Young Man

15How beautiful you are, my darling,

how beautiful!

Your eyes are like doves.

Young Woman

16You are so handsome, my love,

pleasing beyond words!

The soft grass is our bed;

17fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house,

and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.

Song of Songs 2

Young Woman

1I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain,*2:1 Traditionally rendered I am the rose of Sharon. Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Palestine.

the lily of the valley.

Young Man

2Like a lily among thistles

is my darling among young women.

Young Woman

3Like the finest apple tree in the orchard

is my lover among other young men.

I sit in his delightful shade

and taste his delicious fruit.

4He escorts me to the banquet hall;

it’s obvious how much he loves me.

5Strengthen me with raisin cakes,

refresh me with apples,

for I am weak with love.

6His left arm is under my head,

and his right arm embraces me.

7Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles and wild deer,

not to awaken love until the time is right.*2:7 Or not to awaken love until it is ready.