Song of Solomon 6

1 Whither is thy friend gone, O fairest of women? whither hath thy friend turned himself? that we may seek him with thee?—

Whither is your kinsman gone, you beautiful amongst women? whither has your kinsman turned aside? [tell us], and we will seek him with you.

2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

My kinsman is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to feed [his flock] in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 I am my friend's, and my friend is mine: he that feedeth among the lilies.—

I am my kinsman's, and my kinsman is mine, who feeds amongst the lilies.

4 Thou art beautiful, O my beloved, like Thirzah, comely like Jerusalem, terrible as armies encamped round their banners.

You are fair, my companion, as Pleasure, beautiful as Jerusalem, terrible as [armies] set in array.

5 Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have excited me: thy hair is like a flock of goats that come quietly down from mount Gil'ad.

Turn away your eyes from before me, for they have ravished me: your hair is as flocks of goats which have appeared from Galaad.

6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes which are come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and there is not one among them that is deprived of her young.

Your teeth are as flocks of shorn [sheep], that have gone up from the washing, all of them bearing twins, and there is none barren amongst them: your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely.

7 Like the half of the pomegranate is the upper part of thy cheek behind thy vail.

Your cheek is like the rind of a pomegranate, [being seen] without your veil.

8 Sixty are the queens, and eighty the concubines, and the young women without number;

There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.

9 But one alone is my dove, my guiltless one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the chosen of her that bore her: maidens see her, and call her happy; yea, queens and concubines, and praise her.

My dove, my perfect one is one; she is the [only] one of her mother; she is the choice of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and the queens will pronounce her blessed, yes, and the concubines, and they will praise her.

10 Who is this that shineth forth like the morning-dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as armies encamped round their banners?

Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as [armies] set in array?

11 Into the nut-garden was I gone down, to look about among the plants of the valley, to see whether the vine had blossomed, whether the pomegranates had budded.

I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine flowered, [if] the pomegranates blossomed.

12 I knew not [how it was], my soul made me [like] the chariots of my noble people.

There I will give you my breasts: my soul knew [it] not: it made me as the chariots of Aminadab.

13 Return, return, O Shulammith; return, return, that we may look upon thee. “What will ye see in the Shulammith?” As though it were the dance of a double company.

Return, return, O Sunamite; return, return, and we will look at you. What will you see in the Sunamite? She comes as bands of armies.