Translations
Modern
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from the washing; each has its twin, and not one of them is lost.
Traditional
Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
Literal
Your teeth are like a flock shorn, having come up from the washing, all of which have twins, and there is not a bereaved one among them.
Latin
Dentes tui sicut greges tonsarum quæ ascenderunt de lavacro; omnes gemellis fœtibus, et sterilis non est inter eas.
Original
Hebrew
English
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from the washing; each has its twin, and not one of them is lost.
Notes
each has its twin, and not one of them is lost: Her teeth are complete and symmetrical. In a time when dental care was not advanced, a woman with all her teeth was very special!
The marriage is now complete.
This poem is the first "descriptive poem" in the book (see also Song of Solomon 5:10–16; 6:4–6; 7:2–8). Scholars often call these poems by the Arabic term wasf (meaning "description"). These poems are similar to songs sung at modern Arabic weddings. They are preludes to sexual intimacy. In describing physical beauty, they often start at the head and move downward.
Theme notes and profiles
Glossary
Topics
Sheep: Remarkably Prolific Sheep: Washed and Shorn Every Year