He Speaks:

1My bride, my very own,

I come to my garden

and enjoy its spices.

I eat my honeycomb and honey;

I drink my wine and milk.

Their Friends Speak:

Eat and drink until

you are drunk with love.

Another Dream

She Speaks:

2I was asleep, but dreaming:

The one I love was at the door,

knocking and saying,

“My darling, my very own,

my flawless dove,

open the door for me!

My head is drenched

with evening dew.”

3But I had already undressed

and bathed my feet.

Should I dress again

and get my feet dirty?

4Then my darling's hand

reached to open the latch,

and my heart stood still.

5When I rose to open the door,

my hands and my fingers

dripped with perfume.

6And I yearned for him

while he spoke to me,

but when I opened the door,

my darling had disappeared.

I searched and shouted,

but I could not find him—

there was no answer.

7Then I was found by the guards

patrolling the town

and guarding the wall.

They beat me up

and stripped off my robe.

8Young women of Jerusalem,

if you find the one I love,

please say to him,

“She is weak with desire.”

Their Friends Speak:

9Most beautiful of women,

why is the one you love

more special than others?

Why do you ask us

to tell him how you feel?

She Speaks:

10He is handsome and healthy,

the most outstanding

among ten thousand.

11His head is purest gold;

his hair is wavy,

black as a raven.

12His eyes are a pair of doves

bathing in a stream

flowing with milk.+

13His face is a garden

of sweet-smelling spices;

his lips are lilies

dripping with perfume.

14His arms are branches of gold

covered with jewels;

his body is ivory+

decorated with sapphires.

15His legs are columns of marble

on feet of gold.

He stands there majestic

like Mount Lebanon

and its choice cedar trees.

16His kisses are sweet.

I desire him so much!

Young women of Jerusalem,

he is my lover and friend.