Song of Solomon 5  The Voice

5 Him (to her): I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
        I have gathered my myrrh with its natural spices.
    I have tasted the honeycomb dripping with my honey
        and have drunk my wine and milk together.

    (to his young friends of Jerusalem) Eat, friends, drink your fill!
        Be intoxicated with love.

² Her: I was sleeping, but my heart was awake
        when I heard a sound, the sound of my love pounding at the door.

Him: Open yourself to me, my sister, my dearest,
        my sweet dove, my flawless beauty.
    My head is drenched with dew;
        my hair is soaked with the wetness of the night.

Her: ³ I have taken off my robe.
        How could I ever put it on again?
    I have washed my feet.
        How could I walk across this dirty floor?
⁴     My love put his hand on the latch;
        my insides began to throb for him.
⁵     I leaped from my bed to let my love in.
        My hands were dripping sweet myrrh,
    My fingers were coated with myrrh
        as I reached for the handles of the lock.
⁶     I opened for my love, but he had turned away and was gone.
        He’d left, and my heart sank.
    I looked for him, but I did not see him.
        I called out to him, but he did not answer.
⁷     The watchmen found me
        as they made their rounds in the city.
    They beat me, they left bruises on my skin,
        and they took away my veil, those watchmen on the walls.

⁸     (to the young women of Jerusalem)
    Promise me that if you find my love,
        you will speak with him, telling him that I am faint with love.

⁹ Young Women of Jerusalem: How is your beloved better than all the other lovers,
        most beautiful of women?
    How is your beloved worth more than all the rest,
        that you would make us promise this?

¹⁰ Her: Because my love is radiant and ruddy,
        he stands out above 10,000 other men.
¹¹     His head is pure gold;
        his hair is thick and wavy and black as a raven.
¹²     His eyes are like doves at the edge of a stream,
        mounted like jewels and bathed in pools of milk.
¹³     His bearded cheeks are like a spice garden, with towers of spice:
        His lips are lilies dripping and flowing with myrrh,
¹⁴     His hands are like strong rods of gold, each set with jewels.
        His body displays his manhood like an ivory tusk inlaid with sapphires.
¹⁵     His legs are like pillars of white marble,
        both set on bases of gold.
    He stands tall and strong like the mountains of Lebanon,
        with all its majestic cedars.
¹⁶     His mouth tastes sweet, so sweet;
        he is altogether desirable.
    This is my love. This is my dear one, as I am his,
        O young women of Jerusalem.