2

  1I am the rose of Sharon,
   And the lily of the valleys.

The Beloved

  2Like a lily among thorns,
   So is my love among the daughters.

The Shulamite

  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.
  6His left hand is under my head,
   And his right hand embraces me.
   7I 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.
   9My 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.”

Her Brothers

  15Catch us the foxes,
   The little foxes that spoil the vines,
   For our vines have tender grapes.

The Shulamite

  16My beloved is mine, and I am his.
   He feeds his flock among the lilies.

(To Her Beloved)

  17Until 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.