The Torment of Separation
The Groom
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, friends;
Drink and [a]drink deeply, lovers.”
The Bride
2 “I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is [b]drenched with dew,
My locks with the dew drops of the night.’
3 I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my feelings were stirred for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and had gone!
My [c]heart went out to him as he spoke.
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me.
7 The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8 Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For I am lovesick.”
The Chorus
9 “[d]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
[e]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 “My beloved is dazzling and [f]reddish,
Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, pure gold;
His locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their setting.
13 His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,
[g]Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are lilies
Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with [h]sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon,
Choice as the cedars.
16 His [i]mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Or become drunk
- Song of Solomon 5:2 Lit filled
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit soul
- Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
- Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
- Song of Solomon 5:10 I.e., of reddish hair or skin
- Song of Solomon 5:13 Lit Towers
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit lapis lazuli
- Song of Solomon 5:16 Lit palate