1 W here has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? Beloved

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 browses among the lilies,

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

4 Y ou are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.

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, that lie along the side of 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, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; no one is bereaved among them.

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

7 Y our temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

كَفَلْقَةِ رُمّانٍ هُوَ خَدُّكِ تَحتَ خِمارِكِ.

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

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

9 M y dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; 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 she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?

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 tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine 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 W ithout realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots. Friends

فَلَمْ أشعُرْ إلّا وَأنا بَينَ مَركَباتِ شَعبِي. الفتياتُ يُنادينَهُا:

13 R eturn, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?

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