Song of Songs 4; Song of Songs 5

1 [Man]Look at you—so beautiful, my dearest! Look at you—so beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind the veil of your hair! Your hair is like a flock of goats as they stream down Mount Gilead.

2 Your teeth are like newly shorn ewes as they come up from the washing pool— all of them perfectly matched, not one of them lacks its twin.

3 Like a crimson ribbon are your lips; when you smile, it is lovely. Like a slice of pomegranate is the curve of your face behind the veil of your hair.

4 Like David's tower is your neck, splendidly built! A thousand shields are hung upon it— all the weapons of the warriors.

5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle doe, that graze among the lilies.

6 Before the day breeze blows and the shadows flee, I will be off to the mountain of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense.

7 You are utterly beautiful, my dearest; there's not a single flaw in you.

8 [Man]Come down with me from Lebanon, my bride— if only you would come down with me from Lebanon. Descend from the peak of Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountain lairs of leopards.

9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride! You have captured my heart with one glance from your eyes, with one strand of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your loving, my sister, my bride! Your loving is so much better than wine, and your fragrance better than any perfume!

11 Sweetness drops from your lips, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 An enclosed garden is my sister, my bride; an enclosed pool, a sealed spring.

13 Your limbs are an orchard of pomegranates with all kinds of luscious fruit, henna, and spices:

14 nard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all scented woods, myrrh, and aloes, with the very choicest perfumes!

15 You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water, streams from Lebanon.

16 Stir, north wind, and come, south wind!Blow upon my garden; let its perfumes flow! [Woman]Let my love come to his garden; let him eat its luscious fruit!

1 [Man]I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride! I have gathered my myrrh and my spices. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, dear friends! Drink and get drunk on love!

2 [Woman]I was sleeping, but my heart was awake. A sound! My love is knocking: [Man]"Open for me, my sister, my dearest, my dove, my perfect one! My head is soaked with dew, my hair, with the night mists."

3 [Woman]"I have taken off my tunic— why should I put it on again? I have bathed my feet— why should I get them dirty?"

4 My love put his hand in through the latch hole, and my body ached for him.

5 I rose; I went to open for my love, and my hands dripped myrrh, my fingers, liquid myrrh, over the handles of the lock.

6 I went and opened for my love, but my love had turned, gone away. I nearly died when he turned away. I looked for him but couldn't find him. I called out to him, but he didn't answer me.

7 They found me—the guards who make their rounds in the city. They struck me, bruised me. They took my shawl away from me, those guards of the city walls!

8 I place you under oath, daughters of Jerusalem: If you find my love, what should you tell him? That I'm weak with love!

9 [Daughters of Jerusalem]How is your lover different from any other lover, you who are the most beautiful of women? How is your lover different from any other lover, that you make us swear a solemn pledge?

10 [Woman]My lover is radiant and ruddy; he stands out among ten thousand!

11 His head is finest gold; his wavy hair, black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves by channels of water. They are bathing in milk, sitting by brimming pools.

13 His cheeks are like fragrant plantings, towers of spices. His lips are lilies dripping liquid myrrh.

14 His arms are gold cylinders studded with jewels. His belly is smooth ivory encrusted with sapphires.

15 His thighs are pillars of whitest stone set on pedestals of gold. His appearance—like Lebanon, stately, like the cedars.

16 His mouth is everything sweet, every bit of him desirable. This is my love, this my dearest, daughters of Jerusalem!