1I am a meadow flower from Sharon,
a lily from the valleys.
2Like a lily among the thorns,
so is my darling among the maidens.
3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4He brought me into the banquet hall,
and he looked at me lovingly.
5Sustain me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
6His left hand caresses my head,
and his right hand stimulates me.
7I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields:
Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases!
8Listen! My lover is approaching!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
9My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the window,
peering through the lattice.
10My lover spoke to me, saying:
“Arise, my darling;
My beautiful one, come away with me!
11Look! The winter has passed,
the winter rains are over and gone.
12The pomegranates have appeared in the land,
the time for pruning and singing has come;
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13The 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!”
14O my dove, 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.
15Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards –
for our vineyard is in bloom.
16My lover is mine and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.
17Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved –
be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountain gorges.