My love is close to my heart, like a sachet of myrrh tucked between my breasts.

(to the young women) You of Jerusalem heed my warning. By the gazelles and deer of the field, I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready. Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

(to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning: By the gazelles and deer of the field, I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready. Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

O go out, young women of Zion, and see King Solomon Wearing the crown with which his mother has crowned him on his wedding day, on the day his heart overflows with joy.

My heart is your captive, my sister, my bride; you have stolen it with one glance, caught it with a single strand of your necklace.

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.

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.

(to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning: I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready. Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

Set me as a seal over your heart; wear me as an emblem on your arm For love is as strong as death, and jealousy is as relentless as the grave. Love flares up like a blazing fire, a very ardent flame.