Translations
Modern
My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one.
Traditional
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Literal
My beloved answered and said to me, “Rise up, my my darling, my beautiful one, come away yourself!
Latin
En dilectus meus loquitur mihi. Surge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea, et veni:
Original
Hebrew
English
My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one.
Notes
The man eagerly wants to be with the woman. He finally reaches his lover's home and takes her to the romantic countryside during the fresh spring.
The woman compares the man to a gazelle, a fast and graceful animal that easily overcomes obstacles to reach its goal.
In the Middle East, winter is the rainy season with clouds, gloom, and cold. After winter, when the rains end, the lively sights, sounds, and smells of spring boost romantic feelings.
In this poem, the woman looks forward to her lover's arrival. She describes winter ending and spring beginning, a time of floral scents and new starts. She and her lover are in their country garden, a place of closeness, though there is a hint of danger even here (Song of Solomon 2:15).
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