2
The Beloved to Her Lover:
1 I am a meadow flower from Sharon,
a lily from the valleys.
The Lover to His Beloved:
2 Like a lily among the thorns,
so is my darling among the maidens.
The Beloved about Her Lover:
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
The Banquet Hall for the Love-Sick
The Beloved about Her Lover:
4 He brought me into the banquet hall,
and he looked at me lovingly.
5 Sustain me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
6 His left hand caresses my head,
and his right hand stimulates me.
The Beloved to the Maidens:
7 I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields:
Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases!
The Arrival of the Lover
The Beloved about Her Lover:
8 Listen! My lover is approaching!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the window,
peering through the lattice.
The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtle-Dove
The Lover to His Beloved:
10 My lover spoke to me, saying:
“Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
11 Look! The winter has passed,
the winter rains are over and gone.
12 The pomegranates have appeared in the land,
the time for pruning and singing has come;
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree has budded,
the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance.
Arise, come away my darling;
my beautiful one, come away with me!”
The Dove in the Clefts of En-Gedi
The Lover to His Beloved:
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places of the mountain crags,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
The Foxes in the Vineyard
The Beloved to Her Lover:
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards –
for our vineyard is in bloom.
Poetic Refrain: Mutual Possession
The Beloved about Her Lover:
16 My lover is mine and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.
The Gazelle and the Rugged Mountains
The Beloved to Her Lover:
17 Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved –
be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountain gorges.
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