The Bride’s Admiration

The Bride

1I am a rose of Sharon,†

a lily of the valleys.

The Bridegroom

2Like a lily among the thorns,

so is my love among the daughters.

The Bride

3Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

so is my beloved among the sons;

in his shade I have delighted and sat down,

and his fruit is sweet to my palate.

4He has brought me to the house of wine,†

and his banner over me was love.

5Sustain me with raisin-cakes,

refresh me with apples—

for I am sick with love.

6His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me.

7I adjure you⁺, O daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles or by the does of the field—

do not arouse or awaken love,

until it pleases.

8The voice of my beloved!

Behold, this one is coming,

leaping over the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

9My beloved is being like to a gazelle, or to a young stag of the deer.

Behold, this one is standing behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

10My beloved answered and said to me,

“Rise up, my my darling,

my beautiful one, come away yourself!

11For, behold, the winter has passed by;

the rain has passed; it has gone itself.

12The blossoms have appeared in the land,

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 in blossom have given forth the fragrance.

Arise, come my darling,

my beautiful one, and come away yourself!”

The Bridegroom

14O 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 appearance is lovely.

The Friends

15Catch for us the foxes,

the little foxes ruining the vineyards,

and our vineyards are in blossom.

The Bride

16My beloved is unto me and I unto him;

he is grazing among the lilies.

17Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,

may you turn and be likened

yourself, my beloved, to a gazelle

or to a young stag of the deer, upon the mountains of Bether.†