1 “ How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

¶ Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks; thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Mount Gilead.

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

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; of which every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

3 “ Your lips are like a scarlet thread, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is lovely; thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

4 “ Your neck is like the tower of David, Built with rows of stones On which are hung a thousand shields, All the round shields of the mighty men.

Thy neck is like the tower of David built for teaching, upon which there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

5 “ Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle Which feed among the lilies.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which are fed among the lilies.

6 “ Until the cool of the day When the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh And to the hill of frankincense.

Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.

7 “ You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you.

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

8 “ Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, From the summit of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

¶ With me from Lebanon, my spouse, thou shalt come with me from Lebanon; thou shalt look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

9 “ You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace.

Thou hast taken hold of my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast imprisoned my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

10 “ How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices!

How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

11 “ Your lips, my bride, drip honey; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

Thy lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12 “ A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.

A closed garden is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 “ Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,

Thy newly budded plants are a paradise of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

14 N ard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, With all the trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.

spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

15 “ You are a garden spring, A well of fresh water, And streams flowing from Lebanon.”

¶ A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, that flow from Lebanon.

16 “ Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!”

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden that the aroma of its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his sweet fruits.