Letter to Self

Wondering Day

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

I sleep, but my heart wakes: it is the voice of my beloved that knocks, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they stroke me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.8, I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if all of you find my beloved, that all of you tell him, that I am sick of love.

What is your beloved more than another beloved, O you fairest among women? what is your beloved more than another beloved, that you do so charge us?

My beloved is white and rosy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

is hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.1, Where is your beloved gone, O you fairest among women? where is your beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with you.

My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feeds among the lilies.

You are beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

Turn away yours eyes from me, for they have overcome me: your hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

Your teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one bears twins, and there is not one barren among them.

As a piece of a pomegranate are your temples within your locks.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.5, Turn away yours eyes from me, for they have overcome me: your hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

Your teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one bears twins, and there is not one barren among them.

As a piece of a pomegranate are your temples within your locks.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

Why dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Who is she that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.

Before even I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon you. What will all of you see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.1, How beautiful are your feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

Your navel is like a round goblet, which wants not liquor: your belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.

Your two breasts are like two young roes that are twinsur neck is as a tower of ivory; yours eyes like the pool in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: your nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.

Yours head upon you is like Carmel, and the hair of yours head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

How fair and how pleasant are you, O love, for delights!

This your stature is like to a palm tree, and your breasts to clusters of grapes.

I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also your breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of your nose like apples;

And the roof of your mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.Yours head upon you is like Carmel, and the hair of yours head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

How fair and how pleasant are you, O love, for delights!

This your stature is like to a palm tree, and your breasts to clusters of grapes.

I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also your breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of your nose like apples;

And the roof of your mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you my loves.

The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.O that you were as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find you without, I would kiss you; yea, I should not be despised.

I would lead you, and bring you into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause you to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that all of you stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised you up under the apple tree: there your mother brought you forth: there she brought you forth that bare you.

Set me as a seal upon yours heart, as a seal upon yours arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which has a most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.We have a little sister, and she has no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?Set me as a seal upon yours heart, as a seal upon yours arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which has a most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

We have a little sister, and she has no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: you, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice: cause me to hear it.

Make haste, my beloved, and be you like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.1, O that you were as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find you without, I would kiss you; yea, I should not be despised.

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

What profit has a man of all his labour which he takes under the sun?

One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides for ever.

The sun also arises, and the sun goes down, and hastes to his place where he arose.

The wind goes toward the south, and turns about unto the north; it whirls about continually, and the wind returns again according to his circuits.

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.11, There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is lacking cannot be numbered.