Wishing

¹If only you were as my brother—

I would find you in the street and kiss you,

²I would lead you, I would bring you

I would give you spiced wine to drink,

⁴Make a solemn pledge,

Love, strong and invaluable

⁵Who is this coming up from the wilderness

Under the apple tree I aroused you—

⁶Set me as a seal over your heart,

for love is as strong as death,

Its darts are darts of fire—

⁷Rushing waters can’t quench love;

If someone gave

⁸Our sister is small;

What will we do for our sister

⁹If she is a city wall,

And if she is a door,

¹⁰I’m a city wall,

So now I’m in his eyes

¹¹Solomon had a vineyard

He gave charge of the vineyard to keepers;

¹²My vineyard, my very own, is before me.

You can have the thousand, Solomon—

¹³You who sit in the gardens,

¹⁴“Take flight, my love,