Her teeth are like a string of pearls;
Down her neck her clustering curls
In ebony hue vie with the night,
And over her features dances light.
The twinkling stars enthroned above
Are sisters to my dearest love.
We men should count it joy complete
To lay our service at her feet.
But oh what rapture is her kiss!
A forecast ’tis of heavenly bliss!
Since the day we parted,I have found nothing that is like your beauty.So I comfort myself with a ripe apple—Its fragrance reminds me of the myrrh of your breath,Its shape of your breasts, its colorOf the color that used to rise to your cheeks.
He, great in counsel, prepared for me ways for setting forth,And I found His name in my heart a sustainment.Therefore I bow down to Him at every stage;And at every step I thank Him.Translated by Nina Salaman
But brimming with the juice, they shineLike body and soul.Translated by Robert Mezey
They recoiled when their shining light sank into the earth,and the clods of earth knew not what they hold.They hold a princely man,a good man, blameless, upright,a God-fearing man, discreet and wise.translated by T. Carmi
Sacred bones now buried deep in your side.If you do not know him, ask the Red Sea,Ask the green bush, ask Sinai, and they will tell you:“He was not a man of words, but he did God’s work.”I have vowed to visit you soon, God willing.Translated by Robert Mezey
The Pleiads desire such unity,For no breath can come between them.The star of the east hath come to the west;He hath found the sun among the daughters thereof.He hath set up a bower of thick branches;He hath made of them a tent for the sun.Translated by Nina Salaman
