[1] If only you were as my brother—the one who nursed at my mother’s breast. I would find you in the street and kiss you, and no one would shame me for it. [2] I would lead you, I would bring you to my mother’s house; she would teach me what to do. I would give you spiced wine to drink, some of my fresh pomegranate juice. [3] His left arm is beneath my head, and his right embraces me! [4] Make a solemn pledge, daughters of Jerusalem, never to rouse, never to arouse love until it desires. [5] Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning against her lover? Under the apple tree I aroused you—there, where your mother labored with you, there where, laboring, she bore you. [6] Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, passionate love unrelenting as the grave. Its darts are darts of fire—divine flame! [7] Rushing waters can’t quench love; rivers can’t wash it away. If someone gave all his estate in exchange for love, he would be laughed to utter shame. [8] Our sister is small; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day that she is spoken for? [9] If she is a city wall, then we will build a turret of silver on her. And if she is a door, then we will barricade her with a panel of cedar. [10] I’m a city wall, and my breasts are the towers. So now I’m in his eyes as one who brings peace. [11] Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He gave charge of the vineyard to keepers; one would bring in exchange for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. [12] My vineyard, my very own, is before me. You can have the thousand, Solomon—with two hundred for those who tend the fruit! [13] You who sit in the gardens, my companions are listening for your voice. Let me hear it! [14] “Take flight, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spice!”
