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The search

[Woman]

Upon my bed, night after night,
        I looked for the one whom I love with all my heart.
    I looked for him but couldn’t find him.[a]
“I will rise now and go all around the city,
        through the streets and the squares.
I will look for the one whom I love with all my heart.”
    I looked for him but couldn’t find him.
The guards found me,
        those who make their rounds in the city.
“The one whom I love with all my heart—
        have you seen him?”
No sooner did I depart from them
        than I found the one whom I love with all my heart.
I held on to him and now I won’t let him go,
        until I’ve brought him to my mother’s house,
        to the chamber of the one who conceived me.

I place you under oath, daughters of Jerusalem,
        by the gazelles or the wild deer:
        don’t rouse, don’t arouse love
            until it desires.

Visions of grandeur

Who is this, coming up from the wilderness,
        like pillars of smoke?
She is perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
        selected from all the spice merchant’s powders.

Picture Solomon’s bed—
        sixty heroic men round about it,
        all from the heroes of Israel,
    all of them skilled with the sword,
        expert in warfare,
        each with his sword ready at his thigh
        against terrors that come by night.
King Solomon made a canopied couch for himself
        from the trees of Lebanon.
10 Its pillars he made of silver,
        its covering, cloth of gold,
        its cushions, royal purple;
        its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 go forth!
Look, daughters of Zion—
        on King Solomon wearing the crown
        with which his mother crowned him
        on the day of his wedding,
        on the day of his heart’s joy.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 3:1 LXX adds I called him, but he didn't answer me; cf 5:6.

All night long on my bed
    I looked(A) for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(B)
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(C)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(D)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(E)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(F)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(G)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(H) and incense
    made from all the spices(I) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(J)
    the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
    all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
    prepared for the terrors of the night.(K)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
    he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
    its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
    its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
    and look, you daughters of Zion.(L)
Look[a] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
    the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
    the day his heart rejoiced.(M)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.