1 ل َيلَةً بَعدَ لَيلَةٍ، وَأنا عَلَى فِراشِي، اشتَقتُ إلَى حَبِيبِي. بَحَثتُ عَنهُ فَلَمْ أجِدهُ.

¶ By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him.

2 س َأقُومُ وَأطُوفُ فِي المَدِينَةِ، فِي شَوارِعِها وَمَيادِينِها. سَأبحَثُ عَن حَبِيبِ القَلبِ. بَحَثتُ عَنهُ، فَلَمْ أجِدْهُ.

I will rise now and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him.

3 ص ادَفَنِي الحُرّاسُ فِي شَوارِعِ المَدِينَةِ. فَسَألتُهُمْ: «هَلْ رَأيتُمْ حَبِيبِي؟»

The watchmen that go about the city found me, to whom I said, Have ye seen him whom my soul loves?

4 و َما إنْ تَجاوَزْتُهُمْ حَتَّى وَجَدتُ حَبِيبِي. فَأمسَكتُ بِهِ، وَلَمْ أُفلِتْهُ مِنْ يَدِي، إلَى أنْ أحضَرتُهُ إلَى بَيتِ أُمِّي، وَإلَى غُرفَةِ والِدَتِي. هِيَ تَقُولُ للفَتَيات:

It was but a little that I passed from them that I found him whom my soul loves: I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house and into the chamber of her that brought me into the light.

5 ي ا بَناتِ القُدْسِ، أستَحلِفُكُنَّ بِالغِزلانِ وَبِالأيائِلِ البَرِّيَّةِ، ألّا تُنَبِّهْنَ أوْ تُيقِظْنَ الحُبَّ، حَتَّى أسْتَعِدَّ لَهُ. فَتياتُ القُدس:

I charge you, O ye virgins of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye not awake nor stir up love, until he pleases.

6 م َنْ هَذِهِ الخارِجَةُ مِنَ الصَّحراءِ تارِكَةً أعمِدَةَ دُخّانٍ وَراءَها، يَفُوحُ مِنها شَذَى المُرِّ وَالبَخُورِ، أكثَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ مَساحِيقِ التُّجّارِ؟

¶ Who is she that rises out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense and with all the aromatic powders?

7 ه ا هِيَ أرِيكَةُ سُلَيْمانَ. يُحِيطُ بِها سِتِّونَ مُحارِباً مِنْ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ.

¶ Behold it is the bed of Solomon; sixty valiant men are about it of the valiant of Israel.

8 ك ُلُّهُمْ حَمَلَةُ سُيُوفٍ ماهِرُونَ، مُتَمَرِّسُونَ فِي القِتالِ. كُلٌّ يَحْمِلُ سَيفَهُ عَلَى جَنبِهِ، مُستَعِدّاً لِأيِّ خَطَرٍ فِي اللَّيلِ.

They all hold swords, being expert in war; each one has his sword upon his thigh because of the fears of the night.

9 ص َنَعَ سُلَيْمانُ لِنَفسِهِ أرِيكَةً مِنْ أرْزِ لُبنانَ.

King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the wood of Lebanon.

10 ط َلَى بِالفِضَّةِ أعمِدَتَها، وَبِخُيُوطِ الذَّهَبِ أغطِيَتَها. وَسائِدُها أُرجُوانٌ، وَداخِلُها مُرَصَّعٌ بِالحُبِّ.

He made its pillars of silver, the bottom of it of gold, the covering of it of purple, its interior being paved with love, for the virgins of Jerusalem.

11 ا خرُجنَ، يا بَناتِ صِهْيَوْنَ، وَانظُرنَ إلَى المَلِكِ سُلَيْمانَ، انظُرنَ إلَى التَّاجِ الَّذِي تَوَّجَتهُ بِهِ أُمُّهُ فِي يَومِ عُرسِهِ، فِي يَومِ احتِفالِهِ.

Go forth, O ye virgins of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown with which his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.