The Torment of Separation
The Groom
1“I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, friends;
Drink and Or become drunkdrink deeply, lovers.”
The Bride
2“I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is Lit filleddrenched with dew,
My locks with the dew drops of the night.’
3I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my feelings were stirred for him.
5I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and had gone!
My Lit soulheart went out to him as he spoke.
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me.
7The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For I am lovesick.”
The Chorus
9“Or What is your beloved more than another belovedWhat kind of beloved is your beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10“My beloved is dazzling and I.e., of reddish hair or skinreddish,
Outstanding among ten thousand.
11His head is like gold, pure gold;
His locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12His eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their setting.
13His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,
Lit Towers
Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are lilies
Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14His hands are rods of gold
Set with topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with Lit lapis lazulisapphires.
15His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon,
Choice as the cedars.
And he is wholly desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”
New American Standard Bible
Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020
by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved.
For Permission to Quote Information visit www.lockman.org