Rotherham - Song of Solomon

Chapter 1

1:1  The Song of Songs, which pertaineth to Solomon.

1:2  [SHE] Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! [THEY] For better are thy caresses than wine:

1:3  Like the fragrance of thy precious oils, Oil poured out, is thy name, For this cause, virgins love thee.

1:4  [SHE] Draw me! [THEY] After thee, will we run! [SHE] The king, hath brought me, into his chambers. [THEY] We will exult and rejoice in thee, we will mention thy caresses, beyond wine, Sincerely they love thee.

1:5  [SHE] Swarthy, I am but comely, ye daughters of Jerusalem. [THEY] Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

1:6  [SHE] Do not look on me, because, I, am so swarthy, because the sun hath scorched me,—My mother’s sons, were angry with me, they set me to keep the vineyards, Mine own vineyard, have I not kept. …

1:7  Tell me, thou loved of my soul! Where wilt thou pasture thy flock? Where wilt thou let them recline at noon? For why should I be as one that wrappeth a veil about her, by the flocks of thy companions?

1:8  [HE] If thou know not of thyself, most beautiful among women! get thee forth in the footsteps of the flock, and pasture thy kids by the huts of the shepherds. …

1:9  To a mare of mine, in the chariots of Pharaoh, have I likened thee, my fair one!

1:10  Comely are thy cheeks, with bead-rows, thy neck, with strings of gems.

1:11  [THEY] Rows of golden ornaments, will we make thee, with studs of silver.

1:12  [SHE] By the time the king is in his circle, my nard, will have given out its fragrance:

1:13  A bag of myrrh, is my beloved to me, between my breasts, shall it tarry the night!

1:14  A cluster of henna, is my beloved to me, in the vineyards of En-gedi.

1:15  [HE] Lo! thou art beautiful my fair one, lo! thou art beautiful, Thine eyes, [are] doves!

1:16  [SHE] Lo! thou art beautiful, my beloved, Yea delightful! [BOTH] Yea! our couch, is covered with leaves:

1:17  The beams of our house, are cedars, Our fretted ceiling, is cypress-trees.

Chapter 2

2:1  [SHE] I am The meadow-saffron of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.

2:2  [HE] As a lily among thorns, So, is my fair one, among the daughters!

2:3  [SHE] As an apple-tree among the trees of the forest, So, is my beloved, among the sons: In his shade, I greatly delighted and sat down, And, his fruit, was sweet to my taste.

2:4  He hath brought me into the house of wine, and, his banner over me, is love.

2:5  Sustain me with raisin-cakes, refresh me with apples,—for sick with love, I am.

2:6  His left hand under my head, then, his right hand, embraceth me!

2:7  [HE] I adjure you, ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,—That ye wake not, nor arouse, the dear love until she please! [****]

2:8  [SHE] The voice of my beloved! Lo! here he cometh,—leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills.

2:9  Resembleth, my beloved, a gazelle, or a young stag,—Lo! here he is, standing behind our wall, looking in at the windows, peeping in at the lattice.

2:10  Responded my beloved, and said to me,—Rise up! my fair—my beautiful—one, and come away,

2:11  For lo, the winter, is past,—the rain, is over, [and] gone;

2:12  The flowers, have appeared in the earth, the time of the spring-song, hath come,—and, the voice of the turtle, is heard in our land;

2:13  The fig-tree, hath spiced her green figs, and, the vines—all blossom, yield fragrance,—Rise up! my fair—my beautiful—one, and come away!

2:14  [HE] O my dove! In the retreats of the crag, in the hiding-place of the terrace, Let me see thy form, Let me hear thy voice,—For, thy voice, is sweet, and, thy form, comely.

2:15  [BOTH] Take ye for us, the foxes, the little foxes that are spoiling the vines,—and, our vines, are all blossom!

2:16  [SHE] My beloved, is, mine, and, I, am, his, he that pastureth among lilies!

2:17  Until the day, breathe, and the shadows, be lengthened, Again, liken thyself, my beloved, to a gazelle, or to a young stag, upon the cleft mountains. [****]

Chapter 3

3:1  [SHE] Upon my couch, in the night-time, sought I the beloved of my soul,—I sought him, but found him not.

3:2  Come! I must arise, and go about in the city, In the paths and in the broadways, I must seek the beloved of my soul,—I sought him, but found him not.

3:3  The watchmen that go round in the city, found me, The beloved of my soul, have ye seen?

3:4  Scarcely had I passed from them, when I found the beloved of my soul,—I caught him, and would not let him go, until that I had brought him into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

3:5  [HE] I adjure you ye, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field,—That ye wake not, nor arouse, the dear love until she please. [****]

3:6  [THEY] Who is this, coming up out of the wilderness, like pillars of smoke,—with perfume of myrrh, and frankincense, besides all the aromatic powder of the merchant?

3:7  Lo! his couch, ’tis Solomon’s own, Threescore heroes, around it,—of the heroes of Israel:

3:8  All of them, grasping the sword, trained for war,—every man, with his sword upon his thigh, because of dread, in the night-time.

