Solomon’s Love Expressed
1 “How fairandbeautiful you are, my darling,
How very beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;
Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].
2 “Your teeth are like a flock ofnewlyshorn ewes
Which have come up from washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
3 “Your lips are like a ribbon of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 “Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of [glistening] stones,
Whereon hang a thousand shields,
All of them shields of warriors.
5 “Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.
6 “Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
[In my thoughts] I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7 “O my love, you are altogether beautifulandfair.
There is no flawnorblemish in you!
8 “Come awaywith me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the top of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 “You have ravished my heartandgiven me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride;
You have ravished my heartandgiven me courage with a singleglanceof your eyes,
With one jewel of your necklace.
10 “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
And the fragrance of your oils
Than allkindsof balsamandspices.
11 “Your lips, my [promised] bride, drip honey [as the honeycomb];
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 “A garden enclosed is my sister, my [promised] bride–
A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
13 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates,
[A paradise] with precious fruits, henna with fragrant plants,
14 Fragrant plants and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
15 “You area fountain in a garden,
A well of freshandliving water,
And streamsflowingfrom Lebanon.”
16 “Awake, O northwind,
And come, southwind[blow softly upon my garden];
Make my garden breathe outfragrance,[for the one in whom my soul delights],
Let its spices flow forth.
Let my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choicest fruits.”