< Song of Solomon 4 >
1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, On the slopes of mount Gilead.
How beautiful you look, my darling, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair flows down like a flock of goats descending Mount Gilead.
2 Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.
Your teeth are as white as a flock of sheep that are just shorn and washed. None of them are missing—they are all perfectly matched.
3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely; As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil.
Your lips are as red as scarlet thread. Your mouth is gorgeous. Your cheeks are the blushing color of pomegranates behind your veil.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armoury: A thousand bucklers hang thereon, All shields of mighty men.
Your neck is as tall and shapely as David's tower, with your necklaces like the hanging shields of a thousand warriors.
5 Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns, two gazelles feeding among the lilies.
6 Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
Before the morning breezes blow and the shadows disappear, I must hurry to those mountains of myrrh and frankincense.
7 Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.
You are incredibly beautiful, my darling—you are absolutely flawless!
8 [Come] with me, from Lebanon, [my] spouse, With me from Lebanon, — Come, look from the top of Amanah, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come from Lebanon. Come down from the peak of Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains where leopards live.
9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] spouse; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride. With just one look you stole my heart, with just one sparkle from a single one of your necklaces.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!
How wonderful is your love, my sister, my bride! Your love is sweeter than wine. The way you smell from your perfumed oils is better than any spice.
11 Thy lips, [my] spouse, drop [as] the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
Nectar drips from your lips; milk and honey are under your tongue. The smell of your clothes is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden enclosed is my sister, [my] spouse; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
My sister, my bride, is a locked garden, a spring of water that is closed, a fountain that is sealed.
13 Thy shoots are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants;
Your channel is a paradise of pomegranates, full of the best fruits, with henna and nard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all kinds of trees producing frankincense, myrrh, aloes, and the finest spices.
15 A fountain in the gardens, A well of living waters, Which stream from Lebanon.
You are a garden fountain, a well of living water, a flowing stream from Lebanon.
16 Awake, north wind, and come, [thou] south; Blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow forth. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat its precious fruits.
Wake up, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow on my garden so its scent may be carried on the breeze. Let my love come to his garden and eat its best fruits.