[1] I am only a wild flower in Sharon, a lily in a mountain valley. [2] Like a lily among thorns is my darling among women. [3] Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my dearest compared to other men. I love to sit in its shadow, and its fruit is sweet to my taste. [4] He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me. [5] Restore my strength with raisins and refresh me with apples! I am weak from passion. [6] His left hand is under my head, and his right hand caresses me. [7] Promise me, women of Jerusalem; swear by the swift deer and the gazelles that you will not interrupt our love. [8] I hear my lover's voice. He comes running over the mountains, racing across the hills to me. [9] My lover is like a gazelle, like a young stag. There he stands beside the wall. He looks in through the window and glances through the lattice. [10] My lover speaks to me. Come then, my love; my darling, come with me. [11] The winter is over; the rains have stopped; [12] in the countryside the flowers are in bloom. This is the time for singing; the song of doves is heard in the fields. [13] Figs are beginning to ripen; the air is fragrant with blossoming vines. Come then, my love; my darling, come with me. [14] You are like a dove that hides in the crevice of a rock. Let me see your lovely face and hear your enchanting voice. [15] Catch the foxes, the little foxes, before they ruin our vineyard in bloom. [16] My lover is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies [17] until the morning breezes blow and the darkness disappears. Return, my darling, like a gazelle, like a stag on the mountains of Bether.
