1 Oh that thou hadst been a very brother to me, who had sucked the breasts of my own mother,—Had I found thee without, I had kissed thee, Yea, folk would not have despised me!

2 I would have guided thee—brought thee into the house of my mother, Thou wouldst have instructed me,—I would have let thee drink of spiced wine, of the pressed-out juice of my pomegranate.

3 His left hand under my head, then, his right hand, embraceth me.

4 I [HE] adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,—Why will ye wake, and why will ye arouse the dear love until she please! [****]

5 [THEY] Who is this, coming up out of the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? [HE] Under the apple-tree, I roused thee, where thy mother, was in pain with thee, where she was in pain who gave thee birth!

6 [SHE] Set me as a seal, upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm, For, mighty as death, is love, Exacting as hades, is jealousy,—The flames thereof, are flames of fire, The flash of Yah!

7 Many waters, cannot quench love, nor shall, floods, overwhelm it,—If a man would give all the substance of his house, for love, they would, utterly despise, him. [****]

8 [THEY] A sister, have we, a little one, and, breasts, hath she none, What shall we do for our sister, in the day when she may be spoken for?

9 If, a wall, she is, we will build upon it a battlement of silver,—but if, a door, she is, we will close it up with a plank of cedar.

10 [SHE] I, was a wall, and, my breasts, like towers,—Then, became I, in his eyes, one who did indeed find good content.

11 A vineyard, had Solomon, as the owner of abundance, He put out the vineyard to keepers,—Every man, was to bring in, for the fruit thereof, a thousand silverlings:

12 Mine own vineyard, is before me,—The thousand belong to thee, O Solomon, and two hundred to the keepers of the fruit thereof.

13 [HE] O thou fair dweller in the gardens, the companions are giving heed to thy voice, Let me hear it.

14 [SHE] Come quickly, my beloved, and resemble thou a gazelle, or a young stag, upon the mountains of balsam-trees.