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The King Delights in His Bride

How lovely you are, my darling, how lovely!
Your eyes are doves behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of ewe goats
    descending down from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
    coming up from washing.
Each of them has a twin,
    and none among them is missing.
Your lips are like a scarlet thread
    and your speech is lovely.
Your temple is like a slice of pomegranate
    behind your veil.
Like the tower of David is your neck,
    built for weapons.
A thousand shields are hung on it
    —all shields of warriors.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    like twin gazelles
    grazing among the lilies.
Until the day cools
    and the shadows flee away,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh
    and to the hill of frankincense.
You are altogether lovely, my darling,
    and no blemish is in you.[a]
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
    come with me from Lebanon.
Watch from the top of Amana,
    from the top of Senir, even Hermon,
    from lions’ dens,
    from mountains of leopards.
You have captivated my heart,
    my sister, my bride—
    you captivated me
    with one of your eyes,
    with one jewel from your necklace.
10 How delightful is your love,
        my sister, my bride!
    How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils
    better than all spices!
11 Your lips, my bride,
    drip honey from the honeycomb.
    Honey and milk
    are under your tongue.
The scent of your garments
    is like the aroma of Lebanon.
12 A locked garden is my sister, my bride,
    an enclosed spring, a sealed fountain.
13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruit,
henna with nard
14 —nard and saffron,
        calamus and cinnamon—
with all the trees of frankincense,
        myrrh and aloes,
    along with all the finest spices—
15 a garden spring,
a well of living water[b]
    and flowing streams from Lebanon.

16 Awake, north wind,
        and come, south wind!
    Blow on my garden,
Let its fragrance spread out.
    Let my lover come into his garden
    and eat its choicest fruit.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 4:7 Lit. there is no flaw in you; hyperbole.
  2. Song of Songs 4:15 cf. John 4:10.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.