
{1}1{/}

The Sublime Song: it has 
come from Solomon.
SHE{/}

{I}2_{/}Shower me with 
kisses of your mouth:
your love is more 
delicious than wine
{I}3_{/}Your oil smells 
sweeter than any perfume,
your name spreads out 
like balm;
no wonder the maidens 
long for you.
{I}4_{/}Lure me to you, 
let us fly!
bring me, O king, into 
your room,
and be our joy, our 
excitement.
We will praise your 
caresses more than wine,
how rightly are you 
loved.
{I}5_{/}I am sunburned 
yet lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
dark as the tents of 
Kedar,
as the tent curtains of 
Solomon.
{I}6_{/}Stare not at my 
dark complexion;
it is the sun that has 
darkened me.
My mother's sons were 
angry with me
and made me work in the 
vineyards;
for I had failed to tend 
my own.
{I}7_{/}Tell me, my 
soul's beloved,
where do you graze your 
flock,
where do you rest your 
sheep at noon?
Why must I be wandering
beside the flocks of your 
companions?
CHORUS{/}

{I}8_{/}If you do not 
know yourself,
most beautiful woman,
follow the tracks of the 
flock
and pasture your young 
goats
beside the shepherds' 
tents.
HE{/}

{I}9_{/}To a mare in 
Pharaoh's chariot
would I liken you, my 
love.
{I}10_{/}Your cheeks look 
lovely between pendants,
your neck beautiful with 
strings of beads.
{I}11_{/}We will make you 
earrings of gold
and necklaces of silver.
SHE AND HE{/}

{I}12_{/}While the king 
rests on his couch,
my perfume gives forth 
its fragrance.
{I}13_{/}My lover is for 
me a sachet of myrrh
lying between my breasts.
{I}14_{/}My lover is for 
me a cluster of henna
from the vineyards of 
Engedi.
{I}15_{/}How beautiful 
you are, my love,
how beautiful! Your eyes 
are doves!
{I}16_{/}How handsome you 
are, my love,
how handsome! Our bed is 
ever green!
{I}17_{/}The beams of our 
house are cedar,
our rafters are fir.
{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}I am the rose of 
Sharon,
the lily of the valley.
{I}2_{/}As a lily among 
thorns,
so is my love among 
women.
SHE{/}

{I}3_{/}As an apple tree 
in a forest,
so is my lover among men.
I sought his shade, there 
I sat;
his fruit is sweet to my 
taste.
{I}4_{/}He has taken me 
to the winestore;
his banner over me reads: 
"Love."
{I}5_{/}Oh, strengthen me 
with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for love makes me sick!
{I}6_{/}His left hand is 
under my head;
his right arm embraces 
me.
HE{/}

{I}7_{/}I beg you, 
daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and hinds 
of the field,
not to arouse or stir up 
love
before her time has come.
SHE{/}

{I}8_{/}The voice of my 
lover! Behold he comes,
springing across the 
mountains,
jumping over the hills,
{I}9_{/}like a gazelle or 
a young stag.
Now he stands behind our 
wall,
looking through the 
windows,
peering through the 
lattice.
{I}10_{/}My lover speaks 
to me,
HE{/}

"Arise, my love, my 
beautiful one!
{I}11_{/}Come, the winter 
is gone,
the rains are over.
{I}12_{/}Flowers have 
appeared on earth;
the season of singing has 
come;
the cooing of doves is 
heard.
{I}13_{/}The fig tree 
forms its early fruit,
the vines in blossom are 
fragrant.
Arise, my beautiful one,
come with me, my love, 
come.
{I}14_{/}O my dove in the 
rocky cleft,
in the secret places of 
the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice.
Your face - how lovely!
Your voice - how sweet!"
{I}15_{/}Capture the 
foxes, the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
our vineyards in flower.
{I}16_{/}My lover is mine 
and I am his;
he shepherds his flock 
among the lilies.
{I}17_{/}Before the dusk 
blows and shadows flee,
return, my lover, be like 
a gazelle
or a young stag on the 
rugged hills.
SHE{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}On my bed at 
night
I looked for the one I 
love,
I sought him without 
finding him;
{I}2_{/}I will rise and 
go about the city,
through the streets and 
the squares;
I will seek the love of 
my heart...
{I}3_{/}I sought him 
without finding him;
the watchmen came upon 
me,
those who patrol the 
city.
"Have you seen the love 
of my heart?"
{I}4_{/}As soon as I left 
them,
I found the love of my 
heart.
I held him and would not 
let him go
till I had brought him to 
my mother's house
to the room of her who 
conceived me.
HE{/}

{I}5_{/}I beg you, 
daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and hinds 
of the field,
not to arouse or stir up 
love
before her time has come.
CHORUS{/}

{I}6_{/}Who is this 
coming from the 
wilderness?
There seems to be a 
pillar of smoke,
with fumes of myrrh and 
frankincense.
{I}7_{/}Look, it is 
Solomon's carriage!
sixty warriors escort 
him,
the strongest of Israel,
{I}8_{/}all girded with 
swords,
all seasoned in battle;
each is ready with sword 
at his side,
each prepared for the 
terrors of the night.
{I}9_{/}King Solomon has 
made for himself
a carriage of wood from 
Lebanon,
{I}10_{/}its columns of 
silver,
its back of gold,
its seat of purple cloth,
its framework inlaid with 
ivory.
{I}11_{/}Come, daughters 
of Zion,
see King Solomon wearing 
the diadem
with which his mother 
crowned him
on the day of his 
wedding,
on the day his heart 
rejoiced.
HE{/}

{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}You are 
beautiful, my love,
oh, how beautiful you 
are!
Your eyes behind your 
veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock 
of goats,
streaming down the 
heights of Gilead.
{I}2_{/}Your teeth are 
like sheep newly shorn,
coming in droves from the 
washing,
each one opposing its 
twin,
not one has been left 
alone.
{I}3_{/}Your lips are 
like a thread scarlet;
your voice is enchanting;
your cheeks behind your 
veil
are like halves of a 
pomegranate.
{I}4_{/}Your neck is the 
tower of David,
a display of trophies
a thousand bucklers hang 
on it,
all of them worn by 
heroes of war.
{I}5_{/}Your breasts are 
like twin fawns
of a gazelle feeding 
among the lilies.
{I}6_{/}Before the dawn 
breaks and shadows flee,
I will hasten to the 
mountain of myrrh,
to the hill of 
frankincense.
{I}7_{/}You are wholly 
beautiful, my love,
perfect and unblemished.
{I}8_{/}Come from 
Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from 
Lebanon.
Come down from the summit 
of Amana,
from the crest of Senir 
and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountain haunts 
of leopards.
{I}9_{/}You have ravished 
my heart,
my sister, my bride;
you have ravished my 
heart
with one of your glances,
with one bead of your 
necklace.
{I}10_{/}How sweet is 
your love,
my sister, my bride!
How delicious is your 
love more than wine,
and the fragrance of your 
perfume,
than any spice!
{I}11_{/}Your lips 
distill nectar, my bride;
milk and honey are under 
your tongue.
Your garments have the 
scent of Lebanon.
{I}12_{/}You are a garden 
enclosed,
my sister, my bride;
a spring enclosed, a 
sealed fountain.
{I}13_{/}Your plants are 
an orchard
of pomegranates, all with 
choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
{I}14_{/}nard and 
saffron,
calamus, and cinnamon
with every kind of 
incense trees,
myrrh and aloes
and all the finest 
spices.
{I}15_{/}You are a garden 
fountain,
a well of living water
streaming down from 
Lebanon.
SHE{/}

{I}16_{/}Arise, north 
wind! Awake, south wind!
Blow upon my garden
and spread its fragrance 
abroad.
Let my lover come to his 
garden
and eat its choicest 
fruits.
HE{/}

{1}5{/}

{I}1_{/}I have come to my 
garden,
my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh 
with spices,
I have eaten my honey and 
my honeycomb,
I have drunk my milk and 
my wine.
Friends, eat and drink!
Drink your fill, my 
dearest ones!
SHE{/}

{I}2_{/}I slept, but my 
heart kept vigil.
I heard the knock of my 
beloved.
"Open to me, my sister, 
my love,
my perfect one, my dove!
My head is wet with dew,
my hair with the drops of 
the night."
{I}3_{/}I have taken off 
my robe;
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
must I soil them again?
{I}4_{/}My lover thrust 
his hand
through the lock opening
and my heart thrilled for 
him.
{I}5_{/}I rose to open 
the door.
Myrrh from my hands 
dripped
on the handle of the 
lock.
{I}6_{/}I opened to my 
lover
but he had turned and 
gone -
my soul went after him!
I sought him but did not 
find him;
I called him but he did 
not answer.
{I}7_{/}The watchmen came 
upon me
those who patrol the 
city;
they beat me and wounded 
me;
they took away my mantle 
-
oh, those guardians of 
the walls!
{I}8_{/}I beg you, O 
daughters of Jerusalem,
if you ever find my lover 
-
Oh, what will you tell 
him?
Tell him that love makes 
me sick.
CHORUS{/}

{I}9_{/}How is your lover 
better than others,
most beautiful woman?
How is your lover better 
than others,
that you do so beg us?
SHE{/}

{I}10_{/}Radiant and 
ruddy, my lover
stands out among 
thousands.
{I}11_{/}Pure gold is his 
head,
palm fronds are his hair,
glossy black like the 
raven.
{I}12_{/}His eyes are 
doves
beside running waters,
bathed in milk
and set like jewels.
{I}13_{/}His fragrant 
cheeks
are like beds of spice;
his lips like lilies
dripping with myrrh.
{I}14_{/}His hands are 
rods of gold
adorned with jewels;
his body is polished 
ivory
covered with sapphires,
{I}15_{/}set upon bases 
of gold;
his legs are pillars of 
alabaster.
He has the stature of 
Lebanon,
excelling like the 
cedars.
{I}16_{/}His mouth is 
sweetness itself;
he is most worthy of 
desire.
O daughters of Jerusalem,
such is my friend and 
lover.
CHORUS{/}

{1}6{/}

{I}1_{/}Where has your 
lover gone,
most beautiful woman?
Where has your lover 
turned,
that we may help you look 
for him?
SHE{/}

{I}2_{/}My lover has gone 
down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in 
the garden
and to gather lilies.
{I}3_{/}My lover is mine, 
and I am his;
he shepherds his flock 
among the lilies.
HE{/}

{I}4_{/}My love, you are 
lovely
as Tirzah, beautiful as 
Jerusalem,
majestic as bannered 
troops.
{I}5_{/}Turn your eyes 
away from me
for they bewitch me.
Your hair is like a flock 
of goats
streaming down the 
heights of Gilead.
{I}6_{/}Your teeth are 
like sheep
coming in droves from the 
washing,
each one opposing its 
twin,
not one has been left 
alone.
{I}7_{/}Your cheeks 
behind your veil
are like halves of a 
pomegranate.
{I}8_{/}Sixty queens, 
eighty concubines,
virgins beyond number -
{I}9_{/}but my dove, my 
perfect one,
is unique, the only 
daughter
and favorite of her 
mother.
She was called blessed by 
the virgins
and praised by queens and 
concubines:
{I}10_{/}"Who is this 
coming like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright 
as the sun,
majestic as bannered 
troops?"
{I}11_{/}I went to the 
nut orchard
to look over the valley 
in bloom,
to see if the vines had 
flowered,
or if the pomegranates 
had blossomed.
{I}12_{/}Before I became 
aware of it,
my desire had set me on 
the chariot
with the daughter of the 
prince.
CHORUS{/}

{1}7{/}

{I}1_{/}Return, return, O 
Shulammite,
return, that we may look 
at you!
HE{/}

Why would you look at the 
Shulammite,
as dancing between two 
rows?
{I}2_{/}How beautiful are 
your feet in sandals,
daughter of the prince!
Your shapely thighs are 
like jewels,
the work of a master 
artist.
{I}3_{/}Your navel is a 
bowl well-rounded,

never lacking exquisitely 
blended wine.
Your belly is a mound of 
wheat
with lilies around it.
{I}4_{/}Your breasts are 
two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
{I}5_{/}Your neck is an 
ivory tower.
Your eyes are pools in 
Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-
rabbim;
your nose, the tower of 
Lebanon
looking towards Damascus.
{I}6_{/}Your crowned head 
is Mount Carmel;
your flowing hair is 
royal purple,
which holds a king 
captive in its tresses.
{I}7_{/}How beautiful you 
are, how lovely,
my beloved, in your 
delights!
{I}8_{/}Like a palm tree, 
you are stately
and like its clusters are 
your breasts.
{I}9_{/}I said, "I will 
climb the palm tree
and take hold of its 
fruits."
May your breasts be 
clusters of the vine,
your breath sweet-scented 
as apples,
and your mouth like the 
best wine.
SHE{/}

{I}10_{/}May the wine 
flow straight to my 
lover,
flowing over from my 
lips.
{I}11_{/}I am my lover's
but it is he who depends 
on me.
{I}12_{/}Come, my love,
let us go to the 
countryside,
and pass the night in the 
villages.
{I}13_{/}Let us go early 
to the vineyards
to see if the vines have 
flowered,
if the buds have opened,
and the pomegranates have 
blossomed.
There I will give you my 
love.
{I}14_{/}The mandrakes 
yield their fragrance;
at our doors are the 
rarest fruits;
both new and old I have 
stored
for you, my love.
SHE{/}

{1}8{/}

{I}1_{/}If only you were 
my brother,
nursed at my mother's 
breasts,
I could kiss you outside 
if we met,
without anyone despising 
me for it.
{I}2_{/}I would lead and 
bring you
into the house of my 
mother,
and you would teach me 
there.
I would give you wine 
with spice
and the juice of my 
pomegranates.
{I}3_{/}His left hand is 
under my head;
his right arm embraces 
me.
HE{/}

{I}4_{/}I beg you, 
daughters of Jerusalem,
by the powers of nature,
not to arouse or stir up 
love
before her time has come.
CHORUS{/}

{I}5_{/}Who is this 
coming from the 
wilderness
leaning upon her lover?
HE{/}

I woke you under the 
apple tree,
where you were conceived 
by your mother,
where she who bore you 
was in travail.
{I}6_{/}Set me as a seal 
on your heart,
set me as a seal on your 
arm.
For love is strong as 
death;
its jealousy lasting as 
the power of death,
it burns like a blazing 
fire,
it blazes like a mighty 
flame.
{I}7_{/}No flood can 
extinguish love
nor river submerge it.
If a man were to buy love
with all the wealth of 
his house,
contempt is all he would 
purchase.
{I}8_{/}We have a little 
sister
with her breasts yet 
unformed.
What shall we do for her
when her courtship is 
begun?
{I}9_{/}If she were a 
rampart,
we would build towers of 
silver on it.
If she were a gate,
we would enclose it with 
panels of cedar.
{I}10_{/}I am a rampart
and my breasts are 
towers;
thus I have become, in 
his eyes,
like one who brings 
peace.
{I}11_{/}At Baal-hamon 
Solomon had a vineyard,
which he gave over to 
caretakers;
for its fruit, each had 
to pay:
a thousand pieces of 
silver.
{I}12_{/}But my vineyard 
is mine and I myself keep 
it.
You, Solomon, may have 
the thousand,
and the fruit keepers two 
hundred pieces.
{I}13_{/}You wh-o dwell 
in the gardens,
with your friends in 
attendance,
let me hear your 
utterance.
{I}14_{/}Make haste, my 
love;
be like a gazelle or a 
young stag
on the spice-laden hills!

