CHAPTER II
. 8–III. 5.
Here we have a second scene, which is also in the royal tent. The speakers are the Shulamite and the court ladies. The Shulamite, to account for the cause of the severity of her brothers, mentioned in ii. 6, relates that her beloved shepherd came one charming morning in the spring to invite her to the fields (8–14); that her brothers, in order to prevent her from going, gave her employment in the gardens (15); that she consoled herself with the assurance that her beloved, though separated from her at that time, would come again in the evening (16, 17); that seeing he did not come, she, under difficult circumstances, ventured to seek him, and found him (ch. iii. 1–4). Having narrated these events, and reiterated her ardent affection for her beloved, she concludes as before, by adjuring the court ladies not to persuade her to change her love.
THE SHULAMITE.
Hark! my beloved! Lo, he came Leaping over the mountains, Bounding over the hills. My beloved was like a gazelle, Or the young one of a hind. Lo! there he stood behind our wall, He looked through the window, He glanced through the lattice. My beloved spake, he spake to me, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come! For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over, is gone. The flowers appear upon the fields, The time of singing is come, The cooing of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. The fig-tree sweetens her green figs, The vines blossom, They diffuse fragrance; Arise, my love, my fair one, and come! My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding-place of the cliff, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice, For sweet is thy voice, And thy countenance lovely.”
THE BROTHERS OF THE SHULAMITE.
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes Which destroy the vineyards, For our vineyards are in bloom.
THE SHULAMITE.
My beloved is mine, and I am his, His who feeds his flock among the lilies. When the day cools, And the shadows flee away, Return, haste, O my beloved, Like the gazelle or the young one of the hind, Over the mountains of separation. Chap. III. When on my nightly couch, I still sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but found him not. I must arise now and go about the city, In the streets and in the squares; I must seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but found him not. The watchmen who patrol the city found me: “Have you seen him whom my soul loveth?” Scarcely had I passed them, When I found him whom my soul loveth; I seized him and would not let him go Till I brought him to the house of my mother, Into the apartment of her who gave me birth. I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or the hinds of the field, Neither to excite nor to incite my affection Till it wishes another love.
SECTION III.
CHAPTERS III. 6.–V. 1.
The royal tent in the country is broken up, and the royal train comes up to Jerusalem. Some of the inhabitants of the capital, as they behold it at a distance, hold a dialogue respecting it (6–11). The shepherd, coming up to rescue his loved one, obtains an interview with her, and expresses his delight in her charms (ch. iv. 1–5). The Shulamite moved, modestly interrupts his description, and tells him that she is ready to escape with him that very evening (6). He immediately proffers his assistance, declaring that her charms had inspired him with courage sufficient for the occasion (7–9); he describes her charms (10, 11) and her faithfulness (12–16). The Shulamite declares that all she possesses shall be his (16). Some of the court ladies sympathize with them (ch. v. 1).
ONE OF THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM.
What is that coming up from the country, As in columns of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh, with frankincense, And all sorts of aromatics from the merchants?
ANOTHER.
Lo! it is the palanquin of Solomon, Around it are threescore valiant men From the valiant of Israel: All skilled in the sword, expert in war, Each with his sword girded on his thigh Against the nightly marauders.
A THIRD.
A palanquin hath king Solomon made for himself, Of the wood of Lebanon. Its pillars he hath made of silver, Its support of gold, its seat of purple, Its interior tesselated most lovely By the daughters of Jerusalem.
A FOURTH.
Come out, ye daughters of Zion, And behold King Solomon; The crown with which his mother crowned him On the day of his espousals, On the day of his gladness of heart.
THE SHEPHERD, ADVANCING TO THE SHULAMITE.
Chap. IV. Behold, thou art beautiful, my loved one, Behold, thou art beautiful! Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is like a flock of goats, Springing down Mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep Which come up from the washing-pool, All of which are paired, And not one among them is bereaved. Like a braid of scarlet are thy lips, And thy mouth is lovely: Like a part of the pomegranate Are thy cheeks behind thy veil; Thy neck is like the tower of David, Reared for the builder’s model: A thousand shields are hung upon it, All sorts of bucklers of the mighty. Thy bosom like two young fawns, Twins of a gazelle, feeding among lilies.
THE SHULAMITE.
When the day cools And the shadows flee away, I will go to the mount of myrrh, To the hill of frankincense.
THE SHEPHERD.
Thou art all beautiful, my loved one, And there is no blemish in thee. With me, with me, my betrothed, Thou shalt go from Lebanon; Thou shalt go from the heights of Amana, From the summit of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of panthers. Thou hast emboldened me, My sister, my betrothed, Thou hast emboldened me, With one of thine eyes, With one of the chains of thy neck. How sweet is thy love, O my sister, my betrothed! How sweet is thy love above wine! And the fragrance of thy perfumes above all the spices! Thy lips, O my betrothed, distil honey: Honey and milk are under thy tongue, And the odour of thy garments is as the smell of Lebanon. A closed garden art thou, my sister, my betrothed, A closed garden, a sealed fountain. Thy shoots like a garden of pomegranates, With precious fruits, Cypresses and nards, Nard and crocus, Calamus and cinnamon, With all sorts of frankincense trees, Myrrh and aloes; With all kinds of excellent aromatics, With a garden-fountain, A well of living waters, And streams flowing from Lebanon. Arise, O north wind! and come, thou south! Blow upon my garden, That its perfumes may flow out!
THE SHULAMITE.
Let my beloved come into his garden And eat its delicious fruits!
THE SHEPHERD.
Chap. V. I am coming into my garden, my sister, my betrothed: I am gathering my myrrh with my spices, I am eating my honeycomb with my honey, I am drinking my wine with my milk.
SOME OF THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM.
Eat, O friends! Drink, and drink abundantly, O beloved!
SECTION IV.
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