What a Beautiful Bride
He Speaks:
1My darling, you are lovely,
so very lovely—
as you look through your veil,
your eyes are those of a dove.
Your hair tosses about
as gracefully as goats
coming down from Gilead.
2Your teeth are whiter
than sheep freshly washed;
they match perfectly,
not one is missing.
3Your lips are crimson cords,
your mouth is shapely;
behind your veil are hidden
beautiful rosy cheeks.
4Your neck is more graceful
than the tower of David,
decorated with thousands
of warriors' shields.
5Your breasts are perfect;
they are twin deer
feeding among lilies.
6I will hasten to those hills
sprinkled with sweet perfume
and stay there till sunrise.
7My darling, you are lovely
in every way.
8My bride, together
we will leave Lebanon!
We will say goodbye
to the peaks of Mount Amana,
Senir, and Hermon,
where lions and leopards
live in the caves.
9My bride, my very own,
you have stolen my heart!
With one glance from your eyes
and the glow of your necklace,
you have stolen my heart.
10Your love is sweeter than wine;
the smell of your perfume
is more fragrant than spices.
11Your lips are a honeycomb;
milk and honey
flow from your tongue.
Your dress has the aroma
of cedar trees from Lebanon.
12My bride, my very own,
you are a garden, a fountain
closed off to all others.
13Your arms are vines,
covered with delicious fruits
and all sorts of spices—
henna, nard, 14saffron,
calamus, cinnamon,
frankincense, myrrh, and aloes
—all the finest spices.
15You are a spring in the garden,
a fountain of pure water,
and a refreshing stream
from Mount Lebanon.
She Speaks:
16Let the north wind blow,
the south wind too!
Let them spread the aroma
of my garden,
so the one I love
may enter and taste
its delicious fruits.