The Lover to His Beloved:
2:2 Like 1 a lily among the thorns, 2
so is my darling among the maidens.
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:3 Like 3 an apple tree 4 among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight 5 to sit 6 in his shade, 7
and his fruit 8 is sweet 9 to my taste. 10
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:4 He brought me 11 into the banquet hall, 12
and he looked 13 at me lovingly. 14
2:5 Sustain 15 me with raisin cakes, 16
refresh me with apples, 17
for I am faint with love. 18
The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
2:6 His left hand caresses my head, 19
and his right hand stimulates me. 20
The Beloved to the Maidens:
2:7 I adjure you, 21 O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does 22 of the open fields: 23
Do not awaken or arouse 24 love 25 until it pleases! 26
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:8 Listen! 27 My lover is approaching! 28
Look! 29 Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
2:9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. 30
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the window,
peering through the lattice.
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:10 My lover spoke to me, saying:
“Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
2:11 Look! The winter has passed,
the winter rains are over and gone.
2:12 The pomegranates have appeared 31 in the land,
the time for pruning and singing 32 has come;
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
2:13 The fig tree has budded,
the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance.
Arise, come away my darling;
my beautiful one, come away with me!”
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:14 O my dove, 33 in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places of the mountain crags,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:15 Catch 34 the foxes 35 for us,
the little foxes, 36
that ruin the vineyards 37 –
for our vineyard is in bloom.
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:16 My lover is mine and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies. 38
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:17 Until the dawn arrives 39 and the shadows flee,
turn, 40 my beloved –
be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountain gorges. 41