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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. In the Providence of God

THE SONG OF SOLOMON.

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER IV.

CHAPTER V.

CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII.

COMMENTARY. CHAPTER I.

VERSE 1. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.

1, 2. For thy breasts are better than wine, and more fragrant than the choicest ointments.

2. Thy name is as oil poured forth; therefore have the virgins loved thee.

3. Draw me, we will run after thee to the odor of thine ointments.

3. The King hath brought me into his store-chambers; we will exult and be glad in thee, remembering thy breasts better than wine; the upright love thee.

4. I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

5. Look not upon me because I am dark-colored, because the sun hath tanned me; my mother's children strove against me; they made me keeper in the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

6. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou reposest at midday, lest I should begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions.

7. If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

8. I have compared thee, O my love, to my company of horsemen in Pharaoh's chariots.

9. Thy cheeks are comely as a turtle dove's; thy neck as jewels.

10. We will make thee chains of gold inlaid with silver.

11. While the King was reclining upon his couch, my spikenard sent forth the smell thereof.

12. A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall abide between my breasts.

13. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of cypress, in the vineyards of Engaddi.

14. Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

15. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, and comely; our bed is adorned with flowers.

16. The beams of our houses are of cedar and our carved ceilings are of cypress.

CHAPTER II.

VERSE 1. I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.

2. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3. As the appletree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under the shadow of him whom I desired, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4. He brought me into the wine cellars and set love in order within me.

5. Stay me with flowers, strew me with apples; for I am sick of love.

6. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.

7. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love till she please.

8. The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

9. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold he standeth behind our wall; he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.

10. Behold, my beloved speaketh to me and saith: Rise up, my love, my dove, my fair one, and come.

11. For lo! the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

12. The flowers have appeared on the earth; the pruning time is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

13. The figtree hath put forth her green figs, and the flowering vines give a good smell. Arise my love, my fair one, come.

14. My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow of the wall, show me thy countenance and let thy voice sound in mine ears; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15. Take us the little foxes that spoil the vines; for our vine is in blossom.

16. My beloved is mine and I am his; he feedeth among the lilies.

17. Until the day break and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

CHAPTER III.

VERSE 1. By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought

2. I will rise now and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: sought him, but I found him not.

3. The watchmen that go about the city found me, to whom I said, Saw ye Him whom my soul loveth?

4. It was but a little that I passed by them when I found Him whom my soul loveth. I held Him; neither will I let Him go until I bring Him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

5. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the hinds of the fields, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till she please.

6. Who is she that goeth up by the wilderness, like a pillar of smoke, from the incense of myrrh and frankincense and all powders of the perfumer?

7. Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

8. They all hold swords, being expert in war; every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

9. King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the couch of gold, the ascent thereto of purple; and the midst thereof he strewed with love for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

CHAPTER IV.

VERSE 1. How beautiful thou art, my love; how beautiful thou art! Thou

2. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bears twins, and none is barren among them.

3. Thy lips are as a scarlet fillet; and thy speech is sweet. Thy cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate, besides that which is hidden within.

4. Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded with bulwarks; a thousand shields hang upon it, all the armor of mighty men.

5. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which, feed among the lilies.

6. Until the day break and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

7. Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee.

8. Come from Lebanon, my Spouse, come from Lebanon, come; Thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the peak of Shenir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.

9. Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister Spouse; thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes and with one tress of thy neck.

10. How fair are thy breasts, my sister Spouse! thy breasts are fairer than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices.

11. Thy lips, O my Spouse, drop as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12. A garden enclosed is my sister Spouse; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

13. Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates, with the fruits of the orchard; cypress with spikenard.

14. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with all the trees of Lebanon; myrrh and aloes with all the chief ointments.

15. A fountain of gardens, a well of Living waters, and streams flowing strongly from Lebanon.

16. Arise, O north wind, and come thou south; blow through my garden, and let its spices flow out.

CHAPTER V.

1. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat the fruit of his

2. I sleep, but my heart waketh; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

3. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

4. My beloved put in his hand through the opening, and my bowels thrilled at his touch.

5. I rose up to open to my beloved; my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were bathed with the choicest myrrh.

6. I withdrew the bolt of my door for my Beloved; but he had turned aside and was gone. My soul melted when he spake; I sought him, and found him not; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

7. The watchmen that went about the city found me; they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

8. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick of love.

9. What is thy beloved, more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women! what is thy beloved, more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

10. My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

11. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks as the clusters of the palm, black as a raven.

12. His eyes are like a dove's by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and sitting beside overflowing streams.

13. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, prepared by the perfumers; His lips like lilies, dropping choice myrrh.

14. His hands are turned as of gold, set with hyacinths; his belly is ivory, set with sapphires.

15. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

16. His throat is most sweet, yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

17. Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

CHAPTER VI.

VERSE 1. My beloved is gone down into His garden, to the beds of

2. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth among the lilies.

3. Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army set in array.

4. Turn away thine eyes from me, because they have made me to flee away; thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

5. Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

6. As the rind of a pomegranate are thy cheeks, besides that which is hidden within.

7. There are threescore queens and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

8. My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one of her mother; she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

9. Who is she that cometh forth as the rising morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army in battle-array.

10. I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.

11. I knew nothing; my soul troubled me on account of the chariots of Aminadab.

12. Return, return, O Shulamite! return, return, that we may look upon thee.

CHAPTER VII.

VERSE 1. What will ye see in the Shulamite, but the companies of camps?

2. Thy navel is like a round goblet which wanteth not liquor; thy belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.

3. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.

4. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, which are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude; thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon, which looketh toward Damascus.

5. Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thy head like the King's purple, bound by the water courses.

6. How fair and how pleasant art thou, O Love, for delights!

7. This thy stature is like to a palmtree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.

8. I said, I will go up to the palmtree, and I will take hold of the fruit thereof; and thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy mouth like that of apples.

9. Thy throat is like the best wine, fit for my beloved to drink, and to be dwelt upon with delight by his lips and teeth.

10. I am my beloved's, and His desire is towards me.

11. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

12. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, if the flowers bring forth fruit, and the pomegranate has blossomed; there will I give thee my breasts.

13. The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my Beloved.

CHAPTER VIII.

VERSE 1. Who will give thee to me for a brother, sucking the breasts of

2. I will lay hold upon thee and bring thee into my mother's house; there thou shalt teach me, and I will give thee a bowl of spiced wine, and new wine of my pomegranates.

3. His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

4. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until she please.

5. Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, replete with delights, leaning upon the arm of her beloved? I raised thee up under the appletree; there thy mother was corrupted, there was she deflowered that brought thee forth.

6. Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as hell; the lights thereof are lights of fire and flames.

7. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

8. We have a little sister and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

9. If she be a wall, we will build upon it bulwarks of silver; if she be a door we will frame it with boards of cedar.

10. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.

11. The Peaceable One hath a vineyard, which hath people in it; he delivered it to keepers, each one brings for the fruit thereof a thousand pieces of silver.

12. My vineyard is before me; Thou, O Peaceable, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof, two hundred.

13. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice; cause me to hear it.

14. Flee away, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.