¶ O that thou¹ wert as my brother, that sucked² the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee³ without, I would⁴ kiss thee; yea,⁵ I should not be despised⁶.

I would lead thee, and bring⁷ thee into my mother's house, who⁸ would instruct me: I would cause⁹ thee to drink of spiced¹⁰ wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

¹¹His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

I charge¹² you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake¹³ my love, until he please.

¶ Who is this¹⁴ that cometh up from the¹⁵ wilderness, leaning¹⁶ upon her beloved? I raised¹⁷ thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she¹⁸ brought thee forth that bare thee.

Set me as a seal¹⁹ upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love²⁰ is strong as death; jealousy²¹ is cruel²² as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Many waters²³ cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man²⁴ would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

¶ We have a little²⁵ sister, and she hath²⁶ no breasts: what²⁷ shall we do for our sister in the day²⁸ when she shall be spoken for?

If she be a wall²⁹, we will³⁰ build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door³¹, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

¶ I am a wall³², and my³³ breasts like towers: then³⁴ was I in his eyes as one that found favour³⁵.

Solomon³⁶ had a³⁷ vineyard at Baalhamon; he let³⁸ out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand³⁹ pieces of silver.

My vineyard⁴⁰, which is mine, is before me: thou,⁴¹ O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those⁴² that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

¶ Thou that dwellest⁴³ in the gardens, the companions⁴⁴ hearken to thy voice: cause⁴⁵ me to hear it.

Make haste⁴⁶, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.