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As soon as I left them, I found him.
I held him and wouldn't let him go
    until I took him to my mother's house,
    to the room where I was born.

Promise me, women of Jerusalem;
    swear by the swift deer and the gazelles
    that you will not interrupt our love.

The Third Song

The Woman

What is this coming from the desert like a column of smoke,
    fragrant with incense and myrrh,
    the incense sold by the traders?

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Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(A)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(B)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(C)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(D)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(E)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(F) and incense
    made from all the spices(G) of the merchant?

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