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Beloved

I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

Lover

As a lily among thorns,
    so is my love among the daughters.

Beloved

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
    so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight,
    his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banquet hall.
    His banner over me is love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples;
    for I am faint with love.
His left hand is under my head.
    His right hand embraces me.
I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the roes, or by the hinds of the field,
    that you not stir up, nor awaken love,
    until it so desires.

The voice of my beloved!
    Behold, he comes,
    leaping on the mountains,
    skipping on the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young deer.
    Behold, he stands behind our wall!
He looks in at the windows.
    He glances through the lattice.

10 My beloved spoke, and said to me,
    “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
11 For behold, the winter is past.
    The rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth.
    The time of the singing has come,
    and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens her green figs.
    The vines are in blossom.
    They give out their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away.”

Lover

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places of the mountainside,
    let me see your face.
    let me hear your voice;
    for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.
15 Catch for us the foxes,
    the little foxes that plunder the vineyards;
    for our vineyards are in blossom.

Beloved

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his.
    He browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away,
    turn, my beloved,
    and be like a roe or a young deer on the mountains of Bether.

Young Woman

I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain,[a]
    the lily of the valley.

Young Man

Like a lily among thistles
    is my darling among young women.

Young Woman

Like the finest apple tree in the orchard
    is my lover among other young men.
I sit in his delightful shade
    and taste his delicious fruit.
He escorts me to the banquet hall;
    it’s obvious how much he loves me.
Strengthen me with raisin cakes,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am weak with love.
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.

Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles and wild deer,
    not to awaken love until the time is right.[b]

Ah, I hear my lover coming!
    He is leaping over the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a swift gazelle
    or a young stag.
Look, there he is behind the wall,
    looking through the window,
    peering into the room.

10 My lover said to me,
    “Rise up, my darling!
    Come away with me, my fair one!
11 Look, the winter is past,
    and the rains are over and gone.
12 The flowers are springing up,
    the season of singing birds[c] has come,
    and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.
13 The fig trees are forming young fruit,
    and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming.
Rise up, my darling!
    Come away with me, my fair one!”

Young Man

14 My dove is hiding behind the rocks,
    behind an outcrop on the cliff.
Let me see your face;
    let me hear your voice.
For your voice is pleasant,
    and your face is lovely.

Young Women of Jerusalem

15 Catch all the foxes,
    those little foxes,
before they ruin the vineyard of love,
    for the grapevines are blossoming!

Young Woman

16 My lover is mine, and I am his.
    He browses among the lilies.
17 Before the dawn breezes blow
    and the night shadows flee,
return to me, my love, like a gazelle
    or a young stag on the rugged mountains.[d]

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Traditionally rendered I am the rose of Sharon. Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Palestine.
  2. 2:7 Or not to awaken love until it is ready.
  3. 2:12 Or the season of pruning vines.
  4. 2:17 Or on the hills of Bether.