He Speaks:
1My bride, my very own,
I come to my garden
and enjoy its spices.
I eat my honeycomb and honey;
I drink my wine and milk.
Their Friends Speak:
Eat and drink until
you are drunk with love.
Another Dream
She Speaks:
2I was asleep, but dreaming:
The one I love was at the door,
knocking and saying,
“My darling, my very own,
my flawless dove,
open the door for me!
My head is drenched
with evening dew.”
3But I had already undressed
and bathed my feet.
Should I dress again
and get my feet dirty?
4Then my darling's hand
reached to open the latch,
and my heart stood still.
5When I rose to open the door,
my hands and my fingers
dripped with perfume.
6And I yearned for him
while he spoke to me,
but when I opened the door,
my darling had disappeared.
I searched and shouted,
but I could not find him—
there was no answer.
7Then I was found by the guards
patrolling the town
and guarding the wall.
They beat me up
and stripped off my robe.
8Young women of Jerusalem,
if you find the one I love,
please say to him,
“She is weak with desire.”
Their Friends Speak:
9Most beautiful of women,
why is the one you love
more special than others?
Why do you ask us
to tell him how you feel?
She Speaks:
10He is handsome and healthy,
the most outstanding
among ten thousand.
11His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy,
black as a raven.
12His eyes are a pair of doves
bathing in a stream
flowing with milk.
13His face is a garden
of sweet-smelling spices;
his lips are lilies
dripping with perfume.
14His arms are branches of gold
covered with jewels;
his body is ivory
decorated with sapphires.
15His legs are columns of marble
on feet of gold.
He stands there majestic
like Mount Lebanon
and its choice cedar trees.
16His kisses are sweet.
I desire him so much!
Young women of Jerusalem,
he is my lover and friend.