Nhã Ca 3

A search by night

¹Night after night on my bed \q I looked for the one my soul loves; \q I looked for him but did not find him. ²I will get up now and go around the city, \q through the streets and the squares; \q I will search for the one my soul loves. \q I searched for him but did not find him. ³The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. \q “Have you seen the one my soul loves?” ⁴I had hardly passed them \q when I found the one my soul loves. \q I took hold of him and did not let go of him \q until I had brought him home to my mother’s house, \q into the bedroom of the one who conceived me. ⁵Swear to me, women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles \q or by the does in the fields: \q do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready.

A procession from the wilderness

⁶Who is this coming up from the desert \q like columns of smoke, \q fragrant with myrrh and frankincense, \q with every spice the merchants sell?^{ab 7}Look! It is Solomon’s litter, \q surrounded by sixty warriors, \q the best of Israel’s warriors. ⁸All of them carry swords \q and are trained for battle, \q each with his sword at his side \q against the dangers of the night. ⁹King Solomon made himself a carriage \q from the wood of Lebanon. ¹⁰He made its posts of silver, \q its back of gold, \q its seat of purple cloth; \q its inside was lovingly decorated \q by the women of Jerusalem.^{c 11}Come out, women of Zion, and look at King Solomon, \q at the crown his mother placed on his head on his wedding day, \q the day his heart was glad.