Song of Solomon 1–4

¹1The Song—best of all songs—Solomon’s song!

The Woman

^2–3Kiss me—full on the mouth!

Yes! For your love is better than wine,

headier than your aromatic oils.

The syllables of your name murmur like a meadow brook.

No wonder everyone loves to say your name!

⁴Take me away with you! Let’s run off together!

An elopement with my King-Lover!

We’ll celebrate, we’ll sing,

we’ll make great music.

Yes! For your love is better than vintage wine.

Everyone loves you—of course! And why not?

^5–6I am weathered but still elegant,

oh, dear sisters in Jerusalem,

Weather-darkened like Kedar desert tents,

time-softened like Solomon’s Temple hangings.

Don’t look down on me because I’m dark,

darkened by the sun’s harsh rays.

My brothers ridiculed me and sent me to work in the fields.

They made me care for the face of the earth,

but I had no time to care for my own face.

⁷Tell me where you’re working

—I love you so much—

Tell me where you’re tending your flocks,

where you let them rest at noontime.

Why should I be the one left out,

outside the orbit of your tender care?

The Man

⁸If you can’t find me, loveliest of all women,

it’s all right. Stay with your flocks.

Lead your lambs to good pasture.

Stay with your shepherd neighbors.

^9–11You remind me of Pharaoh’s

well-groomed and satiny mares.

Pendant earrings line the elegance of your cheeks;

strands of jewels illumine the curve of your throat.

I’m making jewelry for you, gold and silver jewelry

that will mark and accent your beauty.

The Woman

^12–14When my King-Lover lay down beside me,

my fragrance filled the room.

His head resting between my breasts—

the head of my lover was a sachet of sweet myrrh.

My beloved is a bouquet of wildflowers

picked just for me from the fields of En-gedi.

The Man

¹⁵Oh, my dear friend! You’re so beautiful!

And your eyes so beautiful—like doves!

The Woman

^16–17And you, my dear lover—you’re so handsome!

And the bed we share is like a forest glen.

We enjoy a canopy of cedars

enclosed by cypresses, fragrant and green.

¹2I’m just a wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon,

a lotus blossom from the valley pools.

The Man

²A lotus blossoming in a swamp of weeds—

that’s my dear friend among the girls in the village.

The Woman

^3–4As an apricot tree stands out in the forest,

my lover stands above the young men in town.

All I want is to sit in his shade,

to taste and savor his delicious love.

He took me home with him for a festive meal,

but his eyes feasted on me!

^5–6Oh! Give me something refreshing to eat—and quickly!

Apricots, raisins—anything. I’m about to faint with love!

His left hand cradles my head,

and his right arm encircles my waist!

⁷Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem,

by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer:

Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,

until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.

^8–10Look! Listen! There’s my lover!

Do you see him coming?

Vaulting the mountains,

leaping the hills.

My lover is like a gazelle, graceful;

like a young stag, virile.

Look at him there, on tiptoe at the gate,

all ears, all eyes—ready!

My lover has arrived

and he’s speaking to me!

The Man

^10–14Get up, my dear friend,

fair and beautiful lover—come to me!

Look around you: Winter is over;

the winter rains are over, gone!

Spring flowers are in blossom all over.

The whole world’s a choir—and singing!

Spring warblers are filling the forest

with sweet arpeggios.

Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed,

and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms.

Oh, get up, dear friend,

my fair and beautiful lover—come to me!

Come, my shy and modest dove—

leave your seclusion, come out in the open.

Let me see your face,

let me hear your voice.

For your voice is soothing

and your face is ravishing.

The Woman

¹⁵Then you must protect me from the foxes,

foxes on the prowl,

Foxes who would like nothing better

than to get into our flowering garden.

^16–17My lover is mine, and I am his.

Nightly he strolls in our garden,

Delighting in the flowers

until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.

Turn to me, dear lover.

Come like a gazelle.

Leap like a wild stag

on delectable mountains!

^1–43Restless in bed and sleepless through the night,

I longed for my lover.

I wanted him desperately. His absence was painful.

So I got up, went out and roved the city,

hunting through streets and down alleys.

I wanted my lover in the worst way!

I looked high and low, and didn’t find him.

And then the night watchmen found me

as they patrolled the darkened city.

“Have you seen my dear lost love?” I asked.

No sooner had I left them than I found him,

found my dear lost love.

I threw my arms around him and held him tight,

wouldn’t let him go until I had him home again,

safe at home beside the fire.

⁵Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem,

by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer:

Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,

until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.

^6–10What’s this I see, approaching from the desert,

raising clouds of dust,

Filling the air with sweet smells

and pungent aromatics?

Look! It’s Solomon’s carriage,

carried and guarded by sixty soldiers,

sixty of Israel’s finest,

All of them armed to the teeth,

trained for battle,

ready for anything, any time.

King Solomon once had a carriage built

from fine-grained Lebanon cedar.

He had it framed with silver and roofed with gold.

The cushions were covered with a purple fabric,

the interior lined with tooled leather.

¹¹Come and look, sisters in Jerusalem.

Oh, sisters of Zion, don’t miss this!

My King-Lover,

dressed and garlanded for his wedding,

his heart full, bursting with joy!

The Man

^1–54You’re so beautiful, my darling,

so beautiful, and your dove eyes are veiled

By your hair as it flows and shimmers,

like a flock of goats in the distance

streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.

Your smile is generous and full—

expressive and strong and clean.

Your lips are jewel red,

your mouth elegant and inviting,

your veiled cheeks soft and radiant.

The smooth, lithe lines of your neck

command notice—all heads turn in awe and admiration!

Your breasts are like fawns,

twins of a gazelle, grazing among the first spring flowers.

^6–7The sweet, fragrant curves of your body,

the soft, spiced contours of your flesh

Invite me, and I come. I stay

until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.

You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love,

beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.

^8–15Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.

Leave Lebanon behind, and come.

Leave your high mountain hideaway.

Abandon your wilderness seclusion,

Where you keep company with lions

and panthers guard your safety.

You’ve captured my heart, dear friend.

You looked at me, and I fell in love.

One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!

How beautiful your love, dear, dear friend—

far more pleasing than a fine, rare wine,

your fragrance more exotic than select spices.

The kisses of your lips are honey, my love,

every syllable you speak a delicacy to savor.

Your clothes smell like the wild outdoors,

the ozone scent of high mountains.

Dear lover and friend, you’re a secret garden,

a private and pure fountain.

Body and soul, you are paradise,

a whole orchard of succulent fruits—

Ripe apricots and peaches,

oranges and pears;

Nut trees and cinnamon,

and all scented woods;

Mint and lavender,

and all herbs aromatic;

A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing,

fed by spring waters from the Lebanon mountains.

The Woman

¹⁶Wake up, North Wind,

get moving, South Wind!

Breathe on my garden,

fill the air with spice fragrance.

Oh, let my lover enter his garden!

Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits.