Read the Bible

¹ My darling, you are lovely,
    so very lovely—
as you look through your veil,
    your eyes are those of a dove.
Your hair tosses about
as gracefully as goats
    coming down from Gilead.
² Your teeth are whiter
    than sheep freshly washed;
they match perfectly,
    not one is missing.
³ Your lips are crimson cords,
    your mouth is shapely;
behind your veil are hidden
    beautiful rosy cheeks.^[a]
4 Your neck is more graceful
    than the tower of David,
decorated with thousands
    of warriors' shields.

⁵ Your breasts are perfect;
they are twin deer
    feeding among lilies.
⁶ I will hasten to those hills
sprinkled with sweet perfume
    and stay there till sunrise.
⁷ My darling, you are lovely
    in every way.
⁸ My bride, together
    we will leave Lebanon!
We will say good-by
to the peaks
of Mount Amana,
    Senir, and Hermon,
where lions and leopards
    live in the caves.

⁹ My bride, my very own,
    you have stolen my heart!
With one glance from your eyes
and the glow of your necklace,
    you have stolen my heart.
¹⁰ Your love is sweeter than wine;
the smell of your perfume
    is more fragrant than spices.
¹¹ Your lips are a honeycomb;
milk and honey
    flow from your tongue.
Your dress has the aroma
    of cedar trees from Lebanon.

¹² My bride, my very own,
you are a garden,
a fountain
    closed off to all others.
¹³ Your arms^[b] are vines,
covered with delicious fruits
    and all sorts of spices—
henna, nard, ¹⁴ saffron,
    calamus, cinnamon,
frankincense, myrrh, and aloes
    —all the finest spices.
¹⁵ You are a spring in the garden,
    a fountain of pure water,
and a refreshing stream
    from Mount Lebanon.

¹⁶ Let the north wind blow,
    the south wind too!
Let them spread the aroma
    of my garden,
so the one I love
may enter
and taste
    its delicious fruits.