1 W hither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee?

“ Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?”

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

“ My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To pasture his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth his flock among the lilies,

“ I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”

4 T hou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners.

“ You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As awesome as an army with banners.

5 T urn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead.

“Turn your eyes away from me, For they have confused me; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Gilead.

6 T hy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

“ Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

7 T hy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.

“ Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.

8 T here are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number.

“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number;

9 M y 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 called her blessed; Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

But my dove, my perfect one, is unique: She is her mother’s only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

10 W ho is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners?

‘Who is this that grows like the dawn, As beautiful as the full moon, As pure as the sun, As awesome as an army with banners?’

11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.

“I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the blossoms of the valley, To see whether the vine had budded Or the pomegranates had bloomed.

12 B efore I was aware, my soul set me Among the chariots of my princely people.

“Before I was aware, my soul set me Over the chariots of my noble people.”

13 R eturn, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?

“ Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may gaze at you!” “ Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two companies?