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Love cannot be drowned
    by oceans or floods.
It cannot be bought—
any offer would be scorned
    no matter how great.

Their Friends Speak:

We have a little sister
whose breasts
    are not yet formed.
If someone asks to marry her,
    what should we do?
She isn't a wall
that we can defend
    behind a silver shield.
Neither is she a room
that we can protect
    behind a wooden door.

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Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it[a] would be utterly scorned.(A)

Friends

We have a little sister,
    and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
    on the day she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
    we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
    we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 8:7 Or he