Christ calls his spouse: she languishes with love: and describes him by his graces.

 1 Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat the fruit of his apple trees. I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrh, with my aromatical spices: I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.
Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum, et comedat fructum pomorum suorum. SPONSUS. Veni in hortum meum, soror mea, sponsa; messui myrrham meam cum aromatibus meis; comedi favum cum melle meo; bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo; comedite, amici, et bibite, et inebriamini, carissimi.

 2 I sleep, and my heart watcheth; the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights.
SPONSA. Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat. Vox dilecti mei pulsantis : SPONSUS. Aperi mihi, soror mea, amica mea, columba mea, immaculata mea, quia caput meum plenum est rore, et cincinni mei guttis noctium.

 3 I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
SPONSA. Expoliavi me tunica mea : quomodo induar illa? lavi pedes meos : quomodo inquinabo illos?

 4 My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch.
Dilectus meus misit manum suam per foramen, et venter meus intremuit ad tactum ejus.

 5 I arose up to open to my beloved: my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the choicest myrrh.
Surrexi ut aperirem dilecto meo; manus meae stillaverunt myrrham, et digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima.

 6 I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: but he had turned aside, and was gone. My soul melted when he spoke: I sought him, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me.
Pessulum ostii mei aperui dilecto meo, at ille declinaverat, atque transierat. Anima mea liquefacta est, ut locutus est; quaesivi, et non inveni illum; vocavi, et non respondit mihi.

 7 The keepers that go about the city found me: they struck me: and wounded me: the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
Invenerunt me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem; percusserunt me, et vulneraverunt me. Tulerunt pallium meum mihi custodes murorum.

 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.
Adjuro vos, filiae Jerusalem, si inveneritis dilectum meum, ut nuntietis ei quia amore langueo.

 9 What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, O thou most beautiful among women? what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou hast so adjured us?
CHORUS. Qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, o pulcherrima mulierum? qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto, quia sic adjurasti nos?

 10 My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.
SPONSA. Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus; electus ex millibus.

 11 His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.
Caput ejus aurum optimum; comae ejus sicut elatae palmarum, nigrae quasi corvus.

 12 His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.
Oculi ejus sicut columbae super rivulos aquarum, quae lacte sunt lotae, et resident juxta fluenta plenissima.

 13 His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers. His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.
Genae illius sicut areolae aromatum, consitae a pigmentariis. Labia ejus lilia, distillantia myrrham primam.

 14 His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.
Manus illius tornatiles, aureae, plenae hyacinthis. Venter ejus eburneus, distinctus sapphiris.

 15 His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. His form as of Libanus, excellent as the cedars.
Crura illius columnae marmoreae quae fundatae sunt super bases aureas. Species ejus ut Libani, electus ut cedri.

 16 His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.
Guttur illius suavissimum, et totus desiderabilis. Talis est dilectus meus, et ipse est amicus meus, filiae Jerusalem.

 17 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou most beautiful among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside, and we will seek him with thee?
CHORUS. Quo abiit dilectus tuus, o pulcherrima mulierum? quo declinavit dilectus tuus? et quaeremus eum tecum.