Song of Solomon 2

Dialogue between Maiden and Her Beloved

¹I am a rose of Sharon,[#More likely “meadow saffron” or “crocus.” Hebrew scholars and botanists suggest the term refers to Ashodelos (lily family), Narcissus tazetta (narcissus or daffodil), or Colchicum autumnale (meadow saffron or crocus) (e.g., Isa 35:1). The location of this flower in Sharon suggests a common wild flower rather than a rose. The maiden compares herself to a simple, common flower of the field]

²Like a lily among the thorns,[#Or “brambles”]

³As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

In his shade I sat down with delight,

Banquet Hall of Love

⁴He brought me to the house of the wine,

⁵Sustain me with the raisins,

for I am lovesick.

Double Refrain: Embrace and Adjuration

⁶His left hand is under my head,

⁷I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,[#Literally “O daughters of Jerusalem”]

do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!

Rendezvous in the Countryside

⁸The voice of my beloved!

⁹My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.[#Literally “the fawn of the stag”]

gazing through the window,

¹⁰My beloved answered and said to me,

¹¹For look! The winter is over;

¹²The blossoms appear in the land;[#Literally “is seen”; #Literally “on the earth”]

the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

¹³The fig tree puts forth her figs,

Arise, my beloved! Come, my beauty!”

¹⁴My dove, in the clefts of the rock,

Let me see your face,

for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.

¹⁵Catch for us the foxes,

for our vineyards are in blossom!

Poetic Refrain(s)

¹⁶My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him;[#Literally “My beloved for me and I for him”]

¹⁷Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,