¹ As a lily among the thorns,

² So is my friend among the daughters!

³ As a citron among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit is sweet to my palate.

⁴ He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me is love,

⁵ Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I am sick with love.

⁶ His left hand is under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

⁷ I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please!

⁸ The voice of my beloved! lo, this--he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

⁹ My beloved is like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this--he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice.

¹⁰ My beloved hath answered and said to me, `Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,

¹¹ For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away--it hath gone.

¹² The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,

¹³ The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.

¹⁴ My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice is sweet, and thy appearance comely.

¹⁵ Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes--destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards.

¹⁶ My beloved is mine, and I am his, Who is delighting among the lilies,

¹⁷ Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation!