Song of Solomon 4–5

4MHow beautiful you are, my darling.

How very beautiful!

Behind your veil,

your eyes are doves. ^r

Your hair is like a flock of goats

streaming down Mount Gilead. ^s

²Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep

coming up from washing,

each one having a twin,

and not one missing. ^tu

³Your lips are like a scarlet cord, ^v

and your mouth ^wis lovely.

Behind your veil,

your brow ^xis like a slice of pomegranate. ^y

⁴Your neck is like the tower of David, ^z

constructed in layers.

A thousand bucklers are hung on it—

all of them shields of warriors. ^a

⁵Your breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle, ^bthat feed among the lilies.

⁶Before the day breaks ^c

and the shadows flee, ^d

I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh

and the hill of frankincense. ^e

⁷You are absolutely beautiful, ^fmy darling,

with no imperfection in you.

⁸Come with me from Lebanon, ^ghmy bride ⁱ—

with me from Lebanon!

Descend from the peak of Amana,

from the summit of Senir and Hermon, ^j

from the dens of the lions,

from the mountains of the leopards.

⁹You have captured my heart, ^kmy sister, ^lmmy bride.

You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one jewel of your necklace.

¹⁰How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride.

Your love is much better than wine, ⁿ

and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.

¹¹Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. ^o

Honey and milk ^pare under your tongue.

The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

¹²My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—

a locked garden ^qand a sealed spring. ^r

¹³Your branches are a paradise ^sof pomegranates

with choicest fruits, ^t

henna with nard—

¹⁴nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, ^u

with all the trees of frankincense, ^v

myrrh and aloes, ^w

with all the best spices.

¹⁵You are a garden spring,

a well of flowing water ^x

streaming from Lebanon.

W¹⁶Awaken, ^ynorth wind—

come, south wind.

Blow on my garden,

and spread the fragrance of its spices.

Let my love come to his garden

and eat its choicest fruits. ^z

5MI have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.

I gather ^amy myrrh with my spices.

I eat my honeycomb with my honey.

I drink my wine with my milk.

NEat, friends!

Drink, be intoxicated with love! ^bc

W²I sleep, but my heart is awake.

A sound! My love is knocking! ^d

MOpen to me, my sister, my darling,

my dove, my perfect one.

For my head is drenched with dew,

my hair with droplets of the night.

W³I have taken off my clothing. ^e

How can I put it back on?

I have washed my feet.

How can I get them dirty?

⁴My love thrust his hand through the opening,

and my feelings were stirred for him.

⁵I rose to open for my love.

My hands dripped with myrrh, ^f

my fingers with flowing myrrh

on the handles of the bolt.

⁶I opened to my love,

but my love had turned and gone away.

I was crushed ^gthat he had left. ^h

I sought him, but did not find him. ⁱ

I called him, but he did not answer.

⁷The guards who go about the city found me. ^j

They beat and wounded me;

they took my cloak ^kfrom me—

the guardians of the walls. ^l

⁸Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you: ^m

if you find my love,

tell him that I am lovesick. ⁿ

Y⁹What makes the one you love better than another,

most beautiful of women? ^o

What makes him better than another,

that you would give us this charge?

W¹⁰My love is fit and strong, ^pq

notable among ten thousand. ^r

¹¹His head is purest gold.

His hair is wavy ^st

and black as a raven.

¹²His eyes are like doves ^u

beside streams of water,

washed in milk

and set like jewels. ^v

¹³His cheeks ^ware like beds of spice,

towers of ^xperfume.

His lips are lilies,

dripping with flowing myrrh. ^y

¹⁴His arms ^zare rods of gold

set ^awith topaz. ^bc

His body ^dis an ivory panel

covered with sapphires. ^e

¹⁵His legs are alabaster pillars

set on pedestals of pure gold.

His presence is like Lebanon, ^f

as majestic as the cedars. ^g

¹⁶His mouth is sweetness.

He is absolutely desirable. ^h

This is my love, and this is my friend,

young women of Jerusalem.