女子:

我是沙仑平原的玫瑰花,
是谷中的百合花。

男子:

我的爱人在众少女中,
就像荆棘中的一朵百合花。

女子:

我的良人在众男子中,
好像林中的一棵苹果树。
我欢欢喜喜地坐在他的树荫下,
轻尝他香甜无比的果子。
他带我走进宴席大厅,
众人都看见他对我充满柔情爱意。
请用葡萄干来补充我的力气,
用苹果来提振我的精神,
因为我思爱成病。
他的左手扶着我的头,
他的右手紧抱着我。
耶路撒冷的少女啊!
我指着羚羊和田野的母鹿[a]吩咐你们,
不要叫醒或惊动爱情,
等它自发吧。

听啊!是我良人的声音,
他攀过高岗,跃过山丘,
终于来了!
我的良人好像羚羊和幼鹿。
看啊,他就在墙外,
正从窗户往里观看,
从窗棂间往里窥视。
10 他对我说:
“我的爱人,起来吧!
我的佳偶,跟我来!
11 你看!冬天过去了,
雨水止住了。
12 大地百花盛开,
百鸟争鸣的季节已经来临,
田野也传来斑鸠的叫声。
13 无花果快成熟了,
葡萄树也开满了花,
散发着阵阵芬芳。
我的爱人,起来吧;
我的佳偶,跟我来。”

男子:

14 我的鸽子啊,
你在岩石缝中,
在悬崖的隐秘处。
让我看看你的脸,
听听你的声音吧,
因为你的声音温柔,
你的脸庞秀丽。
15 为我们抓住那些狐狸,
抓住那些破坏葡萄园的小狐狸吧,
因为我们的葡萄树正在开花。

女子:

16 我的良人属于我,我也属于他。
他在百合花间牧放羊群。
17 我的良人啊,
凉风吹起、日影飞逝的时候,
但愿你像比特山的羚羊和小鹿一样快快回来。

Footnotes

  1. 2:7 羚羊和田野的母鹿”在希伯来文中与“万军之全能上帝”发音相似。

The Woman

I am a wildflower[a] of Sharon,[b]
a lily of the valleys.

The Man

Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the girls.

He Embraces Me

The Woman

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my lover among the boys.
I desire to sit in his shade.
His fruit is sweet to my taste.

He has brought me to the reception hall,[c]
and his banner over me is love.[d]
Strengthen me with raisin cakes.
Refresh me with apples,
for I am weak from love.

His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.

Daughters of Jerusalem,
you must swear to me by the gazelles,
or by the does of the field,
that you will not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

Let Us Go to the Country

The Woman

Listen! It’s my lover!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping on the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle,
or like a young buck.
Look! There he is, standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peeking through the lattice.
10 My lover responded and said to me,
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
and come.”

The Man

11 Look! Winter is over.
The rainy season has come to an end.
12 Flowers appear in the land.
The season of singing has arrived.
The cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fruit of the fig tree is beginning to ripen.
The grapevines are in blossom.
They spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling.
My beautiful one, come.

Let Me See You!

The Man

14 My dove is in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside.
Let me see how you look.
Let me hear your voice,
because your voice is pleasant,
and you are lovely to look at.

Foxes in Our Vineyard

To the Workers

15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in blossom.

My Lover Is Mine

The Woman

16 My lover is mine and I am his.
He browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle,
or like a young buck on the divided mountains.[e]

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 2:1 Traditionally translated rose, but more likely a crocus, daffodil, or lotus.
  2. Song of Songs 2:1 Sharon is a region on the coast of Israel.
  3. Song of Songs 2:4 Literally house of wine, an expression that speaks of drink more than food
  4. Song of Songs 2:4 The meaning of the line is uncertain.
  5. Song of Songs 2:17 The term divided mountains may refer to a part of the woman’s body. Some translations avoid the issue by transliterating as mountains of Bether.