Nhã Ca

1As a lily among the thorns,

2So [is] my friend among the daughters!

3As a citron among trees of the forest, So [is] my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit [is] sweet to my palate.

4He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me [is] love,

5Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I [am] sick with love.

6His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

7I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please!

8The voice of my beloved! lo, this — he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

9My beloved [is] like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this — he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice.

10My beloved hath answered and said to me, 'Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,

11For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away — it hath gone.

12The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,

13The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.

14My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice [is] sweet, and thy appearance comely.

15Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes — destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards.

16My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his, Who is delighting among the lilies,

17Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation!

1I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.

2As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate.

4He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me.

5Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples: because I languish with love.

6His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.

7I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and the harts of the, fields, that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please.

8The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills.

9My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart. Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.

10Behold my beloved speaketh to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.

11For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone.

12The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land:

13The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come:

14My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.

15Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath flourished.

16My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among the lilies,

17Till the day break, and the shadows retire. Return: be like, my beloved, to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.