1 [DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM] Whither hath thy beloved, gone, thou most beautiful among women? whither hath thy beloved turned him aside? That we may seek him with thee.

2 [SHE] My beloved, is gone down to his garden, to the beds of balsam,—to pasture in the gardens, and to gather lilies,

3 I, am, my beloved’s, and, my beloved, is mine, he that pastureth among lilies.

4 [HE] Beautiful, art thou, my fair one, as Tirzah, comely, as Jerusalem,—majestic as bannered hosts!

5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for, they, have excited me,—Thy hair, is like a flock of goats, that are reclining on the sides of Mount Gilead:

6 Thy teeth, are like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing-place,—whereof, all of them, are twin-bearers, and bereaved, is there none among them:

7 Like a slice of pomegranate, are thy temples, from behind thy veil:

8 Threescore, are the queens, and, fourscore, are the concubines,—and, virgins, there are, without number.

9 One alone, is my dove, my perfect one, one alone, was she to her mother, Pure, was she to her that bare her,—The daughters, have seen her, and pronounced her happy, Queens and concubines, and they have praised her. [****]

10 [THEY] Who is this, that looketh forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, majestic as bannered hosts?

11 [HE] To the garden of nuts, I went down, to look at the fresh shoots of the ravine,—to see whether: had burst forth the vine, had blossomed the pomegranate:—

12 I know not [how it was], my soul, set for me the chariots of my willing people!

13 [THEY] Return, return, O Shulamite, Return, return, that we may look on thee! [SHE] What would ye look on in the Shulamite? [THEY] As it were the dance of a double camp…