The Passion of Love

She

May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.
¹⁰ I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.
¹¹ Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages.
¹² Let us go early to the vineyards
to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom—
there I will give you my love.
¹³ The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

8 If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
² I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
³ His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
⁴ Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.