Study Desk

"On my bed night after night I sought him ^(C1)Whom my soul loves; I ^(C2)sought him but did not find him.

'^(F1)I must arise now and ^(F2)go around in the city; In the ^(C1)streets and in the public squares ^(F3)I must seek him whom my soul loves.' I sought him but did not find him.

-"^(C1)The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'

-"^(C1)Hardly had I ^(F1)left them When I found him whom my soul loves; I ^(C2)held on to him and would not let him go Until I had ^(C3)brought him to my mother's house, And into the room of her who conceived me."

"^(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, By the ^(C2)gazelles or by the does of the field, That you will not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases."

"^(F1)(C1)What is this coming up from the wilderness Like ^(C2)columns of smoke, Perfumed with ^(C3)myrrh and ^(C4)frankincense, With all the scented powders of the merchant?

-"Behold, it is ^(F1)the traveling couch of Solomon; Sixty warriors around it, Of the warriors of Israel.

-"All of them are wielders of the sword, ^(C1)Expert in war; Each man has his ^(C2)sword at his side, Guarding against the ^(F1)(C3)terrors of the night.

-"King Solomon has made for himself a ^(F1)sedan chair From the timber of Lebanon.

-"He made its posts of silver, Its ^(F1)back of gold And its seat of purple fabric, With its interior lovingly inlaid By the ^(C1)daughters of Jerusalem.

-"Go out, you ^(C1)daughters of Zion, And look at King Solomon with the ^(F1)crown With which his mother has crowned him On the ^(C2)day of his wedding, And on the day of the joy of his heart."

"^(F1)How beautiful ^(C1)you are, my darling, ^(F1)How beautiful you are! Your ^(C2)eyes are like doves ^(C3)behind your veil; Your ^(C4)hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount ^(C5)Gilead.

-"Your ^(C1)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep Which have come up from their watering place, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

-"Your lips are like a ^(C1)scarlet thread, And your ^(C2)mouth is beautiful. Your ^(C3)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.

-"Your ^(C1)neck is like the tower of David, Built with layers of stones On which are ^(C2)hung a thousand shields, All the round ^(C3)shields of the warriors.

-"Your ^(C1)two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle That ^(C2)graze among the lilies.

-"^(C1)Until ^(F1)the cool of the day When the shadows flee, I will go my way to the mountain of ^(C2)myrrh And to the hill of ^(C2)frankincense.

"^(C1)You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish on you.

-"Come with me from ^(C1)Lebanon, my ^(C2)bride, You shall come with me from Lebanon. You shall ^(F1)come down from the summit of ^(C3)Amana, From the summit of ^(C4)Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

-"You have ^(F1)enchanted my heart, ^(C1)my sister, my bride; You have ^(F1)enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your ^(C2)necklace.

-"^(C1)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much ^(F1)(C2)sweeter is your love than wine, And the ^(C3)fragrance of your oils Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!

-"Your lips ^(C1)drip ^(C2)honey, my bride; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the ^(C3)fragrance of Lebanon.

-"A locked garden is my sister, my bride, A locked spring, a ^(C1)sealed ^(C2)fountain.

-"Your branches are an ^(F1)(C1)orchard of ^(C2)pomegranates With ^(C3)delicious fruits, ^(C4)henna with nard plants,

^(C1)Nard and saffron, spice reed and ^(C2)cinnamon, With all the trees of ^(C3)frankincense, ^(C4)Myrrh, and aloes, along with all the finest balsam oils.

-"You are a garden spring, A well of ^(F1)(C1)fresh water, And flowing streams from Lebanon."

"Awake, north wind, And come, wind of the south; ^(F1)Make my ^(C1)garden breathe out fragrance, May its balsam oils flow. May ^(C2)my beloved come into his garden And eat its ^(C3)delicious fruits!"

"I have ^(C1)come into my garden, ^(C2)my sister, my bride; I have gathered my ^(C3)myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb with my ^(C4)honey; I have ^(C5)drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, ^(C6)friends; Drink and ^(F1)drink deeply, lovers."

"I was asleep but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: 'Open to me, ^(C1)my sister, my darling, ^(C2)My dove, my perfect one! For my head is ^(F1)drenched with dew, My ^(C3)locks with the dew drops of the night.'

-"I have ^(C1)taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? I have ^(C2)washed my feet, How can I dirty them again?

-"My beloved extended his hand through the opening, And my ^(C1)feelings were stirred for him.

-"I arose to open to my beloved; And my hands ^(C1)dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with drops of myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.

-"I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had ^(C1)turned away and had gone! My ^(F1)heart went out to him as he ^(C2)spoke. I ^(C3)searched for him but I did not find him; I ^(C4)called him but he did not answer me.

-"The ^(C1)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, They struck me and wounded me; The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.

-"^(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what you will tell him: For ^(C2)I am lovesick."

"^(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved, O ^(C1)most beautiful among women? ^(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved, That you make us swear in this way?"

"My beloved is dazzling and ^(F1)(C1)reddish, ^(C2)Outstanding among ten thousand.

-"His head is like gold, pure gold; His ^(C1)locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven.

