What a Beautiful Bride

He Speaks:

1My darling, you are lovely,

so very lovely—

as you look through your veil,

your eyes are those of a dove.

Your hair tosses about

as gracefully as goats

coming down from Gilead.

2Your teeth are whiter

than sheep freshly washed;

they match perfectly,

not one is missing.

3Your lips are crimson cords,

your mouth is shapely;

behind your veil are hidden

beautiful rosy cheeks.+

4Your neck is more graceful

than the tower of David,

decorated with thousands

of warriors' shields.

5Your breasts are perfect;

they are twin deer

feeding among lilies.

6I will hasten to those hills

sprinkled with sweet perfume

and stay there till sunrise.

7My darling, you are lovely

in every way.

8My bride, together

we will leave Lebanon!

We will say goodbye

to the peaks of Mount Amana,

Senir, and Hermon,

where lions and leopards

live in the caves.

9My bride, my very own,

you have stolen my heart!

With one glance from your eyes

and the glow of your necklace,

you have stolen my heart.

10Your love is sweeter than wine;

the smell of your perfume

is more fragrant than spices.

11Your lips are a honeycomb;

milk and honey

flow from your tongue.

Your dress has the aroma

of cedar trees from Lebanon.

12My bride, my very own,

you are a garden, a fountain

closed off to all others.

13Your arms+ are vines,

covered with delicious fruits

and all sorts of spices—

henna, nard, 14saffron,

calamus, cinnamon,

frankincense, myrrh, and aloes

—all the finest spices.

15You are a spring in the garden,

a fountain of pure water,

and a refreshing stream

from Mount Lebanon.

She Speaks:

16Let the north wind blow,

the south wind too!

Let them spread the aroma

of my garden,

so the one I love

may enter and taste

its delicious fruits.