4
You are beautiful, my darling,
like the lovely city of Tirzah.
Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners.
5
Turn your eyes away,
for they overpower me.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
6
Your teeth are as white as sheep
that are freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin. 1
7
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
8
Even among sixty queens
and eighty concubines
and countless young women,
9
I would still choose my dove, my perfect one -
the favorite of her mother,
dearly loved by the one who bore her.
The young women see her and praise her;
even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:
10
“Who is this, arising like the dawn,
as fair as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners?”
11
I went down to the grove of walnut trees
and out to the valley to see the new spring growth,
to see whether the grapevines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12
Before I realized it,
my strong desires had taken me to the chariot of a noble man. 2
13
3 Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam.
Come back, come back, that we may see you again.
Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam,
as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers? 4
1
5 How beautiful are your sandaled feet,
O queenly maiden.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a skilled craftsman.
2
Your navel is perfectly formed
like a goblet filled with mixed wine.
Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat
bordered with lilies.
3
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle.
4
Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon
overlooking Damascus.
5
Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel,
and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty.
The king is held captive by its tresses.
6
Oh, how beautiful you are!
How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
7
You are slender like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit.
8
I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like grape clusters,
and the fragrance of your breath like apples.
9
May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine,
flowing gently over lips and teeth. 6
10
I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.