1The Beloved’s Wish SongThe Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you were my little brother, nursing at my mother’s breasts; if I saw you outside, I could kiss you– surely no one would despise me!
2I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house, the one who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
3Double Refrain: Embracing and AdjurationThe Beloved about Her Lover: His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
4The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem:“Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!”
5The Awakening of LoveThe Maidens about His Beloved: Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?The Beloved to Her Lover: Under the apple tree I aroused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who bore you was in labor of childbirth.
6The Nature of True LoveThe Beloved to Her Lover: Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart, like a signet on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion is as unrelenting as Sheol. Its flames burst forth, it is a blazing flame.
7Surging waters cannot quench love; floodwaters cannot overflow it. If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love, the offer would be utterly despised.
8The Brother’s Plan and the Sister’s RewardThe Beloved’s Brothers: We have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?
9If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver; but if she is a door, we will barricade her with boards of cedar.
10The Beloved: I was a wall, and my breasts were like fortress towers. Then I found favor in his eyes.
11Solomon’s Vineyard and the Beloved’s VineyardThe Beloved to Her Lover: Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon; he leased out the vineyard to those who maintained it. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
12My vineyard, which belongs to me, is at my disposal alone. The thousand shekels belong to you, O Solomon, and two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its fruit.
13Epilogue: The Lover’s Request and His Beloved’s InvitationThe Lover to His Beloved: O you who stay in the gardens, my companions are listening attentively for your voice; let me be the one to hear it!
14The Beloved to Her Lover: Make haste, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.