The Song of Songs 1:2

The Desire for Love

The Beloved to Her Lover:

1:2 Oh, how I wish you would kiss me passionately!

For your lovemaking is more delightful than wine.

The Song of Songs 1:5

The Country Maiden and the Daughters of Jerusalem

The Beloved to the Maidens:

1:5 I am dark but lovely, O maidens of Jerusalem,

dark like the tents of Qedar,

lovely like the tent curtains of Salmah.

The Song of Songs 1:16

The Beloved to Her Lover:

1:16 Oh, how handsome you are, my lover!

Oh, how delightful you are!

The lush foliage is our canopied bed;

The Song of Songs 2:8

The Arrival of the Lover

The Beloved about Her Lover:

2:8 Listen! My lover is approaching!

Look! Here he comes,

leaping over the mountains,

bounding over the hills!

The Song of Songs 2:10

The Season of Love and the Song of the Turtle-Dove

The Lover to His Beloved:

2:10 My lover spoke to me, saying:

“Arise, my darling;

My beautiful one, come away with me!

The Song of Songs 2:15

The Foxes in the Vineyard

The Beloved to Her Lover:

2:15 Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes,

that ruin the vineyards –

for our vineyard is in bloom.

The Song of Songs 3:1

The Lost Lover is Found

The Beloved about Her Lover:

3:1 All night long on my bed

I longed for my lover.

I longed for him but he never appeared.

The Song of Songs 4:12

The Wedding Night: The Delightful Garden

The Lover to His Beloved:

4:12 You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride;

you are an enclosed spring, a sealed-up fountain.

The Song of Songs 5:5

5:5 I arose to open for my beloved;

my hands dripped with myrrh –

my fingers flowed with myrrh

on the handles of the lock.

The Song of Songs 5:16

5:16 His mouth is very sweet;

he is totally desirable.

This is my beloved!

This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!

The Song of Songs 6:3-4

Poetic Refrain: Mutual Possession

The Beloved about Her Lover:

6:3 I am my lover’s and my lover is mine;

he grazes among the lilies.

The Renewal of Love

The Lover to His Beloved:

6:4 My darling, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,

as lovely as Jerusalem,

as awe-inspiring as bannered armies!

The Song of Songs 7:9

7:9 May your mouth be like the best wine,

flowing smoothly for my beloved,

gliding gently over our lips as we sleep together.

The Song of Songs 8:4

The Beloved to the Maidens:

8:4 I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem:

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!”

The Song of Songs 8:13

Epilogue: The Lover’s Request and His Beloved’s Invitation

The Lover to His Beloved:

8:13 O you who stay in the gardens,

my companions are listening attentively for your voice;

let me be the one to hear it!