這是所羅門的歌,是歌中最美妙的歌。

女子:

深深地吻我吧!
因為你的愛情比美酒更香甜。
你的美名如此芬芳,
如同倒出來的香膏,
難怪少女們都愛慕你。
你帶我走,讓我們一起奔跑吧!
王啊,把我帶進你的寢宮吧!

耶路撒冷的少女:

我們為你歡喜快樂,
我們要頌揚你那勝似美酒的愛情。

女子:

難怪少女們都愛慕你!
耶路撒冷的少女啊!
我雖然黑似基達的帳篷,
卻美如所羅門的錦帳。
不要因為我被太陽曬黑就看不起我。
這是因為我的兄弟惱恨我,
要我在烈日之下看守葡萄園,
使我無暇照顧自己[a]
我心愛的人啊,告訴我吧,
你在哪裡牧羊?
中午帶羊去哪裡歇息?
我何必在你同伴的羊群旁流浪,
像風塵女子一樣呢?

耶路撒冷的少女:

絕色佳人啊!
要是你不知道,
就跟著羊群的足跡,
到牧人的帳篷邊餵養你的山羊羔吧。

男子:

我的愛人啊,
你好比法老戰車上套的牝馬,
引人注目。
10 耳環輝映你的臉頰,
珠鏈輕襯你的頸項。
11 我們要為你打造鑲有銀珠的金飾。

女子:

12 王坐席的時候,
我身上的哪噠香膏芬芳四溢。
13 我的良人靠在我懷中,
如同一袋沒藥。
14 我的良人在我眼中,
好像隱·基底葡萄園中的鳳仙花。

男子:

15 我的愛人啊!
你真是美極了!美極了!
你的眼神純情專一,好像鴿子的眼睛。

女子:

16 我的良人啊!
你真英俊!真可愛!
我們以青草作床榻,
17 以香柏樹作屋樑,
以松樹作椽子。

Footnotes

  1. 1·6 我無暇照顧自己」希伯來文是「我卻無法照料自己的葡萄園」。

Solomon’s Finest Song.[a](A)

W[b] Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your[c] love is[d] more delightful than wine.(B)
The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating;(C)
your name is perfume poured out.(D)
No wonder young women[e] adore you.
Take me with you(E)—let us hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring[f] me to his chambers.

Y We will rejoice and be glad for you;
we will praise your love more than wine.

W It is only right that they adore you.

Daughters of Jerusalem,(F)
I am dark like the tents of Kedar,(G)
yet lovely(H) like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;(I)
they made me a keeper of the vineyards.(J)
I have not kept my own vineyard.[g]

Tell me, you, the one I love:(K)
Where do you pasture your sheep?(L)
Where do you let them rest at noon?(M)
Why should I be like one who veils herself[h][i]
beside the flocks of your companions?(N)

M[j] If you do not know,
most beautiful of women,(O)
follow[k] the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.

I compare you, my darling,(P)
to a[l] mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.[m](Q)
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry,(R)
your neck with its necklace.
11 We will make gold jewelry for you,
accented with silver.

12 W While the king is on his couch,[n]
my perfume[o] releases its fragrance.(S)
13 My love is a sachet of myrrh to me,(T)
spending the night between my breasts.
14 My love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me,(U)
in the vineyards of En-gedi.[p](V)

15 M How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.(W)

16 W How handsome you are, my love.(X)
How delightful!
Our bed is lush with foliage;
17 the beams of our house are cedars,
and our rafters are cypresses.[q]

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 1:1 Or The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s
  2. Song of Solomon 1:2 The W, M, Y, N, and B indicate the editors’ opinions of the changes of speakers: W = Woman, M = Man, Y = Young women of Jerusalem, N = Narrator, B = Brothers. If a letter is in parenthesis (W), there is a question about the identity of the speaker.
  3. Song of Solomon 1:2 Unexpected change of grammatical persons, here from he and his to your, is a Hb poetic device.
  4. Song of Solomon 1:2 Or your caresses are, or your lovemaking is
  5. Song of Solomon 1:3 Or wonder virgins
  6. Song of Solomon 1:4 Or The king has brought
  7. Song of Solomon 1:6 Lit my vineyard, which is mine
  8. Song of Solomon 1:7 Or who wanders
  9. Song of Solomon 1:7 To express shame or grief, or to conceal identity as a prostitute would; Gn 38:14-15
  10. Song of Solomon 1:8 Some understand the young women to be the speakers in this verse.
  11. Song of Solomon 1:8 Lit go out for yourself into
  12. Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit my
  13. Song of Solomon 1:9 Pharaoh’s chariot horses were stallions.
  14. Song of Solomon 1:12 Or is at his table
  15. Song of Solomon 1:12 Lit nard
  16. Song of Solomon 1:14 = Wellspring of the Young Goat
  17. Song of Solomon 1:17 Or firs, or pines

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
    because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
    and made me take care of the vineyards;(M)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(N) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(O) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(P)
    follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
    by the tents of the shepherds.

He

I liken you, my darling, to a mare
    among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.(Q)
10 Your cheeks(R) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(S)
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
    studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.(T)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(U)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(V) is to me a cluster of henna(W) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(X)

He

15 How beautiful(Y) you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes are doves.(Z)

She

16 How handsome you are, my beloved!(AA)
    Oh, how charming!
    And our bed is verdant.

He

17 The beams of our house are cedars;(AB)
    our rafters are firs.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  3. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma