Solomon Admires his Beloved

1Lo, thou art fair, my friend, lo, thou art fair, Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead,

2Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

3As a thread of scarlet are thy lips, And thy speech is comely, As the work of the pomegranate is thy temple behind thy veil,

4As the tower of David is thy neck, built for an armoury, The chief of the shields are hung on it, All shields of the mighty.

5Thy two breasts are as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies.

6Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense.

7Thou art all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,

8Come from Lebanon, come thou in. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

9Thou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

10How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.

11Thy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk are under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments Is as the fragrance of Lebanon.

12A garden shut up is my sister-spouse, A spring shut up -- a fountain sealed.

13Thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits,

14Cypresses with nard -- nard and saffron, Cane and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices.

15A fount of gardens, a well of living waters, And flowings from Lebanon!

The Bride

16Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, Cause my garden to breathe forth, its spices let flow, Let my beloved come to his garden, And eat its pleasant fruits!