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Dialogue between Shepherdess and Shepherd

Tell me, you whom my heart[a] loves,
    where do you pasture your flock,
        where do your sheep lie down at the noon?
For why should I be like[b] one who is veiled[c]
    beside the flocks of your companions?
If you do not know, O fairest among women,
    follow the tracks[d] of the flock,
        and pasture your little lambs[e] beside the tents of the shepherds.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 1:7 Literally “soul”
  2. Song of Solomon 1:7 Literally “For to what will I be like”
  3. Song of Solomon 1:7 The reading of the MT (“like one who is veiled”) is supported by the LXX. However, several ancient versions (Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate, Symmachus) reflect an alternate Hebrew textual tradition in which two letters are transposed, resulting in the reading “like one who wanders about.” This makes good sense contextually, since the maiden does not know where her beloved would be at noon
  4. Song of Solomon 1:8 Literally “in the tracks”
  5. Song of Solomon 1:8 Or “your kids”

Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
    where you graze your flock,
    where you rest them at noon;
    for why should I be as one who is veiled
    beside the flocks of your companions?

Lover

If you don’t know, most beautiful among women,
    follow the tracks of the sheep.
    Graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.

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