2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the daughters.
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my lover among the sons.
In his shadow I delighted to sit,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He has brought me to the banquet house
and his banner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples—
for I am weak with love.
6 His left hand is under my head
and his right hand embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you,
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love until it delights.
8 The voice of my lover!
Behold, he is coming—
leaping over the mountains,
springing over the hills!
9 My lover is like a gazelle
or a young buck among the stags.
Look! He is standing behind our wall—
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 In response my lover said to me:
“Get yourself up, my darling,
my pretty one, and come, come![a]
11 For behold, the winter has past,
the rain is over, it has gone.
12 Blossoms appear in the land,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtle-dove
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens its early figs.
The blossoming vines give off their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling,
my pretty one, and come, come!
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in a secret place along the steep path,
let me see your form,
let me hear your voice.
For your voice is sweet
and your form is lovely.”
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.
The Bride’s Revelry
16 My lover is mine, and I am his!
He grazes his flocks among the lilies.
17 Until the day cools
and the shadows flee away,
turn about, my lover,
like a gazelle or like a stag
upon the mountains of spices.