4Take me away with you— let us hurry! May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. It is only right that they adore you.

The Bride

5I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

6Do not stare because I am dark, for the sun has gazed upon me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have neglected.

7Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?

The Friends

8If you do not know, O fairest of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats near the tents of the shepherds.

The Bridegroom

9I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.

10Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.

The Friends

11We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with beads of silver.

The Bride

12While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.

14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.

The Bridegroom

15How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

The Bride

16How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how delightful! The soft grass is our bed.

The Bridegroom

17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

Chapter 2 →