• The Groom

  • 1 “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and drink deeply, lovers.”

  • The Bride

  • 2 “I was asleep but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the dew drops of the night.’
  • 3 “I have taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet, How can I dirty them again?
  • 4 “My beloved extended his hand through the opening, And my feelings were stirred for him.
  • 5 “I arose to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with drops of myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.
  • 6 “I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and had gone! My heart went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him but I did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me.
  • 7 “The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, They struck me and wounded me; The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
  • 8 “Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you will tell him: For I am lovesick.”

  • The Chorus

  • 9 “What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved, That you make us swear in this way?”

  • The Bride

  • 10 “My beloved is dazzling and reddish, Outstanding among ten thousand.
  • 11 “His head is like gold, pure gold; His locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven.
  • 12 “His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And perched in their setting.
  • 13 “His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of herbal spices; His lips are lilies Dripping with drops of myrrh.
  • 14 “His hands are rods of gold Set with topaz; His abdomen is panels of ivory Covered with sapphires.
  • 15 “His thighs are pillars of alabaster Set on pedestals of pure gold; His appearance is like Lebanon, Choice as the cedars.
  • 16 “His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, You daughters of Jerusalem.”