<p class="poetry">I opened for my beloved,p> <p class="poetry">but my lover had already turned<n id="1" /> and gone away.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I fell into despair<n id="3" /> when he departed.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I looked for him but did not find him;p> <p class="poetry">I called him but he did not answer me.p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">I was beside myself with joy!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">There please give me your myrrh,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">O daughter of my princely people.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved about Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">All night long<n id="1" /> on my bed<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I longed for<n id="3" /> my lover.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I longed for<n id="5" /> him but he never appeared.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Surging waters cannot quench love;p> <p class="poetry">floodwaters<n id="1" /> cannot overflow it.p> <p class="poetry">If someone were to offer all his possessions<n id="2" /> to buy love,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the offer<n id="4" /> would be utterly despised.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Do not stare at me because<n id="1" /> I am dark,p> <p class="poetry">for<n id="2" /> the sun has burned my skin.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">My brothers<n id="4" /> were angry<n id="5" /> with me;p> <p class="poetry">they made me the keeper of the vineyards.p> <p class="poetry">Alas, my own vineyard<n id="6" /> I could not keep!<n id="7" />p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Lover to His Beloved:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">If you do not know, O most beautiful of women,p> <p class="poetry">simply follow the tracks of my flock,p> <p class="poetry">and pasture your little lambsp> <p class="poetry">beside the tents of the shepherds.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will arise<n id="1" /> and look all around<n id="2" /> throughout the town,p> <p class="poetry">and throughout the streets<n id="3" /> and squares;p> <p class="poetry">I will search for my beloved.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">I searched for him but I did not find him.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Oh, how I wish you were<n id="1" /> my little brother,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">nursing at my mother&#8217;s breasts;p> <p class="poetry">if I saw<n id="3" /> you outside, I could kiss you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">surely<n id="4" /> no one would despise me!<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Scarcely<n id="1" /> had I passed them byp> <p class="poetry">when I found my beloved!p> <p class="poetry">I held onto him<n id="2" /> tightly and would not let him go<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">until I brought him to my mother&#8217;s house,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">to the bedroom chamber<n id="5" /> of the one who conceived me.p>