2
The Bride’s Admiration
The Bride
1 I am a rose of Sharon,*
a lily of the valley.
The Bridegroom
2 Like a lily among the thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
The Bride
3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He has brought me to the house of wine,†
and his banner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
6 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
7 O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.
8 Listen! My beloved approaches.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved calls to me,
“Arise, my darling.
Come away with me, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers have appeared in the countryside;
the season of singing ‡ has come,
and the cooing of turtledoves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come away, my darling;
come away with me, my beautiful one.”
The Bridegroom
14 O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your countenance is lovely.
The Friends
15 Catch for us the foxes—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.
The Bride
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 Before the day breaks and shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.§
* 2:1 Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Israel † 2:4 That is, the banquet hall ‡ 2:12 Or pruning § 2:17 Or the rugged mountains