The Bride's Beauty and the Bridegroom's Admiration
The Bride's Beauty and the Bridegroom's Admiration
1Whither is thy beloved gone , O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him , That we may seek him with thee ? 2My beloved is gone down to his garden , To the beds of spices , To feed in the gardens , and to gather lilies . 3I am my beloved ’s, and my beloved is mine: He feedeth his flock among the lilies .
The Bride's Response and Longing
4Thou art fair , O my love , as Tirzah , Comely as Jerusalem , Terrible as an army with banners . 5Turn away thine eyes from me , For they have overcome me . Thy hair is as a flock of goats , That lie along the side of Gilead . 6Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes , Which are come up from the washing ; Whereof every one hath twins , And none is bereaved among them .
The Bridegroom's Praise of the Bride
7Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil . 8There are threescore queens , and fourscore concubines , And virgins without number . 9My dove , my undefiled , is but one ; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her . The daughters saw her , and called her blessed; Yea , the queens and the concubines , and they praised her .
The Call to Return to Love
10Who is she that looketh forth as the morning , Fair as the moon , Clear as the sun , Terrible as an army with banners ? 11I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley , To see whether the vine budded , And the pomegranates were in flower. 12Before I was aware , my soul set me Among the chariots of my princely people . 13Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?