aLiterally “O that he would give you like a brother to me”
bThe Hebrew construction (which is somewhat misleading if rendered in a woodenly literal sense) is an idiom expressing one’s fanciful wish
cLiterally “at the breast of my mother”
dLiterally “I will find you in the street”
eLiterally “also they would not despise me”
fLiterally “I would lead you and I would bring you”
gThe combination of the two verbs creates a hendiadys which may be rendered more cogently as “I would surely bring you …”
hLiterally “she will teach me”
iLiterally “I would give you to drink from the wine of the spice”
jOr “juice”
kThe traditional Hebrew reads the singular “my pomegranate.” However, the plural reading “my pomegranates” is attested in numerous medieval Hebrew manuscripts and is reflected in the ancient versions (Greek Septuagint, Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta). The latter makes the most sense in this context as a euphemistic description of the maiden’s delights

In other versions

Oh that you were like a brother to me

who nursed at my mother’s breasts!

If I found you outside, I would kiss you,

and none would despise me.

I would lead you and bring you

into the house of my mother—

she who used to teach me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink,

the juice of my pomegranate.

If only you were to me like a brother,

who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!

Then, if I found you outside,

I would kiss you,

and no one would despise me.

I would lead you

and bring you to my mother’s house—

she who has taught me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink,

the nectar of my pomegranates.

If only I could treat you like my brother,

one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,

I would find you in public and kiss you,

and no one would scorn me.

I would lead you, I would take you,

to the house of my mother who taught me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink

from the juice of my pomegranate.

Oh, I wish you were my brother,

who nursed at my mother’s breasts.

Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching,

and no one would criticize me.

I would bring you to my childhood home,

and there you would teach me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink,

my sweet pomegranate wine.

O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother!

When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;

Yea, I should not be despised.

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me:

I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

Public Domain