3:9  A palanquin, King Solomon made himself, of the trees of Lebanon:

3:10  The supports thereof, made he of silver, the couch thereof, of gold, the seat thereof, of purple,—the midst thereof, hath an inlay of love from the daughters of Jerusalem.

3:11  Go forth and gaze, ye daughters of Zion, upon King Solomon,—wearing the crown, wherewith his mother, crowned him, in the day of his marriage, and in the day of his heart gladness.

Chapter 4

4:1  [HE] Lo! thou art beautiful, my fair one, Lo! thou art beautiful, Thine eyes, are doves, from behind thy veil,—Thy hair, is like a flock of goats, which are reclining on the sides of Mount Gilead:

4:2  Thy teeth, are like a flock, evenly grown, which have come up from the washing-place,—whereof, all of them, are twin-bearers, and bereaved, is none among them:

4:3  Like a cord of crimson, are thy lips, and, thy mouth, is lovely,—Like a slice of pomegranate, are thy temples, behind thy veil:

4:4  Like the tower of David, is thy neck, built for war,—A thousand shields, hung thereon, all, equipment of heroes:

4:5  Thy two breasts, are like two young roes, twins of a gazelle,—which pasture among lilies.

4:6  Until the day, breathe, and the shadows, be lengthened, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, and unto the hill of frankincense.

4:7  Thou art, all over, beautiful, my fair one, and, blemish, is there none in thee.

4:8  With me, from Lebanon, O bride, with me, from Lebanon, shalt thou enter,—Thou shalt look round from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir, and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.

4:9  Thou hast encouraged me, my sister, bride,—thou hast encouraged me, with one [glance] of thine eyes, with one ornament of thy neck.

4:10  How beautiful are thy caresses, my sister, bride,—how much more delightful thy caresses, than wine, and the fragrance of thine oils, than all spices:

4:11  With sweetness, thy lips do drip, O bride,—Honey and milk, are under thy tongue, and, the fragrance of thy garments, is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

4:12  A garden barred, is my sister, bride,—a spring barred, a fountain sealed:

4:13  Thy buddings forth, are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits,—henna bushes, with nard blossoms:

4:14  Nard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all woods of frankincense,—myrrh and aloes, with all the chiefs of spices:

4:15  A garden fountain, a well of living waters,—and flowings from Lebanon.

4:16  [SHE] Awake, O north wind, and come in, thou south, Fan my garden—its balsams, will flow out,—Let my beloved enter his garden, and eat his precious fruits.

Chapter 5

5:1  [HE] I have entered my garden, my sister, bride, I have plucked my myrrh, with my balsam, I have eaten the honey of my thicket, I have drunk my wine, with my milk:—Eat ye, O friends, Drink, yea drink abundantly, ye beloved! [****]

5:2  [SHE] I, was sleeping, but, my heart, was awake,—The voice of my beloved—knocking! Open to me, my sister, my fair one, my dove, my perfect one, for, my head, is filled with dew, my locks, with the moisture of the night.

5:3  I have put off my tunic, oh how shall I put it on? I have bathed my feet, oh how shall I soil them?

5:4  My beloved, thrust in his hand, at the window, and, my feelings, were deeply moved for him:

5:5  I myself, arose, to open to my beloved,—and, my hands, dripped with myrrh, and, my fingers, with myrrh distilling, upon the handles of the bolt.

5:6  I myself, opened to my beloved, but, my beloved, had turned away, had passed on,—My soul, had gone out when he spake, I sought him, but found him not, I called him, but he answered not.

5:7  The watchmen who were going round in the city, found me, they smote me, wounded me,—The watchmen of the walls, took away my cloak from off me.

5:8  I adjure you, ye daughters of Jerusalem,—If ye find my beloved, what will ye tell him? That, sick with love, I am.

5:9  [DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM] What is thy beloved more than any other beloved, thou most beautiful among women? What is thy beloved more than any other beloved, that, thus, thou hast adjured us?

5:10  [SHE.] My beloved, is white and ruddy, conspicuous beyond ten thousand:

5:11  His head, is pure gold,—his locks, are bushy, black as a raven;

5:12  His eyes, like doves, by the channels of water,—bathing in milk, set as gems in a ring:

5:13  His cheeks, like a raised bed of balsam, growing plants of perfume,—His lips, lilies, dripping with myrrh distilling:

5:14  His hands, cylinders of gold, set with topaz,—His body, wrought work of ivory, covered with sapphires:

5:15  His legs, pillars of white marble, founded on sockets of gold,—His form, like Lebanon, choice as cedars:

5:16  His mouth, most sweet, yea, altogether, he is delightful,—This, is my beloved, yea, this, is my dear one, ye daughters of Jerusalem.

Chapter 6

6:1  [DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM] Whither hath thy beloved, gone, thou most beautiful among women? whither hath thy beloved turned him aside? That we may seek him with thee.

