Cantique des cantiques 1

The Song of Songs

¹The Song of Songs, the greatest of songs, which is Solomon’s.^{ab 2}May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! \q Your love is better than wine. ³The scent of your perfumes is lovely; \q your name is perfume poured out; \q that is why the young women love you. ⁴Take me with you; let us run! \q The king has brought me into his rooms. We will rejoice and delight in you; \q we will celebrate your love more than wine. \q How right they are to love you!^c

Dark and lovely

⁵I am dark and lovely, \q women of Jerusalem, \q like the tents of Kedar, \q like Solomon’s curtains.^{d 6}Do not stare at me because I am so dark, \q because the sun has looked down on me. \q My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me look after the vineyards; \q my own vineyard I have not looked after. ⁷Tell me, you whom my soul loves, \q where do you graze your flock? \q Where do you let it rest at noon? \q Why should I be like a woman wearing a veil \q beside the flocks of your companions?^{e 8}If you do not know, \q most beautiful of women, \q go out and follow the flock’s tracks, \q and graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.^f

The lovers praise each other

⁹I compare you, my darling, \q to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. ¹⁰Your cheeks are lovely between the ornaments, \q your neck with its strings of beads. ¹¹We will make you ornaments of gold, \q set with points of silver.^{g 12}While the king was on his couch, \q my nard gave off its scent. ¹³My beloved is a pouch of myrrh to me, \q resting all night between my breasts. ¹⁴My beloved is a cluster of henna blossoms for me \q in the vineyards of En-gedi.

How beautiful you are

¹⁵How beautiful you are, my darling! \q How beautiful you are! Your eyes are doves. ¹⁶How handsome you are, my beloved, how delightful! \q Our couch is green and leafy. ¹⁷The beams of our house are cedars; \q our rafters are cypresses.