5 King Solomon: “I am here in my garden, my darling, my bride! I gather my myrrh with my spices and eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk.”
The Young Women of Jerusalem: “Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply!”
The Girl: 2 “One night as I was sleeping, my heart awakened in a dream. I heard the voice of my beloved; he was knocking at my bedroom door. ‘Open to me, my darling, my lover, my lovely dove,’ he said, ‘for I have been out in the night and am covered with dew.’
3 “But I said, ‘I have disrobed. Shall I get dressed again? I have washed my feet, and should I get them soiled?’
4 “My beloved tried to unlatch the door, and my heart was thrilled within me. 5 I jumped up to open it, and my hands dripped with perfume, my fingers with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved, but he was gone. My heart stopped. I searched for him but couldn’t find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. 7 The guards found me and struck and wounded me. The watchman on the wall tore off my veil. 8 I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved one, tell him that I am sick with love.”
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 9 “O woman of rare beauty, what is it about your loved one that is better than any other, that you command us this?”
The Girl: 10 “My beloved one is tanned and handsome, better than ten thousand others! 11 His head is purest gold, and he has wavy, raven hair. 12 His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, deep and quiet. 13 His cheeks are like sweetly scented beds of spices. His lips are perfumed lilies, his breath like myrrh. 14 His arms are round bars of gold set with topaz; his body is bright ivory encrusted with jewels. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble set in sockets of finest gold, like cedars of Lebanon; none can rival him. 16 His mouth is altogether sweet, lovable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my beloved, my friend.”