Translation:Song of Songs

For other English-language translations of this work, see Song of Songs (Bible).

Chapter 1

¹The song of the songs, that of Sh'lomoh(Solomon).

She<sup>[1]

2</sup>Let him kiss me from kisses of his mouth, for ones being good loves of him from wine;
³Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, and your name is oil which is emptied. Therefore the maidens love you.
⁴Draw me after you—let us run! The king has brought me into his chambers.

Friends

We will rejoice in you and be glad, we will mention with praise your love more than wine. Rightly they do love you.


She

⁵I am dark, and I am beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem,
like tents of Qedar, like Solomon's curtains.
⁶Do not look [down] on me because I am dark,
because the sun has scorched me.
My mother's sons were angry with me;
they made me tend to the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not tended.
⁷Tell me, my beloved, where you feed,
where you rest [your flocks] at noon,
for why should I weary myself
wandering among the herds of other shepherds?^[2]

He

⁸If you do not know, fairest of women,
follow the footprints of the sheep,^[3]
pasture your doe-goats by the shepherds' tents.
⁹Like a filly among Pharaoh's chariots
you are to me, my dear.
¹⁰Your cheeks are lovely with earrings,
with beads around your neck.

Friends

¹¹We will make you strings of gold beads
with studs of silver.

She

¹²As the king reclines on his couch,
my perfume gives off its scent.
¹³My lover is a pouch of myrrh,
spending the night between my breasts.
¹⁴My lover is to me a cluster of henna [blossoms]
in the vineyards of En Gedi.

He

¹⁵Behold, you are fair, my dear;
behold, you are fair, with eyes of doves!

She

¹⁶Behold, you are fair, my lover;
how delightful! The foliage is our canopied bed.

He

¹⁷The beams of our house are cedar trees;
our rafters are cypress.

Chapter 2

She

¹I am a crocus^[4] of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

He

²Like a lily among thorns,
so is my love among daughters.

She

³Like an apple^[5] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my lover among sons.
I sat down, delighted, in his shade;
his fruit was sweet to my mouth.
⁴He brought me to his wine-house;^[6]
his banner over me was love.^[7]
5Sustain me raisin-cakes;
refresh me with apples,^[8]
for I am love-sick.
⁶His left hand is under my head;
his right hand fondles me.
⁷I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
by the roes, or by the hinds of the field,
not to awake, not to wake up love
until it is ready.
⁸The voice of my beloved — here he comes! —
leaping across the mountains,
skipping over the hills.
⁹My lover is like a roe or a young stag.
There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
¹⁰My lover responded, and said to me,
"Get up, my love, my beautiful, and come away!
¹¹For now winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
¹²The flowers are appearing on the ground,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
¹³The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines blossom and spread fragrance.
Get up and come, my love, my beautiful,
and come away!"

He

¹⁴My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
hiding on the mountainside,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
¹⁵Catch us the foxes,
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards;
our vineyards are blossoming.
¹⁶My lover is mine, and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.
¹⁷Until the day breathes,
and shadows flee,
make yourself, my lover,
like a roe or young stag
on the mountains of Bether.^[9]

Chapter 3

¹On my bed, at night, I looked for the one my soul loves;
I looked for him and did not find him.
²I will rise now and walk around the city in the streets;
and on the roads I will look for whom my soul loves.
I looked for him and did not find him.
³The guards who walk around the city saw me.
"Have you seen whom my soul loves?"
⁴It was a little after I walked past them,
I found whom my soul lives.
I clung to him and would not let go,
until I had brought him to my mother's house,
to the room of the woman who bore me.

⁵I adjure you, daughters of Yerushaláyim,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field
that you will not arouse or awaken love
until she pleases."

⁶"Who is this coming from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and lubbān?"

⁷There is his bed, which is Solomon's,
sixty warriors surrounding it, warriors of Israel.
⁸They all hold swords, learned in warfare,
each with his sword on his loins for fear of the night.
⁹King Solomon made himself a palanquin of wood from Lebanon.
¹⁰Its pillars he made silver,
its support of gold,
its seat of purple,
the inside of it patterned with love
for the daughters of Jerusalem.
¹¹Go out and see, daughters of Zion,
King Solomon with the crown
that his mother crowned him with
on the day of his engagement,
on the day his heart rejoiced.

Chapter 4

He

¹How beautiful you are, my love,
how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves behind your veil;
your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Mount Gilead.
²Your teeth are like a flock freshly shorn,
as they come up from the washing.
Every one of them has its twin,
not one of them is missing.
³Your lips are like a crimson thread,
delightful when you speak;
your cheek is a slice of pomegranate behind your veil.
⁴Your neck is like the Tower of David,
built for an armory.^[10]
A thousand bucklers hang upon it,
all the warriors' shields.
⁵Your two breasts are like two twin fawns,
browsing among the lilies.
⁶Until the day breathes, and shadows flee away,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh,
to the hill of frankincense.
⁷All of you is beautiful, my love;
you are without blemish.
⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
from Lebanon;
look around from the top of Amana,
from the top of Shenir and Hermon,
from the lions' dens,
from the mountains of leopards.
⁹You have stolen my heart, my sister, [my] bride;
you have stolen my heart with one of your eyes,
with one chain of your neck.
¹⁰How beautiful is your love, my sister, [my] bride!
How much your love is than wine,
and the smell of your perfume than any spice!
¹¹Like honey dripping down
are your lips, [my] bride,
honey and milk are under your tongue,
and the scent of your garments
is like the scent of Lebanon.
¹²An enclosed garden is my sister, [my] bride,
a well closed up, a fountain sealed.
¹³Your sprouts are an orchard of pomegranates,
with choice fruits, cypress, and spikenard,
¹⁴spikenard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
with all the chief spices,
¹⁵a fountain of gardens,
a spring of flowing water,
and streams from Lebanon.

She

¹⁶Arise, north wind,
and come, south wind,
blow on my garden,
that it's spices may flow out.
Let my lover come to his garden,
and eat its choice fruits.

Chapter 5

Young Man

¹ "I have entered my garden, my sister, my bride.

I take my myrrh, along with my spices,

I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey,

I have drunk my wine and my milk."

Young Woman

"Eat, my companions! Drink and become drunk with expressions of love!

² I am sleeping but my heart is awake! There is the sound of my beloved knocking."

Young Man

"Open to me, my sister, my girl companion, my dove, my righteous one!

My head is covered in dew, my hair with droplets of the night."

Young Woman

³ "I have taken off my robe.

How can I put it back on?

I have washed my feet.

How can I dirty them?

⁴ My beloved pulled back his hand from the door,

my insides themselves moved wildly for him.

⁵ I got up, even I, to open to my beloved,

my hands dripped with myrrh,

my hands with liquid myrrh,

upon the handles of the lock.

⁶ I opened, even I, to my beloved,

but my beloved himself had gone away.

he had passed on.

My soul itself went out when he spoke,

I looked for him, but didn't find him.

I called for him, but he didn't answer.

⁷ I was found by the watchmen who go around the city,

they struck me, they injured me.

The watchmen of the walls lifted my wrap off me.

⁸ "Young daughters of Jerusalem,

I make you swear that if you find my beloved,

you should let him know that I am lovesick."

Young Women of Jerusalem

⁹ "How is your beloved better then any other beloved, oh most beautiful of all women?

How is your beloved better then any other beloved, that you have made us swear this thing?"

Young Woman

¹⁰ "My beloved is dazzling and fresh,

standing out among ten thousand.

¹¹ His head is as gold, fine gold.

The locks of his hair clusters,

black like the ravens.

¹² His eyes are like doves by streams of water,

which are bathing in milk, sitting in the edges.

¹³ His cheeks are as beds of spices,

towers of scented perfume,

his lips are as lilies

that drip with liquid myrrh.

¹⁴ His hands are like cylinders of gold,

set with chrysolite,

his midsection is as an ivory plate,

covered with sapphire.

¹⁵His legs are like marble pillars founded on gold bases, his fairness as of Liban, excellent as cedar.

¹⁶His mouth is most sweet, and he is all desirable. Such is my beloved, and my lover, daughters of Jerusalem.^[11]

Chapter 6

Young Women of Jerusalem

¹ "Where has your beloved one gone, most beautiful one among women?

Where has your love turned? We will help look for him."

Young Woman

² "My beloved has gone down to his garden,

to the bed of spice plants.

to shepherd the garden and pick the lilies.

³ I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

He has gone shepherding among the lilies.

Young Man

⁴ "You are so beautiful like Tirzah, my girl companion.

Lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as a military band with banners.

⁵ Take your eyes off of me because they take me hostage.

Your hair is like a flock of goats that have come down from Gilead.

⁶ Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from bathing;

each one bearing twins, missing none.

⁷ Your cheeks are like a slice of pomegranate behind your veil.

⁸ There may be 60 queens, 80 concubines, and maidens without number,

⁹ But there is one who is my righteous, my dove,

the one who belongs to her mother, pure to the one who gave birth to her.

The daughters see her and declare that she is happy;

queens and concubines also sing her praises.

¹⁰ 'Who is this woman that looks down like the dawn,

who is beautiful like the full moon, pure like the burning sun,

awesome as a military band with banners?'"

Young Woman

¹¹ "Down to the grove of walnut trees I came,

to see the budding of the valley,

to see if the vines had blossomed,

if the pomegranate trees had sprouted.

¹² Before I was aware of it,

my soul had put me with the chariots of my people."

Young Women of Jerusalem

¹³ "Come back, come back, Shulammite!

Come back, come back, so we can look upon you!"

Young Woman

"What do you see in the Shulammite,

some like the dance of two camps?"

Chapter 7

Solomon

¹ "How beautiful are your steps in your sandals, my daughter of a prince!

