1Asleep on my bed, night after night
I dreamed of the one I love;
I was looking for him, but couldn't find him.
2I went wandering through the city,
through its streets and alleys.
I looked for the one I love.
I looked, but couldn't find him.
3The sentries patrolling the city saw me.
I asked them, “Have you found my lover?”
4As soon as I left them, I found him.
I held him and wouldn't let him go
until I took him to my mother's house,
to the room where I was born.
5Promise me, women of Jerusalem;
swear by the swift deer and the gazelles
that you will not interrupt our love.
The Third Song
The Woman
6What is this coming from the desert like a column of smoke,
fragrant with incense and myrrh,
the incense sold by the traders?
7Solomon is coming, carried on his throne;
sixty soldiers form the bodyguard,
the finest soldiers in Israel.
8All of them are skillful with the sword;
they are battle-hardened veterans.
Each of them is armed with a sword,
on guard against a night attack.
9King Solomon is carried on a throne
made of the finest wood.
10Its posts are covered with silver;
over it is cloth embroidered with gold.
Its cushions are covered with purple cloth,
lovingly woven by the women of Jerusalem.
11Women of Zion, come and see King Solomon.
He is wearing the crown that his mother placed on his head
on his wedding day,
on the day of his gladness and joy.