2 I am a wildflowerK of Sharon,

a lilyL of the valleys.y

Man

2 Like a lily among thorns,

so is my darling among the young women.

Woman

3 Like an apricotM tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my love among the young men.

I delight to sit in his shade,

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banquet hall,A,a

and he looked on me with love.B,b

5 Sustain me with raisins;

refresh me with apricots,C

for I am lovesick.c

6 May his left hand be under my head,

and his right arm embrace me.d

7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you

by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,

do not stir up or awaken love

until the appropriate time.D,e

8 Listen! My love is approaching.

Look! Here he comes,

leaping over the mountains,f

bounding over the hills.

9 My love is like a gazelle

or a young stag.g

See, he is standing behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattice.

10 My love calls to me:

Man

Arise,h my darling.

Come away, my beautiful one.

11 For now the winter is past;

the rain has ended and gone away.

12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.

The time of singingE has come,

and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.i

13 The fig tree ripens its figs;j

the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.k

Arise, my darling.

Come away, my beautiful one.

14 My dove,l in the clefts of the rock,m

in the crevices of the cliff,

let me see your face,F

let me hear your voice;n

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely.o

WomanG

15 Catch the foxes for usp—

the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—

for our vineyards are in bloom.q

Woman

16 My love is mine and I am his;r

he feeds among the lilies.

17 Until the day breaksH

and the shadows flee,

turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle

or a young stags on the divided mountains.I,t