-"His ^(C1)eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And perched in their ^(C2)setting.

-"His cheeks are like a ^(C1)bed of balsam, ^(F1)Banks of herbal spices; His lips are ^(C2)lilies ^(C3)Dripping with drops of myrrh.

-"His hands are rods of gold Set with ^(C1)topaz; His abdomen is panels of ivory Covered with ^(F1)(C2)sapphires.

-"His thighs are pillars of alabaster Set on pedestals of pure gold; His appearance is like ^(C1)Lebanon, Choice as the ^(C2)cedars.

-"His ^(F1)(C1)mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly ^(C2)desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, You daughters of Jerusalem."

"^(C1)Where has your beloved gone, O ^(C2)most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?"

"My beloved has gone down to his ^(C1)garden, To the ^(C2)beds of balsam, To ^(C3)pasture his flock in the gardens And gather ^(C4)lilies.

-"^(C1)I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who ^(C2)pastures his flock among the lilies."

"^(C1)You are as beautiful as ^(C2)Tirzah, my darling, As ^(C3)lovely as ^(C4)Jerusalem, As ^(C5)awesome as an army with banners.

-"Turn your eyes away from me, For they have confused me; ^(C1)Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Gilead.

-"^(C1)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes That have come up from their watering place, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

-"^(C1)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.

-"There are sixty ^(C1)queens and eighty concubines, And ^(F1)(C2)young women without number;

But ^(C1)my dove, my perfect one, is ^(F1)unique: She is her mother's ^(F1)only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her. The ^(F2)(C2)young women saw her and called her ^(F3)blessed, The ^(C3)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

'Who is this who looks down like the dawn, As beautiful as the full ^(C1)moon, As pure ^(C2)as the sun, As ^(C3)awesome as an army with banners?'

-"I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the plants of the valley, To see whether ^(C1)the vine had grown Or the ^(C2)pomegranates had bloomed.

-"^(F1)Before I was aware, my soul set me Over the chariots of ^(F2)my noble people."

"^(F1)Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!" The Groom "Why should you look at the Shulammite, As at the ^(C1)dance of ^(F2)(C2)the two armies?

"^(F1)How beautiful are your feet in sandals, ^(F2)(C1)Prince's daughter! The curves of your hips are like jewels, The work of the hands of an artist.

-"Your navel is like a round goblet That never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat, ^(F1)Surrounded with lilies.

-"Your ^(C1)two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle.

-"Your ^(C1)neck is like a tower of ivory, Your eyes like the pools in ^(C2)Heshbon By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, Which looks toward Damascus.

-"Your head ^(F1)crowns you like ^(C1)Carmel, And the flowing hair of your head is like purple threads; The king is captivated by your tresses.

-"How ^(C1)beautiful and how delightful you are, ^(F1)My love, with all your delights!

-"^(F1)Your stature is like a palm tree, And your breasts are like its clusters.

-"I said, 'I will climb the palm tree, I will grasp its fruit stalks.' Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, And the fragrance of your ^(F1)breath like ^(C1)apples,

And your ^(F1)(C1)mouth like the best wine!" The Bride "It ^(C2)goes down smoothly for my beloved, Flowing gently through the lips of those who are asleep.

"^(C1)I am my beloved's, And his ^(C2)desire is for me.

-"Come, my beloved, let's go out to the ^(F1)country, Let's spend the night in the villages.

-"Let's rise early and go to the vineyards; Let's ^(C1)see whether the vine has grown And its buds have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.

-"The ^(C1)mandrakes have given forth fragrance; And over our doors are all ^(C2)delicious fruits, New as well as old, Which I have saved for you, my beloved.

"Oh that you were like a brother to me Who nursed at my mother's breasts. If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you; No one would despise me, either.

-"I would lead you and ^(C1)bring you Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me; I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.

-"Let ^(C1)his left hand be under my head, And his right hand embrace me."

"^(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem: ^(F1)Do not disturb or awaken my love Until she pleases."

"^(C1)Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning on her beloved?" The Bride "Beneath the ^(C2)apple tree I awakened you; There your mother went into labor with you, There she was in labor and gave birth to you.

-"Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a ^(C1)seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, ^(F1)(C2)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flames are flames of fire, ^(F2)The flame of the LORD.

-"Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers flood over it; ^(C1)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised."

"We have a little sister, And she ^(C1)has no breasts; What shall we do for our sister On the day when she is spoken for?

-"If she is a wall, We will build on her a battlement of silver; But if she is a door, We will barricade her with ^(C1)planks of cedar."

"I was a wall, and ^(C1)my breasts were like towers; Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.

-"Solomon had a ^(C1)vineyard at Baal-hamon; He ^(C2)entrusted the vineyard to ^(C3)caretakers. Each one was to bring a ^(C4)thousand shekels of silver for its ^(C5)fruit.

-"My very own vineyard is ^(F1)at my disposal; The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit."

"You who sit in the gardens: My ^(C1)companions are listening for your voice— ^(C2)Let me hear it!"

"^(F1)Hurry, my beloved, And be ^(C1)like a gazelle or a young ^(F2)stag On the ^(C2)mountains of balsam trees!"