Song of Solomon

The beloved and her lover express mutual desire and admiration. She describes herself as dark but lovely and asks where he grazes his flock. He praises her beauty and she delights in his fragrance and love, which is better than wine.

A chapter of spring love. The beloved is a lily among thorns. He is an apple tree among forest trees. His banner over her is love. She warns not to awaken love until it pleases. The beloved hears her lover calling: arise, my love, and come away, for winter is past.

The beloved searches for her lover at night through the city streets. When she finds him, she holds him and will not let go. Solomon arrives in royal splendour with his wedding procession, crowned by his mother on the day of his gladness.

The lover describes his beloved's beauty from head to toe in vivid poetry. She is altogether beautiful with no flaw. He calls her a locked garden and sealed fountain. She invites the wind to blow on her garden so its fragrance may spread.

The beloved hesitates to open the door and her lover withdraws. She searches the city in anguish and is beaten by the watchmen. The daughters of Jerusalem ask what makes her beloved special, and she describes him from head to toe: he is altogether lovely.

The daughters of Jerusalem ask where her beloved has gone. She knows: he has gone to his garden. The lover reaffirms her unique beauty among queens and concubines. She is as beautiful as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners.

The lover praises the beloved's beauty from feet to head, including her dance movements. She declares: I belong to my beloved and his desire is for me. She invites him to the countryside and vineyards where she will give him her love.

The culmination of the Song. The beloved wishes he were her brother so she could kiss him freely. She declares: place me like a seal over your heart, for love is as strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love. She invites her lover to come away.