The Beloved

If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, That you tell him I am lovesick!

Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see if the vine has budded, Whether the grape blossoms are open, And the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love.

Lovers Reunited at Their Country Home

Oh, that you were like my brother, Who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised.

Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.

If she is a wall, We will build upon her A battlement of silver; And if she is a door, We will enclose her With boards of cedar.