The Bride

“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is sweeter than wine.

Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the young women love you.

Draw me after you and let’s run together! The king has brought me into his chambers.”

The Chorus

“We will rejoice in you and be joyful; We will praise your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.”

Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you have it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?”

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

“If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go out on the trail of the flock, And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds.

He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

Refresh me with raisin cakes, Sustain me with apples, Because I am lovesick.

The Groom

“Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, That you will not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases.”

The Bride’s Troubled Dream

“On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.

‘I must arise now and go around in the city; In the streets and in the public squares I must seek him whom my soul loves.’ I sought him but did not find him.

The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’

Hardly had I left them When I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go Until I had brought him to my mother’s house, And into the room of her who conceived me.”

The Groom

“Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, That you will not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases.”

Solomon’s Love Expressed

“How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much sweeter is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!

The Torment of Separation

The Groom

“I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and drink deeply, lovers.”

Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you will tell him: For I am lovesick.”

The Groom

“You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As awesome as an army with banners.

How beautiful and how delightful you are, My love, with all your delights!

The Union of Love

“I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.

Let’s rise early and go to the vineyards; Let’s see whether the vine has grown And its buds have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.

The Lovers Speak

“Oh that you were like a brother to me Who nursed at my mother’s breasts. If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you; No one would despise me, either.

The Groom

“Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem: Do not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases.”

Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flames are flames of fire, The flame of the Lord.

Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers flood over it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”