1Oh that some one would make thee as my brother that hath sucked my mother's breasts! should I then find thee without, I would kiss thee; and yet, people would not despise me.

2I would lead thee, I would bring thee into my mother's house, thou shouldst teach me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the sweet juice of my pomegranate.

3Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right hand might embrace me.

4I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, why will ye awaken, and why will ye excite my love, until it please [to come of itself]?—

5Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her friend?—Under the apple-tree have I waked thee up; there thy mother brought thee forth; there brought thee forth she that bore thee.

6Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm; for strong as death is love; violent like the nether world is jealousy; its heat is the heat of fire, a flame of God.

7Many waters are not able to quench love, nor can the rivers flood it away: if a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, men would utterly despise him.—

8We have a little sister, and she hath yet no breasts: what shall we do for our sister on the day when she shall be spoken for?

9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.—

10I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.

11Solomon had a vineyard at Ba'al-hamon; he had given up the vineyard unto the keepers; every one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.

12My vineyard, which was mine, was before me: thine, O Solomon, be the thousand, and let two hundred be for those that keep its fruit.—

13“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions listen for thy voice: oh let me hear it.”

14Flee away, my friend, and be thou like the roebuck, or the fawn of the hinds, upon the mountain of spices.