The Lily among the Thorns
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:1 I am a1
meadow-saffron2
from Sharon,3
a lily4
from the valleys.
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:2 Like5
a lily among the thorns,6
so is my darling among the maidens.
The Apple Tree in the Forest
The Beloved:
2:3 Like7
an apple tree8
among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight9
to sit10
in his shade,11
and his fruit12
is sweet13
to my taste.14
The Banquet Hall for the Love-Sick
The Beloved:
2:4 He brought me15
into the
banquet hall,16
and he looked17
at me lovingly.18
2:5 Sustain19
me with raisin cakes,20
refresh me with apples21
for I am faint with love.22
2:6 His left hand caresses my head,23
And his right hand stimulates me.24
2:7 I adjure you,25
O maidens of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles and by the hinds of the forest:26
Do not awaken or excite27
sexual passion28
until it pleases!29
The Arrival of the Lover
The Beloved:
2:8 Listen!30
My lover is approaching!
Look!31
Here he comes!
Leaping over the mountains,
Bounding over the hills.
2:9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.32
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
Gazing through the window,
Peering through the lattice.
The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtle-Dove
The Lover:
2:10 My lover spoke to me, saying:
Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
2:11 Look! The winter has passed,
The winter-rains are over and gone.
2:12 The pomegranates have appeared are seen in the land,
The season time for pruning//singing33
has come;
The song voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
2:13 The fig tree has budded,
The vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance.
Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
The Dove in the Clefts of En-Gedi
The Lover:
2:14 O my dove,34
in the clefts of the rock,
In the hiding places of the mountain crags,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.
The Foxes in the Vineyard
The Beloved:
2:15 Catch35
the foxes36
for us, the little foxes,37
That ruin the vineyards38
-for our vineyard is in bloom.
The Thematic Refrain
The Beloved:
2:16 My lover is mine and I am his;
He grazes among the lilies.39
The Gazelle and the Ravenous Mountains
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:17 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,40
Turn,41
my beloved,
Be like a gazelle or a young stag
Upon the mountain gorges.42