Song Of Songs 2

“I am like a rose on the coast of Sharon.
    I’m like a lily in the valleys.”

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

“My love, among the young women
    you are like a lily among thorns.”

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

“My love, among the young men
    you are like an apple tree among the trees of the forest.
I’m happy to sit in your shade.
    Your fruit tastes so sweet to me.

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Lead me to the dinner hall.
    Let your banner of love be lifted high above me.

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Give me some raisins to make me strong.
    Give me some apples to make me feel like new again.
    Our love has made me weak.

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

Your left arm is under my head.
    Your right arm is around me.

His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

Women of Jerusalem, make me a promise.
    Let the antelopes and the does serve as witnesses.
Don’t stir up love.
    Don’t wake it up until it’s ready.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

“Listen! I hear my love!
    Look! Here he comes!
He’s leaping across the mountains.
    He’s coming over the hills.

The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

The one who loves me is like an antelope or a young deer.
    Look! There he stands behind our wall.
He’s gazing through the window.
    He’s peering through the screen.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

He said to me, ‘Rise up, my love.
    Come with me, my beautiful one.

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Look! The winter is past.
    The rains are over and gone.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

Flowers are appearing on the earth.
    The season for singing has come.
The cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig trees are producing their early fruit.
    The flowers on the vines are giving off their sweet smell.
Rise up and come, my love.
    Come with me, my beautiful one.’ ”

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

“You are like a dove in an opening in the rocks.
    You are like a dove in a hiding place on a mountainside.
Show me your face.
    Let me hear your voice.
Your voice is so sweet.
    Your face is so lovely.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Catch the foxes for us.
    Catch the little foxes.
They destroy our vineyards.
    The vineyards are in bloom.”

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

“My love belongs to me, and I belong to him.
    Like an antelope, he eats among the lilies.

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Until the day begins
    and the shadows fade away,
turn to me, my love.
    Be like an antelope
or like a young deer
    on the rocky hills.