The Beloved

5 I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse;I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;I have drunk my wine with my milk.

(To His Friends)

Eat, O friends!Drink, yes, drink deeply,O beloved ones!

The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening

The Shulamite

² I sleep, but my heart is awake;It is the voice of my beloved!He knocks, saying,“Open for me, my sister, my love,My dove, my perfect one;For my head is covered with dew,My locks with the drops of the night.”³ I have taken off my robe;How can I put it on again?I have washed my feet;How can I defile them?⁴ My beloved put his handBy the latch of the door,And my heart yearned for him.⁵ I arose to open for my beloved,And my hands dripped with myrrh,My fingers with liquid myrrh,On the handles of the lock.

⁶ I opened for my beloved,But my beloved had turned away and was gone.My heart leaped up when he spoke.I sought him, but I could not find him;I called him, but he gave me no answer.⁷ The watchmen who went about the city found me.They struck me, they wounded me;The keepers of the wallsTook my veil away from me.⁸ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,If you find my beloved,That you tell him I am lovesick!

The Daughters of Jerusalem

⁹ What is your belovedMore than another beloved,O fairest among women?What is your belovedMore than another beloved,That you so charge us?

The Shulamite

¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy,Chief among ten thousand.¹¹ His head is like the finest gold;His locks are wavy,And black as a raven.¹² His eyes are like dovesBy the rivers of waters,Washed with milk,And fitly set.¹³ His cheeks are like a bed of spices,Banks of scented herbs.His lips are lilies,Dripping liquid myrrh.

¹⁴ His hands are rods of goldSet with beryl.His body is carved ivoryInlaid with sapphires.¹⁵ His legs are pillars of marbleSet on bases of fine gold.His countenance is like Lebanon,Excellent as the cedars.¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet,Yes, he is altogether lovely.This is my beloved,And this is my friend,O daughters of Jerusalem!