They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, That I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? that thou dost so charge us? My beloved is white and ruddy, Washed with milk, and fitly set. of fine gold: cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea,he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, Thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, Whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; She is the only one of her mother, She is the choice one of her that bare her. Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, And to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded. Or ever I was aware, My soul made me like the chariots of Ammi-nadib. Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies. How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, Thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; Thine eyes like the fish pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus. Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thine head like purple; The king is held in the galleries. How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! This thy stature is like to a palm tree, And thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: Now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy nose like apples; And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine For my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, Causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak. I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. And the pomegranates bud forth: There will I give thee my loves. The mandrakes give a smell, And at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, New and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved. O That thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, I should not be despised. I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please. Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, I raised thee up under the apple tree: |