Song of Solomon 5

1 Bride: May my beloved enter into his garden, and eat the fruit of his apple trees. Groom to Bride: I have arrived in my garden, O my sister, my spouse. I have harvested my myrrh, with my aromatic oils. I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey. I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, O most beloved.

I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; to take my myrrh with my spice; my wax with my honey; my wine with my milk. Take meat, O friends; take wine, yes, be overcome with love.

2 Bride: I sleep, yet my heart watches. The voice of my beloved knocking: Groom to Bride: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my immaculate one. For my head is full of dew, and the locks of my hair are full of the drops of the night.

I am sleeping, but my heart is awake; it is the sound of my loved one at the door, saying, Be open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my very beautiful one; my head is wet with dew, and my hair with the drops of the night.

3 Bride: I have taken off my tunic; how shall I be clothed in it? I have washed my feet; how shall I spoil them?

I have put off my coat; how may I put it on? My feet are washed; how may I make them unclean?

4 My beloved put his hand through the window, and my inner self was moved by his touch.

My loved one put his hand on the door, and my heart was moved for him.

5 I rose up in order to open to my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the finest myrrh.

I got up to let my loved one in; and my hands were dropping with myrrh, and my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the lock of the door.

6 I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved. But he had turned aside and had gone away. My soul melted when he spoke. I sought him, and did not find him. I called, and he did not answer me.

I made the door open to my loved one; but my loved one had taken himself away, and was gone, my soul was feeble when his back was turned on me; I went after him, but I did not come near him; I said his name, but he gave me no answer.

7 The keepers who circulate through the city found me. They struck me, and wounded me. The keepers of the walls took my veil away from me.

The keepers who go about the town overtook me; they gave me blows and wounds; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

8 I bind you by oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, announce to him that I languish through love.

I say to you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you see my loved one, what will you say to him? That I am overcome with love.

9 Chorus to Bride: What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved, so that you would bind us by oath?

What is your loved one more than another, O fairest among women? What is your loved one more than another, that you say this to us?

10 Bride: My beloved is white and ruddy, elect among thousands.

My loved one is white and red, the chief among ten thousand.

11 His head is like the finest gold. His locks are like the heights of palm trees, and as black as a raven.

His head is as the most delicate gold; his hair is thick, and black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves, which have been washed with milk over rivulets of waters, and which reside near plentiful streams.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the water streams, washed with milk, and rightly placed.

13 His cheeks are like a courtyard of aromatic plants, sown by perfumers. His lips are like lilies, dripping with the best myrrh.

His face is as beds of spices, giving out perfumes of every sort; his lips like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

14 His hands are smoothed gold, full of hyacinths. His abdomen is ivory, accented with sapphires.

His hands are as rings of gold ornamented with beryl-stones; his body is as a smooth plate of ivory covered with sapphires.

15 His legs are columns of marble, which have been established over bases of gold. His appearance is like that of Lebanon, elect like the cedars.

His legs are as pillars of stone on a base of delicate gold; his looks are as Lebanon, beautiful as the cedar-tree.

16 His throat is most sweet, and he is entirely desirable. Such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

His mouth is most sweet; yes, he is all beautiful. This is my loved one, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.