Chapter 2
1 W I am a flower of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
2 M Like a lily among thorns,
so is my friend among women.
3 W Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
so is my lover among men.
In his shadow I delight to sit,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 (A)He brought me to the banquet hall
and his glance at me signaled love.
5 (B)Strengthen me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for I am sick with love.
6 (C)His left hand is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
7 (D)I adjure you, Daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and the does of the field,
Do not awaken, or stir up love
until it is ready.
Her Lover’s Visit Remembered
8 W The sound of my lover! here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
9 My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
See! He is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
10 My lover speaks and says to me,
M “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one,
and come!
11 For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my friend, my beautiful one,
and come!
14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.”
15 W Catch us the foxes, the little foxes
that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom!
16 (E)My lover belongs to me and I to him;
he feeds among the lilies.
17 (F)Until the day grows cool and the shadows flee,
roam, my lover,
Like a gazelle or a young stag
upon the rugged mountains.
Footnotes
- 2:1
- 2:3
- 2:4–6
- 2:5
- 2:7
- 2:8–13
- 2:9
- 2:14
- 2:15
- 2:17
Cross references
- 2:4 : Sg 1:4.
- 2:5 : Sg 5:8.
- 2:6 : Sg 8:3.
- 2:7 : Sg 3:5; 8:4.
- 2:16 : Sg 6:3; 7:10.
- 2:17 : Sg 4:6; 8:14.
