Song of Solomon 6–7

Chapter 6

¹Whither has your beloved gone,

O fairest among women?

Whither has your beloved turned,

that we may seek him with you?

²My beloved has gone down to his garden,

to the beds of spices,

to pasture his flock in the gardens,

and to gather lilies.

³I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;

he pastures his flock among the lilies.

⁴You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,

comely as Jerusalem,

terrible as an army with banners.

⁵Turn away your eyes from me,

for they disturb me—

Your hair is like a flock of goats,

moving down the slopes of Gilead.

⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,

that have come up from the washing,

all of them bear twins,

not one among them is bereaved.

⁷Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

behind your veil.

⁸There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,

and maidens without number.

⁹My dove, my perfect one, is only one,

the darling of her mother,

flawless to her that bore her.

The maidens saw her and called her happy;

the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.

¹⁰“Who is this that looks forth like the dawn,

fair as the moon, bright as the sun,

terrible as an army with banners?”

¹¹I went down to the nut orchard,

to look at the blossoms of the valley,

to see whether the vines had budded,

whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

¹²Before I was aware, my fancy set me

in a chariot beside my prince.ⁿ

¹³ Return, return, O Shulammite,

return, return, that we may look upon you.

Why should you look upon the Shulammite,

as upon a dance before two armies?^p

Chapter 7

¹How graceful are your feet in sandals,

O queenly maiden!

Your rounded thighs are like jewels,

the work of a master hand.

²Your navel is a rounded bowl

that never lacks mixed wine.

Your belly is a heap of wheat,

encircled with lilies.

³Your two breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle.

⁴Your neck is like an ivory tower.

Your eyes are pools in Heshbon,

by the gate of Bath-rabbim.

Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon,

overlooking Damascus.

⁵Your head crowns you like Carmel,

and your flowing locks are like purple;

a king is held captive in the tresses.^q

⁶How fair and pleasant you are,

O loved one, delectable maiden!^r

⁷You are stately^s as a palm tree,

and your breasts are like its clusters.

⁸I say I will climb the palm tree

and lay hold of its branches.

Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,

and the scent of your breath like apples,

⁹and your kisses^t like the best wine

that goes down^u smoothly,

gliding over lips and teeth.^v

¹⁰I am my beloved’s,

and his desire is for me.

¹¹Come, my beloved,

let us go forth into the fields,

and lodge in the villages;

¹²let us go out early to the vineyards,

and see whether the vines have budded,

whether the grape blossoms have opened

and the pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give you my love.

¹³The mandrakes give forth fragrance,

and over our doors are all choice fruits,

new as well as old,

which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.