2 Her: I am a rose of Sharon,
        a lily found in one of the valleys.

² Him: Like a lily among thorns, that is what she is;
        my dear is a captivating beauty among the young women.

³ Her: My love is like an apple tree in a wooded forest;
        he is a ripe tree among a grove of saplings, those young men.
    I sat beneath his ample shade, filled with such joy.
        I tasted the sweetness of his fruit and longed for more.
⁴     He placed me at his banquet table,
        for everyone to see that his banner over me declares his love.

⁵     (to those around) Sustain me with sweet raisins.
        Refresh my energy with apples
    Because I am lovesick for him.
⁶     His left hand cradles my head;
        his right embraces me.

⁷     (to the young women) You of Jerusalem heed my warning.
    By the gazelles and deer of the field,
        I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
    Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.
⁸     I hear his voice! The voice of my love!
        Here he comes,
    Leaping over the mountains,
        bounding among the hills.
⁹     My love is like a gazelle,
        sure-footed and swift as a young stag.
    Look, there he is! Standing behind my wall,
        watching through the windows, peering through the lattice.
¹⁰     My love responded and said to me,

Him: Arise, my dearest, my beauty,
        and come away with me.
¹¹     Don’t you see? The winter is done.
        The rains and clouds have come and gone.
¹²     The flowers are unfolding in the fields;
        the birds are warming up their songs,
    The cooing of the turtledove
        is heard throughout the land.
¹³     The fig trees are bringing forth their first fruit,
        and the vines are in blossom, filling the air with their fragrance.
    So arise my dearest, my beauty,
        and come away with me.
¹⁴     Now, my dove, don’t be shy.
        Don’t hide from me in the clefts of the rock
        or nest like a bird in secret among the cliffs.
    Show me your lovely form.
        Let me hear your beautiful voice,
    For it sounds so sweet,
        and your face is so lovely.

¹⁵ Young Women of Jerusalem (to the couple): Catch the foxes for us,
        those little foxes that menace the vineyards,
    For our vineyards are so vulnerable when they are in full bloom.

¹⁶ Her: My love is mine, and I am his.
        He grazes among my lilies.
¹⁷     As the day breathes its morning breeze
        and shadows turn and flee,
    Turn to me, my love, like a gazelle;
        come to me like a young stag on rugged mountains.