1 The Beloved to Her Lover: I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys. 2 The Lover to His Beloved: Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens. 3 The Beloved about Her Lover: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4 The Beloved about Her Lover: He brought me into the banquet hall, and he looked at me lovingly. 5 Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.⁠a 7 The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: Do not awaken or arouse love until it pleases!⁠b 8 The Beloved about Her Lover: Listen! My lover is approaching! Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills! 9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice. 10 The Lover to His Beloved: My lover spoke to me, saying: “Arise, my darling; My beautiful one, come away with me! 11 Look! The winter has passed, the winter rains are over and gone. 12 Blossoms have appeared in the land; the time for pruning and singing has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree has ripened its figs; the vines have blossomed and give off their fragrance. Arise, come away my darling; my beautiful one, come away with me!” 14 The Lover to His Beloved: O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountain crags, let me see your face; let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 15 The Beloved to Her Lover: Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyard is in bloom. 16 The Beloved about Her Lover: My lover is mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies. 17 The Beloved to Her Lover: Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved—be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountain gorges.