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O that you were like a brother to me,
    who nursed at my mother’s breast!
If I met you outside, I would kiss you,
    and no one would despise me.
I would lead you and bring you
    into the house of my mother,
    and into the chamber of the one who bore me.[a]
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
    the juice of my pomegranates.
O that his left hand were under my head,
    and that his right hand embraced me!
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    do not stir up or awaken love
    until it is ready!

Homecoming

Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
    leaning upon her beloved?

Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
    there she who bore you was in labor.

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
    as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
    passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
    a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
    neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
    all the wealth of one’s house,
    it would be utterly scorned.

We have a little sister,
    and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister,
    on the day when she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
    we will build upon her a battlement of silver;
but if she is a door,
    we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
10 I was a wall,
    and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
    as one who brings[b] peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
    he entrusted the vineyard to keepers;
    each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is for myself;
    you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
    and the keepers of the fruit two hundred!

13 O you who dwell in the gardens,
    my companions are listening for your voice;
    let me hear it.

14 Make haste, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
    upon the mountains of spices!

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 8:2 Gk Syr: Heb my mother; she (or you) will teach me
  2. Song of Solomon 8:10 Or finds

O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

¶ Poukisa se pa t' frè m' ou te ye, frè ki tete menm manman avè m'? Lè m' ta kontre avè ou nan lari, m' ta gen dwa bo ou, pesonn pa ta wè mal nan sa.

Mwen ta mennen ou lakay manman m', mwen ta fè ou antre. Ou ta moutre m' sa pou m' fè. M' ta ba ou diven melanje ak fèy santi bon ak ji grenad mwen yo pou ou bwè.

Li pase men gòch li anba tèt mwen, l'ap karese m' ak men dwat li.

Nou menm medam lavil Jerizalèm, tanpri, tanpri souple! Pa deranje anmòrèz mwen lè l'ap dòmi. Pa leve l' san l' pa vle.

¶ Kilès sa a k'ap vin sot nan dezè a? Kilès sa a ki apiye sou bra mennaj li konsa? Anba pye ponm lan, mwen leve ou nan dòmi. Se la ou te fèt. Se la manman ou te fè ou wè solèy.

Pa renmen lòt moun pase mwen ase! Kenbe m' fò nan bra ou! renmen tankou lanmò. Lè ou renmen yon moun tout bon, se mouri w'ap mouri pou li. renmen met dife nan tout kò ou. Dife sa a se nan Bondye li soti.

Pa gen dlo ki ka touye l'. Pa gen larivyè ki ka tenyen l'. Yon moun te mèt ofri tout richès lakay li pou l' ta achte renmen, pesonn pa ta okipe l'.

¶ Nou gen yon ti sè, li poko menm pouse tete. Kisa pou nou fè pou li si yon jenn gason vin ap file l'?

Si se yon miray li ye, n'a bati yon gwo fò won an ajan sou li. Si se yon pòt li ye, n'a fèmen l' ak batan sèd, n'a kouvri l' ak panno bwa sèd.

10 Se yon miray ranpa mwen ye. Tete m' tankou de fò. Se poutèt sa, nan je mennaj mwen, m' se yon fanm ki jwenn bonè m'.

11 Salomon te gen yon jaden rezen yon kote yo rele Baal-Amon. Li bay kèk moun okipe l' pou li. Lè rekòt, yo chak pou te ba li mil (1.000) pyès ajan.

12 Mwen gen jaden rezen pa m' m'ap okipe. Salomon, ou mèt kenbe mil (1.000) pyès ajan pa ou yo ak desan (200) pyès ajan pou moun k'ap veye rekòt la.

13 ¶ Zanmi kanmarad ap pare zòrèy pou tande ou. Fè m' tande vwa ou non, ou menm ki rete nan jaden yo!

14 Kouri non, mennaj mwen! Kouri tankou yon kabrit, tankou yon jenn ti kabrit sou mòn ki gen bon sant yo!