The curves of your thighs are like the carved ornaments of a skilled craftsman.

² Your navel is like a round bowl, which never is empty of mixed wine.

Your belly is a mound of wheat surrounded by lilies.

³ Your breasts are like two young fawns,

twins of a female gazelle.

⁴ Your neck is like a tower made of ivory,

your eyes like the pools in Heshbon close to the gates of Beth-rabbim.

Your nose is like a Lebanese tower, which is facing Damascus.

⁵ Your head is like Mount Carmel

and your hair is like a reddish purple cloth.

Not even a king could escape from your flowing hair.

⁶ You are so beautiful and pleasant,

O object of my love, so delightful.

⁷ You are as tall as a palm tree

and your breast resemble fruit clusters.

⁸ I told myself,

'I will climb this palm tree and grab some of its fruit.'

May your breasts be like grape clusters and the smell of your breath be like apples.

⁹ Your mouth is like the finest wine."

Young Woman

¹⁰ "[The wine of my mouth] flows for my beloved right past my lips and teeth.

I am only for my beloved and he wants only me.

¹¹ Come with me, my beloved, to the field

and spend the night among the henna plants.

¹² Then we can rise early and make our way to the vineyards

and we can see if the vine has bloomed, if the blossom has opened,

if the pomegranates are coming out,

and there we can love each other.

¹³ The mandrakes give off a certain smell

and at our doorways are a variety of the best fruits.

The new and the old, my beloved,

I have gathered up for you.

Chapter 8

¹ "If only, like a brother,

you could have nursed at my mother's breasts

so that if I happened to find you outside

I could kiss you in public and

people wouldn't look down on me.

² I would lead you, yes,

take you into the house of my mother,

the woman who taught me,

and I would give you a spiced wine

made of pomegranate juice.

³ His left hand would be under my head

while his right hand would be embracing me.

⁴ Young daughters of Jerusalem,

I make you swear not to awaken love in me

until it is the proper time."

Young Women of Jerusalem

⁵ "Who do we see coming up from the wilderness

leaning on the one that she loves?"

Young Woman

"You I awakened from under the apple tree

right where your mother conceived you,

and there is where she also gave birth to you.

⁶ Place me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm.

For love is as strong as death is

its jealousy as unyielding as the grave.

It burns with a blazing fire,

the mighty flame of Yah,

⁷ many waters cannot extinguish love

nor can rivers wash it away.

If a man were to give everything he owned

for the sake of love,

his offer would be rejected."

Brothers

⁸ "We have a young sister

who has no breasts.

What shall we do for her

on the day that she is spoken for?

⁹ If she is a wall

we will build a silver parapet on her,

but if she is a door

we will build a cedar wall in front of her."

Young Woman

¹⁰ "I am a wall and my breasts are towers.

In his eyes I have become as one who finds peace.

¹¹ There was a vineyard whose owner was Solomon that was in Baal-hamon.

He entrusted the vineyard to his keepers.

Each of them would bring a thousand silver pieces for its fruit.

¹² Before me is my own vineyard,

One thousand belong to you, Solomon,

however, two hundred are for those who guard it."

Young Man

¹³ "You who dwell in the gardens,

to your voice companions are listening.

Let me hear you!"

Young Woman

¹⁴ "Run, my beloved,

and become like a gazelle,

a young stag,

on the mountain of spices.

Notes

1. Literally speaking, the headings "He," "She," "Friends," etc. (in bold) do not appear in the Hebrew text. However, the Hebrew text does grammatically mark gender and number in such a way as to make it possible to distinguish who is speaking. The section headings keep this information from being lost in translation.
2. other shepherds: literally, your associates
3. Literally, caprovines, a word which can include both sheep and goats. But writing "caprovines" is simply not a workable option in an English poem.
4. (2:1) The Hebrew word translated here as "crocus" is habatselet, a term of uncertain meaning.
5. (2:3) apple. The Hebrew word is tapuah, which should perhaps be translated as "apricot."
6. (2:4) wine-house. Hebrew bet hayayin. If it is a proper name, the name of this location should be called "Beth Hayayin." If it is not a proper name, it might refer to a banqueting house, as a king might have, or perhaps something more humble, like a tent in a vineyard.
7. (2:4) His banner over me was love. This translation follows the Masoretic Text here. However, the Septuagint reads, "Set love before me."
8. apples. The Hebrew word translated here as "apple" is tapuah. Perhaps it should be translated apricots.
9. (2:17) mountains of Bether. This translation assumes that the Hebrew btr is a proper noun. If it is instead, a common noun, btr may refer to division or separation. "Mountains of separation" could refer to gorges or jagged divisions in a mountain, or else it may mean "the mountains that separate us."
10. (4:4) an armory. The word translated here as armory is in Hebrew talpiot. The meaning is very much uncertain.
11. verses 15 and 16 are from the clementine vulgate, consulting the Wycliff translation, as they weren't done before