Through the Bible – Day 268

₁My bride, my very own,

I come to my garden

and enjoy its spices.

I eat my honeycomb and honey;

I drink my wine and milk.

Eat and drink until

you are drunk with love.

₂I was asleep, but dreaming:

the one I love was at the door,

knocking and saying,

“My darling, my very own,

my flawless dove,

open the door for me!

My head is drenched

with evening dew.”

₃But I had already undressed

and bathed my feet.

Should I dress again

and get my feet dirty?

₄Then my darling's hand

reached to open the latch,

and my heart stood still.

₅When I rose to open the door,

my hands and my fingers

dripped with perfume.

₆My heart stood still

while he spoke to me,

but when I opened the door,

my darling had disappeared.

I searched and shouted,

but I could not find him—

there was no answer.

₇Then I was found by the guards

patrolling the town

and guarding the wall.

They beat me up

and stripped off my robe.

₈Young women of Jerusalem,

if you find the one I love,

please say to him,

“She is weak with desire.”

₉Most beautiful of women,

why is the one you love

more special than others?

Why do you ask us

to tell him how you feel?

₁₀He is handsome and healthy,

the most outstanding

among ten thousand.

₁₁His head is purest gold;

his hair is wavy,

black as a raven.

₁₂His eyes are a pair of doves

bathing in a stream

flowing with milk.

₁₃His face is a garden

of sweet-smelling spices;

his lips are lilies

dripping with perfume.

₁₄His arms are branches of gold

covered with jewels;

his body is ivory

decorated with sapphires.

₁₅His legs are columns of marble

on feet of gold.

He stands there majestic

like Mount Lebanon

and its choice cedar trees.

₁₆His kisses are sweet.

I desire him so much!

Young women of Jerusalem,

he is my lover and friend.

₁Most beautiful of women,

tell us where he has gone.

Let us help you find him.

₂My darling has gone down

to his garden of spices,

where he will feed his sheep

and gather lilies.

₃I am his, and he is mine,

as he feeds his sheep

among the lilies.

₄My dearest, the cities of Tirzah

and Jerusalem

are not as lovely as you.

Your charms are more powerful

than all the stars

in the heavens.

₅Turn away your eyes—

they make me melt.

Your hair tosses about

as gracefully as goats

coming down from Gilead.

₆Your teeth are whiter

than sheep freshly washed;

they match perfectly,

not one is missing.

₇Behind your veil are hidden

beautiful rosy cheeks.

₈What if I could have

sixty queens, eighty wives,

and thousands of others!

₉You would be my only choice,

my flawless dove,

the favourite child

of your mother.

The young women, the queens,

and all the others

tell how excited you are

as they sing your praises:

₁₀“You are as majestic

as the morning sky—

glorious as the moon—

blinding as the sun!

Your charms are more powerful

than all the stars above.”

₁₁I went down to see if blossoms

were on the walnut trees,

grapevines, and fruit trees.

₁₂But in my imagination

I was suddenly riding

on a glorious chariot.

₁₃Dance! Dance!

Beautiful woman from Shulam,

let us see you dance!

Why do you want to see

this woman from Shulam

dancing with the others?

₁You are a princess,

and your feet are graceful

in their sandals.

Your thighs are works of art,

each one a jewel;

₂your navel is a wine glass

filled to overflowing.

Your body is full and slender

like a bundle of wheat

bound together by lilies.

₃Your breasts are like twins

of a deer.

₄Your neck is like ivory,

and your eyes sparkle

like the pools of Heshbon

by the gate of Bath-Rabbim.

Your nose is beautiful

like Mount Lebanon

above the city of Damascus.

₅Your head is held high

like Mount Carmel;

your hair is so lovely

it holds a king prisoner.

₆You are beautiful,

so very desirable!

₇You are tall and slender

like a palm tree,

and your breasts are full.

₈I will climb that tree

and cling to its branches.

I will discover that your breasts

are clusters of grapes,

and that your breath

is the aroma of apples.

₉Kissing you is more delicious

than drinking the finest wine.

How wonderful and tasty!

₁₀My darling, I am yours,

and you desire me.

₁₁Let's stroll through the fields

and sleep in the villages.

₁₂At dawn let's slip out and see

if grapevines and fruit trees

are covered with blossoms.

When we are there,

I will give you my love.

₁₃Perfume from the magic flower

fills the air, my darling.

Right at our doorstep

I have stored up for you

all kinds of tasty fruits.

₁If you were my brother,

I could kiss you

whenever we happen to meet,

and no one would say

I did wrong.

₂I could take you to the home

of my mother,

who taught me all I know.

I would give you delicious wine

and fruit juice as well.

₃Put your left hand under my head

and embrace me

with your right arm.

₄Young women of Jerusalem,

promise me by the power

of deer and gazelles

never to awaken love

before it is ready.

₅Who is this young woman

coming in from the desert

and leaning on the shoulder

of the one she loves?

I stirred up your passions

under the apple tree

where you were born.

₆Always keep me in your heart

and wear this bracelet

to remember me by.

The passion of love

bursting into flame

is more powerful than death,

stronger than the grave.

₇Love cannot be drowned

by oceans or floods;

it cannot be bought,

no matter what is offered.

₈We have a little sister

whose breasts

are not yet formed.

If someone asks to marry her,

what should we do?

₉She isn't a wall

that we can defend

behind a silver shield.

Neither is she a room

that we can protect

behind a wooden door.

₁₀I am a wall around a city,

my breasts are towers,

and just looking at me

brings him great pleasure.

₁₁Solomon has a vineyard

at Baal-Hamon,

which he rents to others

for a thousand pieces

of silver each.

₁₂My vineyard is mine alone!

Solomon can keep his silver

and the others can keep

their share of the profits.

₁₃You are in the garden

with friends all around.

Let me hear your voice!

₁₄Hurry to me, my darling!

Run faster than a deer

to mountains of spices.