe young women saw her and called her blessed;

ethe queens and econcubines also, and they praised her.

10  kWho is this who looks down like the dawn,

beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,

lawesome as an army with banners?

She

11  I went down to the nut orchard

to look at mthe blossoms of the valley,

nto see whether the vines had budded,

whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

12  oBefore I was aware, my desire set me

among pthe chariots of my kinsman, a prince.2

Others

13  3 Return, return, O qShulammite,

return, return, that we may look upon you.

He

Why should you look upon qthe Shulammite,

as upon ra dance before stwo armies?4

How beautiful are your feet in sandals,

O tnoble daughter!

Your rounded thighs are like ujewels,

the work of va master hand.

Your navel is a rounded bowl

that never lacks mixed wine.

Your belly is a heap of wheat,

encircled with wlilies.

xYour two breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle.

Your yneck is like an ivory tower.

Your zeyes are pools in aHeshbon,

by the gate of Bath-rabbim.

Your nose is like a tower of bLebanon,

which looks toward cDamascus.

Your head crowns you like eCarmel,

and your fflowing locks are like purple;

a king is held captive in the tresses.

gHow beautiful and hpleasant you are,

O loved one, with all your delights!1

Your stature is like a palm tree,

and your breasts are like its clusters.

I say I will climb the palm tree

and lay hold of its fruit.

Oh may your breasts be like iclusters of the vine,

and the scent of your breath like apples,

and your jmouth2 like the best wine.

She

It goes down smoothly for my beloved,

gliding over lips and teeth.3

10  kI am my beloved’s,

land his desire is for me.

The Bride Gives Her Love

11  mCome, my beloved,

let us go out into the fields

and lodge in the villages;4

12  let us go out early to the vineyards

nand see whether the vines have budded,

whether othe grape blossoms have opened

and the pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give you my love.

13  pThe mandrakes give forth fragrance,

and beside our doors are all choice fruits,

qnew as well as old,

which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.