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 is thy beloved turned aside ? that we may seek him with thee. 2My beloved is gone down into 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 among the lilies .
The Bride's Response and Longing
4Thou art beautiful , 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 appear from Gilead . 6Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing , whereof every one beareth twins , and there is not one barren among them.
The Bridegroom's Praise of the Bride
7As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks . 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 blessed her; 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 , and terrible as an army with banners ? 11I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley , and to see whether the vine flourished , and the pomegranates budded . 12Or ever I was aware , my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib . 13Return , return , O Shulamite ; return , return , that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite ? As it were the company of two armies .