1 W here has your beloved gone, O you fairest among women? Where is your beloved hiding himself? For we would seek him with you.

أينَ مَضَى حَبِيبُكِ، يا أجمَلَ الجَمِيلاتِ؟ فِي أيِّ اتِّجاهٍ مَضَى حَبِيبُكِ؟ قُولِي لَنا، فَنَبحَثَ عَنهُ مَعَكِ. هِيَ تَقُولُ للفتَيات:

2 M y beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies.

حَبِيبِي نَزَلَ إلَى بُستانِهِ، إلَى أحواضِ الأطيابِ. نَزَلَ لِيَرعَى فِي البَساتِينِ وَيَقطِفَ الزَّنابِقَ.

3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine! He feeds among the lilies.

أنا لِحَبِيبِي، وَحَبِيبِي لِي. هُوَ بَينَ الزَّنابِقِ يَرعَى. هُوَ يَقُولُ لَها:

4 Y ou are as beautiful as Tirzah, my love, and as comely as Jerusalem, as terrible as a bannered host!

أنتِ جَمِيلَةٌ كَمَدِينَةِ تِرْصَةَ، يا حَبِيبَتِي، وَبَدِيعَةٌ كَمَدينَةِ القُدْسِ. مُذهِلَةٌ كَجَيشٍ يَرفَعُ راياتِهِ.

5 T urn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me! Your hair is like a flock of goats trailing down from Mount Gilead.

حَوِّلِي عَينَيكِ عَنِّي، لأنَّهُما تَقوَيانِ عَلَيَّ. شَعْرُكِ كَقَطِيعِ مِعْزٍ يَنحَدِرُ مِنْ عَلَى جَبَلِ جِلْعادَ،

6 Y our teeth are like a flock of ewes coming from their washing, of which all are in pairs, and not one of them is missing.

وَأسنانُكِ كَقَطِيعِ النِّعاجِ المَجْزُوزَةِ وَالمَغسُولَةِ للِتَوِّ. كُلُّها تَلِدُ تَوائِمَ، لَمْ تُسقِط إحداها حَمَلاً.

7 Y our cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.

كَفَلْقَةِ رُمّانٍ هُوَ خَدُّكِ تَحتَ خِمارِكِ.

8 T here are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number;

رُبَّما تُوجَدُ سِتُّونَ مَلِكَةً، وَثَمانُونَ جارِيَةً، وَفَتَياتٌ بِلا عَدَدٍ،

9 B ut my dove, my undefiled and perfect one, stands alone; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed and happy, yes, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

لَكِنْ فَرِيدَةٌ هِيَ يَمامَتِي، كامِلَتِي. فَرِيدَةٌ عِندَ أُمِّها الَّتِي وَلَدَتها. الشّابّاتُ رَأيْنَها فَمَدَحْنَها. المَلِكاتُ وَالجَوارِي مَدَحْنَها. الفتياتُ يمدحنَها:

10 W ho is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear and pure as the sun, and terrible as a bannered host?

مَنْ هِيَ هَذِهِ الَّتِي تُطِلُّ كَالفَجرِ؟ مَنْ هَذِهِ الجَمِيلَةُ كَالقَمَرِ، السّاطِعَةُ كَالشَّمسِ، المُرهِبَةُ كَجَيشٍ يَرفَعُ راياتِهِ؟ هُوَ يَقُولُ لَها:

11 I went down into the nut orchard to look at the green plants of the valley, to see whether the grapevine had budded and the pomegranates were in flower.

نَزَلتُ إلَى بُسْتانِ الجَوزِ، وَنَظرْتُ إلَى البَراعِمِ فِي الوادِي، لأرَى إنْ كانَتِ الكُرُومُ قَدْ أزهَرَتْ، وَالرُّمّانُ قَد نَضِجَ.

12 B efore I was aware, my desire had brought me into the area of the princes of my people.

فَلَمْ أشعُرْ إلّا وَأنا بَينَ مَركَباتِ شَعبِي. الفتياتُ يُنادينَهُا:

13 R eturn, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you! What is there for you to see in the Shulammite? As upon a dance before two armies or a dance of Mahanaim.

ارْجِعِي، ارْجِعِي، يا سَلمَى. ارْجِعِي، ارْجِعِي، فَنَنظُرَ إلَيكِ. لِماذا تُحَدِّقُونَ فِي سَلمَى وَهِيَ تَرقُصُ رَقصَةَ النَّصرِ؟