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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turn 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.

6 “ 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.

Thy 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.

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

Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.

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

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number.

9 B ut 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,

My 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.

10 ‘ 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?’

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

11 “ 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.

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.

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

Before I was aware, my soul set me Among the chariots of my princely people.

13 “ 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?

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