6:2  [SHE] My beloved, is gone down to his garden, to the beds of balsam,—to pasture in the gardens, and to gather lilies,

6:3  I, am, my beloved’s, and, my beloved, is mine, he that pastureth among lilies.

6:4  [HE] Beautiful, art thou, my fair one, as Tirzah, comely, as Jerusalem,—majestic as bannered hosts!

6:5  Turn away thine eyes from me, for, they, have excited me,—Thy hair, is like a flock of goats, that are reclining on the sides of Mount Gilead:

6:6  Thy teeth, are like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing-place,—whereof, all of them, are twin-bearers, and bereaved, is there none among them:

6:7  Like a slice of pomegranate, are thy temples, from behind thy veil:

6:8  Threescore, are the queens, and, fourscore, are the concubines,—and, virgins, there are, without number.

6:9  One alone, is my dove, my perfect one, one alone, was she to her mother, Pure, was she to her that bare her,—The daughters, have seen her, and pronounced her happy, Queens and concubines, and they have praised her. [****]

6:10  [THEY] Who is this, that looketh forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, majestic as bannered hosts?

6:11  [HE] To the garden of nuts, I went down, to look at the fresh shoots of the ravine,—to see whether: had burst forth the vine, had blossomed the pomegranate:—

6:12  I know not [how it was], my soul, set for me the chariots of my willing people!

6:13  [THEY] Return, return, O Shulamite, Return, return, that we may look on thee! [SHE] What would ye look on in the Shulamite? [THEY] As it were the dance of a double camp…

Chapter 7

7:1  How beautiful, are thy feet in sandals, O daughter of a noble,—The curvings of thy hips, are like ornaments wrought by the hands of a skilled workman:

7:2  Thy navel, is a round bowl, may it not lack spiced wine! Thy body, a heap of wheat fenced about with lilies;

7:3  Thy two breasts, are like two young roes, the twins of a gazelle:

7:4  Thy neck, is like a tower of ivory,—Thine eyes, are pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim, Thy nose, is like the tower of Lebanon, which looketh towards Damascus:

7:5  Thy head upon thee, is like Carmel, And, the hair of thy head, is like purple,—The king, is held captive by the ringlets!

7:6  [HE] How beautiful, and how delightful, O dear love, for delights:

7:7  This thy stature, is like to a palm-tree, and, thy breasts, are like clusters:

7:8  I said, I will ascend the palm-tree, I will lay hold of its fruit stalks—Oh then, let thy breasts, I pray thee, be like vine-clusters, And, the fragrance of thy nose, like apples;

7:9  And, thy mouth, like good wine—[SHE] Flowing to my beloved smoothly, gliding over the lips of the sleeping.

7:10  I, am my beloved’s, and, unto me, is his longing.

7:11  Come, my beloved, Let us go forth into the country, Let us stay the night in the villages:

7:12  Let us get up early to the vineyards, Let us see whether the vine, hath burst forth, the blossom, hath opened, the pomegranates, have bloomed,—There, will I give my caresses to thee.

7:13  The love-apples, have given fragrance, and, at our openings, are all precious things, new and yet old,—O my beloved! I have treasured them up for thee.

Chapter 8

8:1  Oh that thou hadst been a very brother to me, who had sucked the breasts of my own mother,—Had I found thee without, I had kissed thee, Yea, folk would not have despised me!

8:2  I would have guided thee—brought thee into the house of my mother, Thou wouldst have instructed me,—I would have let thee drink of spiced wine, of the pressed-out juice of my pomegranate.

8:3  His left hand under my head, then, his right hand, embraceth me.

8:4  I [HE] adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,—Why will ye wake, and why will ye arouse the dear love until she please! [****]

8:5  [THEY] Who is this, coming up out of the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? [HE] Under the apple-tree, I roused thee, where thy mother, was in pain with thee, where she was in pain who gave thee birth!

8:6  [SHE] Set me as a seal, upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm, For, mighty as death, is love, Exacting as hades, is jealousy,—The flames thereof, are flames of fire, The flash of Yah!

8:7  Many waters, cannot quench love, nor shall, floods, overwhelm it,—If a man would give all the substance of his house, for love, they would, utterly despise, him. [****]

8:8  [THEY] A sister, have we, a little one, and, breasts, hath she none, What shall we do for our sister, in the day when she may be spoken for?

8:9  If, a wall, she is, we will build upon it a battlement of silver,—but if, a door, she is, we will close it up with a plank of cedar.

8:10  [SHE] I, was a wall, and, my breasts, like towers,—Then, became I, in his eyes, one who did indeed find good content.

8:11  A vineyard, had Solomon, as the owner of abundance, He put out the vineyard to keepers,—Every man, was to bring in, for the fruit thereof, a thousand silverlings:

8:12  Mine own vineyard, is before me,—The thousand belong to thee, O Solomon, and two hundred to the keepers of the fruit thereof.

8:13  [HE] O thou fair dweller in the gardens, the companions are giving heed to thy voice, Let me hear it.

8:14  [SHE] Come quickly, my beloved, and resemble thou a gazelle, or a young stag, upon the mountains of balsam-trees.