< Song of Solomon 6 >

1 Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
Whither is thy friend gone, O fairest of women? whither hath thy friend turned himself? that we may seek him with thee?—
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
My beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies.
I am my friend's, and my friend is mine: he that feedeth among the lilies.—
4 You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
Thou art beautiful, O my beloved, like Thirzah, comely like Jerusalem, terrible as armies encamped round their banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
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.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing, of which every one has twins; not one is bereaved among them.
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.
7 Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
Like the half of the pomegranate is the upper part of thy cheek behind thy vail.
8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
Sixty are the queens, and eighty the concubines, and the young women without number;
9 My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed. The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.
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.
10 Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
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?
11 I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
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.
12 Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
I knew not [how it was], my soul made me [like] the chariots of my noble people.
13 Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
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.

< Song of Solomon 6 >