2
1I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys.
2Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.
3Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And ⚓his fruit was sweet to my taste.
The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem
4He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
5Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.
6⚓His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
7⚓I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.
The Beloved’s Request
The Shulamite
8The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
9⚓My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.
10My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
11For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
13The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
14“O my ⚓dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
⚓Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”
15Catch us ⚓the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.
16⚓My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
17⚓Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be ⚓like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether.