[1] She Speaks: While in bed at night, I reached for the one I love with heart and soul. I looked for him, but he wasn't there. [2] So I searched through the town for the one I love. I looked on every street, but he wasn't there. [3] I even asked the guards patrolling the town, "Have you seen the one I love so much?" [4] Right after that, I found him. I held him and would not let go until I had taken him to the home of my mother. [5] Young women of Jerusalem, promise me by the power of deer and gazelles, never to awaken love before it is ready. [6] Their Friends Speak: What do we see approaching from the desert like a cloud of smoke? With it comes the sweet smell of spices, including myrrh and frankincense. [7] It is King Solomon carried on a throne, surrounded by sixty of Israel's best soldiers. [8] Each of them wears a sword. They are experts at fighting, even in the dark. [9] The throne is made of trees from Lebanon. [10] Its posts are silver, the back is gold, and the seat is covered with purple cloth. You women of Jerusalem have taken great care to furnish the inside. [11] Now come and see the crown given to Solomon by his mother on his happy wedding day.
