1The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
The Banquet
The Shulamitea
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
For yourb love is better than wine.
3Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,
Your name is ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.
4Draw me away!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
We will run after you.c
The Shulamite
The king has brought me into his chambers.
The Daughters of Jerusalem
The Shulamite
Rightly do they love you.f
5I am dark, but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon. Insight: A Dark and Lovely Bride
6Do not look upon me, because I am dark,
Because the sun has tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me the keeper of the vineyards,
But my own vineyard I have not kept.
(To Her Beloved)
7Tell me, O you whom I love,
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herselfg
By the flocks of your companions?
The Beloved
8If you do not know, O fairest among women,
Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
9I have compared you, my love,
To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots. Insight: Pharaoh’s Chariots
10Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
The Daughters of Jerusalem
11We will make youh ornaments of gold
With studs of silver.
The Shulamite
12While the king is at his table,
My spikenard sends forth its fragrance. Insight: The Fragrance of Love
13A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
That lies all night between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms
In the vineyards of En Gedi.
The Beloved
15Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes.
The Shulamite
16Behold, you are handsome, my beloved!
Yes, pleasant!
Also our bed is green.
17The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir.
1I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys. Insight: The Rose of Sharon
The Beloved
2Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.
The Shulamite
3Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem
4He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
5Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.
6His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
7I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.
The Beloved’s Request
The Shulamite
8The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.
10My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
11For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
13The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
14“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”
Her Brothers
15Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.
The Shulamite
16My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies. Insight: Couples in Love
(To Her Beloved)
17Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether.a
A Troubled Night
The Shulamite
1By night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
2“I will rise now,” I said,
“And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I did not find him.
3The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”
4Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him to the house of my mother,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.
5I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases. Focus: True Love Waits
The Coming of Solomon
The Shulamite
6Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders? Insight: Solomon’s Royal Procession
7Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
8They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.
9Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a palanquin:a
10He made its pillars of silver,
Its support of gold,
Its seat of purple,
Its interior paved with love
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart.
The Beloved
1Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
2Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is barren among them.
3Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built for an armory,
On which hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
5Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.
6Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
8Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards. Insight: The Geography of a Romance
9You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
10How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
11Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
13Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
15A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.
The Shulamite
16Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant fruits. Insight: North and South Winds
The Beloved
1I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
(To His Friends)
Eat, O friends!
Drink, yes, drink deeply,
O beloved ones!
The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening
The Shulamite
2I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.”
3I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
How can I defile them?
4My beloved put his hand
By the latch of the door,
And my heart yearned for him.
5I arose to open for my beloved,
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart leaped up when he spoke.
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.
8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
That you tell him I am lovesick!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
9What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
O fairest among women?
What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
That you so charge us?
The Shulamite
10My beloved is white and ruddy,
Chief among ten thousand. Insight: Interracial Marriage
11His head is like the finest gold;
His locks are wavy,
And black as a raven.
12His eyes are like doves
By the rivers of waters,
Washed with milk,
And fitly set.
13His cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Banks of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies,
Dripping liquid myrrh.
14His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
15His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon,
Excellent as the cedars.
16His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
1Where has your beloved gone,
O fairest among women?
Where has your beloved turned aside,
That we may seek him with you?
The Shulamite
2My beloved has gone to his garden,
To the beds of spices,
To feed his flock in the gardens,
And to gather lilies.
3I am my beloved’s,
And my beloved is mine.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
Praise of the Shulamite’s Beauty
The Beloved
4O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,
Lovely as Jerusalem,
Awesome as an army with banners!
5Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
Going down from Gilead.
6Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
Which have come up from the washing;
Every one bears twins,
And none is barren among them.
7Like a piece of pomegranate
Are your temples behind your veil.
8There are sixty queens
And eighty concubines,
And virgins without number.
9My dove, my perfect one,
Is the only one,
The only one of her mother,
The favorite of the one who bore her.
The daughters saw her
And called her blessed,
The queens and the concubines,
And they praised her.
10Who is she who looks forth as the morning,
Fair as the moon,
Clear as the sun,
Awesome as an army with banners?
The Shulamite
11I went down to the garden of nuts
To see the verdure of the valley,
To see whether the vine had budded
And the pomegranates had bloomed.
12Before I was even aware,
My soul had made me
As the chariots of my noble people.a
The Beloved and His Friends
13Return, return, O Shulamite;
Return, return, that we may look upon you!
The Shulamite
What would you see in the Shulamite—
As it were, the dance of the two camps?b Insight: The Shulamite
Expressions of Praise
The Beloved
1How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter!
The curves of your thighs are like jewels,
The work of the hands of a skillful workman.
2Your navel is a rounded goblet;
It lacks no blended beverage.
Your waist is a heap of wheat
Set about with lilies.
3Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
4Your neck is like an ivory tower,
Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon
By the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
Which looks toward Damascus.
5Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,
And the hair of your head is like purple;
A king is held captive by your tresses. Insight: Treasured Tresses
6How fair and how pleasant you are,
O love, with your delights!
7This stature of yours is like a palm tree,
And your breasts like its clusters.
8I said, “I will go up to the palm tree,
I will take hold of its branches.”
Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
The fragrance of your breath like apples,
9And the roof of your mouth like the best wine.
The Shulamite
The wine goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Moving gently the lips of sleepers.a
10I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is toward me.
11Come, my beloved,
Let us go forth to the field;
Let us lodge in the villages.
12Let us get up early to the vineyards;
Let us see if the vine has budded,
Whether the grape blossoms are open,
And the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13The mandrakes give off a fragrance,
And at our gates are pleasant fruits,
All manner, new and old,
Which I have laid up for you, my beloved.
1Oh, that you were like my brother,
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I should find you outside,
I would kiss you;
I would not be despised.
2I would lead you and bring you
Into the house of my mother,
She who used to instruct me.
I would cause you to drink of spiced wine,
Of the juice of my pomegranate.
(To the Daughters of Jerusalem)
3His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
4I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases. Life Studies: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Love Renewed in Lebanon
A Relative
5Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?
I awakened you under the apple tree.
There your mother brought you forth;
There she who bore you brought you forth.
The Shulamite to Her Beloved
6Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;a
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehementb flame. Insight: Love Is as Strong as Death
7Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.
The Shulamite’s Brothers
8We have a little sister,
And she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
In the day when she is spoken for?
9If she is a wall,
We will build upon her
A battlement of silver;
And if she is a door,
We will enclose her
With boards of cedar.
The Shulamite
10I am a wall,
And my breasts like towers;
Then I became in his eyes
As one who found peace.
11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon;
He leased the vineyard to keepers;
Everyone was to bring for its fruit
A thousand silver coins.
(To Solomon)
12My own vineyard is before me.
You, O Solomon, may have a thousand,
And those who tend its fruit two hundred.
The Beloved
13You who dwell in the gardens,
The companions listen for your voice—
Let me hear it!
The Shulamite
14Make haste, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
On the mountains of spices.