The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they bruised me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

While the king is in his chamber, my spikenard sendeth forth the fragrance he gave. A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; he lieth all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a spray of camphire blossom in the vineyards of En Gedi.

I have compared thee, O my love, to my mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are lovely with rows of jewels, thy neck with threaded beads. We will make thee bead-rows of gold with studs of silver.

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

The watchmen that go about the city found me: Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? I had barely passed from them, when 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 my conception.

Arise, come away, my shepherdess, my lovely, and come away!

O that thou wert as my brother, that nursed at the breasts of my mother! When I should meet thee in the street, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be rebuffed.

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

How beautiful are thy nipples, my sister, my bride! Thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the scent of thy perfume surpasseth all spices!

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

His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and well set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither hast thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

Thine head crowns thee like Mount Carmel, and the hair of thine head like royal purple bound in tresses.

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved! Yea, pleasant! Yea, our bed is fresh; the beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters are of fir.

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

Thy lips are like a cord of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy cheeks are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy tresses.

How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter! The curves of thy thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master craftsman. Thy navel is a rounded goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is a heap of wheat grains set about with lilies.

I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handle of the bolt.

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

I am dark, and comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem: as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.

Behold, thou art fair, my shepherdess! Behold, thou art fair! Thou hast doves’ eyes.

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, concealed in the cliff, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; thy pleasant voice, and thy comely countenance.

Come and see, O ye daughters of Zion: King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of his heart’s rejoicing.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where dost thou graze? Where dost thou rest at noon? For why should I be as one enveloped by the flocks of thy companions?

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my shepherdess, my lovely one, and come away.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold his litter, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apricots: for I am lovesick. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

I have put off my coat; how could I put it back on? I have washed my feet; how could I dirty them? My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my womb was moved for him.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines and the blossom of the vineyards.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the fragrance of thy good ointments, thy name is as ointment poured forth; therefore do the maidens love thee.

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

Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

Stare not at me because I am dark, because the sun hath looked on me: my mother’s sons were strict with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but I had not the keeping of mine own vineyard.

Before I was even aware, my soul commanded me like the chariots of my nobles: Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were, the dance of battling armies.

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us go up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my affections.

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. And now I rise, and go about the city in the streets and in the squares, I seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: thus did I find favour in his eyes.

Who is this that cometh up from the pasture, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth, she that bore thee.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am lovesick.

They all hold swords, experts in war: every man hath his sword at his thigh against fear in the nights.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till she pleases.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; thou hast ravished my heart with one glance of thine eyes, with one necklace of thy neck.