1I am a wildflowerA of Sharon,

a lilyB of the valleys.a

Man

2Like a lily among thorns,

so is my darling among the young women.

Woman

3Like an apricotA tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my love among the young men.

I delight to sit in his shade,

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4He brought me to the banquet hall,a a

and he looked on me with love.B b

5Sustain me with raisins;

refresh me with apricots,A

for I am lovesick.a

6May his left hand be under my head,

and his right arm embrace me.a

7Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you

by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,

do not stir up or awaken love

until the appropriate time.a a

8Listen! My love is approaching.

Look! Here he comes,

leaping over the mountains,a

bounding over the hills.

9My love is like a gazelle

or a young stag.a

See, he is standing behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattice.

10My love calls to me:

Man

Arise,a my darling.

Come away, my beautiful one.

11For now the winter is past;

the rain has ended and gone away.

12The blossoms appear in the countryside.

The time of singingA has come,

and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.a

13The fig tree ripens its figs;a

the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.b

Arise, my darling.

Come away, my beautiful one.

14My dove,a in the clefts of the rock,b

in the crevices of the cliff,

let me see your face,A

let me hear your voice;c

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely.d

WomanA

15Catch the foxes for usa —

the little foxes that ruin the vineyards —

for our vineyards are in bloom.b

Woman

16My love is mine and I am his;a

he feeds among the lilies.

17Until the day breaksA

and the shadows flee,

turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle

or a young staga on the divided mountains.B b