Expressions of Praise

1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,

O prince’s daughter!

The curves of your thighsarelike jewels,

The work of the hands of a skillful workman.

2 Your navelisa rounded goblet;

It lacks no blended beverage.

Your waistisa heap of wheat

Set about with lilies.

3 Your two breastsarelike two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle.

4 Your neckislike an ivory tower,

Your eyeslikethe pools in Heshbon

By the gate of Bath Rabbim.

Your noseislike the tower of Lebanon

Which looks toward Damascus.

5 Your headcrownsyou likeMountCarmel,

And the hair of your headislike purple;

A kingisheld captive byyourtresses.

6 How fair and how pleasant you are,

O love, with your delights!

7 This stature of yours is like a palm tree,

And your breastslikeits clusters.

8 I said, “I will go up to the palm tree,

I will take hold of its branches.”

Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine,

The fragrance of your breath like apples,

9 And the roof of your mouth like the best wine.

Thewinegoesdownsmoothly for my beloved,

Moving gently the lips of sleepers.

10 Iammy beloved’s,

Andhis desireistoward me.

11 Come, my beloved,

Let us go forth to the field;

Let us lodge in the villages.

12 Let us get up early to the vineyards;

Let ussee if the vine has budded,

Whetherthe grape blossoms are open,

Andthe pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give you my love.

13 Themandrakes give off a fragrance,

And at our gatesarepleasantfruits,

All manner, new and old,

Which I have laid up for you, my beloved.