The Bride’s Admiration

1I am the flower of the plain, the lily of the valleys.

2As the lily between thorns, so is my friend between the daughters.

3As the apple among the trees of the forest, so my beloved between the sons. In his shadow I delighted, and I sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my palate.

4He brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me was love.

5Sustain me with cakes, and refresh me with apples, for I am pierced of love.

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

7I adjured you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, if ye shall awake and if ye shall arouse love till he shall desire.

8The voice of my beloved I behold him coming leaping upon the mountains, springing upon the hills.

9My beloved is like to the roe or to the fawn of the hinds: behold him standing behind our wall looking forth from the windows, glancing from the lattices.

10My beloved answered and said to me, Rise up for thyself, my friend, my beautiful one, and go for thyself.

11For behold, the winter passed away, the rain glided away; it went for itself.

12The flowers were seen in the earth; the time of pruning came, and the voice of the turtle-dove was heard in our land.

13The fig tree ripened its unripe figs, and the vines are in blossom; they gave an odor. Rise up, my friend, my beautiful one, and go for thyself.

14My dove in the refuges of the rock, in the biding of the steep mountain: cause me to see thy form, cause me to hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet and thy form becoming.

15Seize for us the foxes, the little foxes destroying the vineyards: and our vineyards are in blossom.

16My beloved to me, and I to him: he feeding among the lilies.

17Until the day shall breathe and the shadows fled away, turn, thou, it being likened to thee, my beloved, to the roe, or to the fawn of the hind upon the mountains of section.