2:1 I am a1 meadow flower2 from Sharon,3
a lily4 from the valleys.
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:2 Like5 a lily among the thorns,6
so is my darling among the maidens.
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:3 Like7 an apple tree8 among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight9 to sit10 in his shade,11
and his fruit12 is sweet13 to my taste.14
The Banquet Hall for the Love-Sick
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:4 He brought me15 into the banquet hall,16
and he looked17 at me lovingly.18
2:5 Sustain19 me with raisin cakes,20
refresh me with apples,21
for I am faint with love.22
The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
2:6 His left hand caresses my head,23
and his right hand stimulates me.24
The Beloved to the Maidens:
2:7 I adjure you,25 O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does26 of the open fields:27
Do not awaken or arouse28 love29 until it pleases!30
The Arrival of the Lover
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:8 Listen!31 My lover is approaching!32
Look!33 Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
2:9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.34
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the window,
peering through the lattice.
The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtle-Dove
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 appeared35 in the land,
the time for pruning and singing36 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 Dove in the Clefts of En-Gedi
The Lover to His Beloved:
2:14 O my dove,37 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 Foxes in the Vineyard
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:15 Catch38 the foxes39 for us,
the little foxes,40
that ruin the vineyards41—
for our vineyard is in bloom.
Poetic Refrain: Mutual Possession
The Beloved about Her Lover:
2:16 My lover is mine and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.42
The Gazelle and the Ravenous Mountains
The Beloved to Her Lover:
2:17 Until the dawn arrives43 and the shadows flee,
turn,44 my beloved—
be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountain gorges.45
The Lost Lover is Found
The Beloved about Her Lover: