1 L o, thou fair, my friend, lo, thou fair, Thine eyes doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead,

How fair you are, my love, how very fair! Your eyes behind your veil of those of a dove; your hair of a flock of goats which one sees trailing down Mount Gilead.

2 T hy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes which have come up from the washing, of which all are in pairs, and none is missing among them.

3 A s a thread of scarlet thy lips, And thy speech comely, As the work of the pomegranate thy temple behind thy veil,

Your lips are like a thread of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.

4 A s the tower of David thy neck, built for an armoury, The chief of the shields are hung on it, All shields of the mighty.

Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an arsenal, whereon hang a thousand bucklers, all of them shields of warriors.

5 T hy two breasts as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies.

Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twins of a gazelle that feed among the lilies.

6 T ill the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense.

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

7 T hou all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,

O my love, how beautiful you are! There is no flaw in you!

8 C ome from Lebanon, come thou in. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

Come away with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the top of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

9 T hou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my bride; you have ravished my heart and given me courage with one look from your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.

10 H ow wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!

11 T hy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments as the fragrance of Lebanon.

Your lips, O my bride, drop honey as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue. And the odor of your garments is like the odor of Lebanon.

12 A garden shut up my sister-spouse, A spring shut up -- a fountain sealed.

A garden enclosed and barred is my sister, my bride—a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 T hy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits,

Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates or a paradise with precious fruits, henna with spikenard plants,

14 C ypresses with nard -- nard and saffron, Cane and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices.

Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, with all the chief spices.

15 A fount of gardens, a well of living waters, And flowings from Lebanon!

You are a fountain in a garden, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon.

16 A wake, O north wind, and come, O south, Cause my garden to breathe forth, its spices let flow, Let my beloved come to his garden, And eat its pleasant fruits!

Oh, I pray that the north wind and the south wind may blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.