Song of Solomon 6

1 Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful among women? In what direction has your beloved gone, so that we may seek him with you?

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 has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to graze in the garden 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 beloved's, and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.

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

4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my love, as lovely as Jerusalem, as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners.

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

5 Turn your eyes away from me, for they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats going down from the slopes of Gilead.

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 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes coming up from the washing place. Each one has a twin, and none among them is bereaved.

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 Your cheeks are like pomegranate halves behind your veil.

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

8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and young women without number.

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

9 My dove, my undefiled, is the only one; she is the only daughter of her mother; she is the favorite one of the woman who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines saw her also, and they praised 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 who appears like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as bright as the sun, as awe-inspiring as an army with its 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 I went down into the grove of nut trees to see the young growth in the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

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 was so happy that I felt I was riding in the chariot of a prince.

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

13 Turn back, turn back, you perfect woman; turn back, turn back so that we may gaze on you. The woman speaking to the friends Why do you gaze on the perfect woman, as if on the dance between two armies?

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.