| 1 τί ὡραιώθησαν διαβήματά σου ἐν ὑποδήμασιν θύγατερ Ναδαβ ῥυθμοὶ μηρῶν σου ὅμοιοι ὁρμίσκοις ἔργῳ χειρῶν τεχνίτου 2 ὀμφαλός σου κρατὴρ τορευτὸς μὴ ὑστερούμενος κρᾶμα κοιλία σου θιμωνιὰ σίτου πεφραγμένη ἐν κρίνοις 3 δύο μαστοί σου ὡς δύο νεβροὶ δίδυμοι δορκάδος 4 τράχηλός σου ὡς πύργος ἐλεφάντινος ὀφθαλμοί σου ὡς λίμναι ἐν Εσεβων ἐν πύλαις θυγατρὸς πολλῶν μυκτήρ σου ὡς πύργος τοῦ Λιβάνου σκοπεύων πρόσωπον Δαμασκοῦ 5 κεφαλή σου ἐπὶ σὲ ὡς Κάρμηλος καὶ πλόκιον κεφαλῆς σου ὡς πορφύρα βασιλεὺς δεδεμένος ἐν παραδρομαῖς 6 τί ὡραιώθης καὶ τί ἡδύνθης ἀγάπη ἐν τρυφαῖς σου 7 τοῦτο μέγεθός σου ὡμοιώθη τῷ φοίνικι καὶ οἱ μαστοί σου τοῖς βότρυσιν 8 εἶπα ἀναβήσομαι ἐν τῷ φοίνικι κρατήσω τῶν ὕψεων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσονται δὴ μαστοί σου ὡς βότρυες τῆς ἀμπέλου καὶ ὀσμὴ ῥινός σου ὡς μῆλα 9 καὶ λάρυγξ σου ὡς οἶνος ὁ ἀγαθὸς πορευόμενος τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου εἰς εὐθύθητα ἱκανούμενος χείλεσίν μου καὶ ὀδοῦσιν |
1 What can the woman of Sulam give you to feast your eyes on, if it be not the dance of the Two Camps?[1]
Ah, princely maid, how dainty are the steps of thy sandalled feet! Thighs well shaped as the beads of a necklace, some master-craftsman’s work; 2 navel delicately carved as a goblet, that has ever its meed of liquor, belly rounded like a heap of corn amid the lilies. 3 Graceful thy breasts are as two fawns of the gazelle. 4 Thy neck rising proudly like a tower, but all of ivory; deep, deep thy eyes, like those pools at Hesebon, under Beth-rabbim Gate; thy nose imperious as the keep that frowns on Damascus from the hill-side. 5 Thy head erect as Carmel, bright as royal purple the braided ripples of thy hair. 6 How graceful thou art, dear maiden, how fair, how dainty! 7 Thy stature challenges the palm tree, thy breasts the clustering vine. 8 What thought should I have but to reach the tree’s top, and gather its fruit? Breasts generous as the grape, breath sweet as apples, 9 mouth soft to my love’s caress[2] as good wine is soft to the palate, as food to lips and teeth. |
1
Sponsa. Quid videbis in Sulamite, nisi choros castrorum?
Chorus. Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui in calceamentis, filia principis!
Juncturæ femorum tuorum sicut monilia
quæ fabricata sunt manu artificis. 2
Umbilicus tuus crater tornatilis,
numquam indigens poculis.
Venter tuus sicut acervus tritici vallatus liliis. 3
Duo ubera tua sicut duo hinnuli,
gemelli capreæ. 4
Collum tuum sicut turris eburnea;
oculi tui sicut piscinæ in Hesebon
quæ sunt in porta filiæ multitudinis.
Nasus tuus sicut turris Libani,
quæ respicit contra Damascum. 5
Caput tuum ut Carmelus;
et comæ capitis tui sicut purpura regis
vincta canalibus. 6
Sponsus. Quam pulchra es, et quam decora,
carissima, in deliciis! 7
Statura tua assimilata est palmæ,
et ubera tua botris. 8
Dixi: Ascendam in palmam,
et apprehendam fructus ejus;
et erunt ubera tua sicut botri vineæ,
et odor oris tui sicut malorum. 9
Guttur tuum sicut vinum optimum,
dignum dilecto meo ad potandum,
labiisque et dentibus illius ad ruminandum. |