<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved about Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">My lover is mine and I am his;p> <p class="poetry">he grazes among the lilies.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to the Maidens:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">My beloved<n id="1" /> is dazzling<n id="2" /> and ruddy;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he stands out<n id="4" /> in comparison to<n id="5" /> all other men.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">My beloved is like a fragrant pouch of myrrh<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">spending the night<n id="2" /> between my breasts.p>

<p class="poetry">My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">in the vineyards of En-Gedi.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Oh, how handsome you are, my lover!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Oh,<n id="2" /> how delightful<n id="3" /> you are!p> <p class="poetry">The lush foliage<n id="4" /> is our canopied bed;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">My lover thrust his hand<n id="1" /> through<n id="2" /> the hole,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and my feelings<n id="4" /> were stirred<n id="5" /> for him.p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside;p> <p class="poetry">let us spend the night in the villages.p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved about Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Listen!<n id="1" /> My lover is approaching!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Look!<n id="3" /> Here he comes,p> <p class="poetry">leaping over the mountains,p> <p class="poetry">bounding over the hills!p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Lover to His Beloved:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">My lover spoke to me, saying:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Arise, my darling;p> <p class="poetry">My beautiful one, come away with me!p>

<p class="poetry">His mouth is very sweet;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he is totally desirable.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">This is my beloved!p> <p class="poetry">This is my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to the Maidens:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">My beloved has gone down to his garden,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to the flowerbeds of balsam spices,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">to graze<n id="3" /> in the gardens,p> <p class="poetry">and to gather lilies.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Make haste, my beloved!p> <p class="poetry">Be like a gazelle or a young stagp> <p class="bodytext">on the mountains of spices.p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved about Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Like<n id="1" /> an apple tree<n id="2" /> among the trees of the forest,p> <p class="poetry">so is my beloved among the young men.p> <p class="poetry">I delight<n id="3" /> to sit<n id="4" /> in his shade,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and his fruit<n id="6" /> is sweet<n id="7" /> to my taste.<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Look! There he stands behind our wall,p> <p class="poetry">gazing through the window,p> <p class="poetry">peering through the lattice.p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Until the dawn arrives<n id="1" /> and the shadows flee,p> <p class="poetry">turn,<n id="2" /> my beloved &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">be like a gazelle or a young stagp> <p class="poetry">on the mountain gorges.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">Awake, O north wind; come, O south wind!p> <p class="poetry">Blow on my garden so that its fragrant spices may send out their sweet smell.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">May my beloved come into his gardenp> <p class="poetry">and eat its delightful fruit!p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved to the Maidens:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">O maidens of Jerusalem, I command you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">If you find my beloved, what will you tell him?p> <p class="poetry">Tell him that I am lovesick!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">The mandrakes<n id="1" /> send out their fragrance;p> <p class="poetry">over our door is every delicacy,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">both new and old, which I have stored up for you, my lover.p>

<t /><p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Beloved about Her Lover:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">I was asleep, but my mind<n id="1" /> was dreaming.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Listen!<n id="3" /> My lover<n id="4" /> is knocking<n id="5" /> at the door!<n id="6" />p> <p class="sosspeaker"><b><i>The Lover to His Beloved:i>b>p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Open<n id="7" /> for me, my sister, my darling,p> <p class="poetry">my dove, my flawless one!p> <p class="poetry">My head is drenched with dew,p> <p class="poetry">my hair with the dampness of the night.&#8221;p>