Chapter 1
Scene 1 – The main hall of the House of the Forest of Lebanon – King Sh'lomó's palace – Day
King Sh'lomó, while traveling in the country, is smitten by "the Shulamít," a dark, beautiful girl.
He has her taken back to his palace where, in the company of the Daughters of Jerusalem, she awaits the King at a sort of cocktail party in the main hall ...

All:
(introduction)
א שִׁ֥יר הַשִּׁירִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לִשְׁלֹמֹֽה
1. The Song of Songs which is Sh'lomó's.

The Shulamít:
(excited and nervous, to the Daughters of Jerusalem)
ב יִשָּׁקֵ֨נִי֙ מִנְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔יהוּ...
2. He's going to kiss me with the kisses of his mouth...!

King Sh'lomó enters with his men

The Daughters of Jerusalem:
(addressing Sh'lomó, helping the Shulamít out of her faux pas)
... כִּֽי־טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖יךָ מִיָּֽיִן
...for better is your loving than wine.
ג לְרֵ֨יחַ֙ שְׁמָנֶ֣יךָ טוֹבִ֔ים
3. Your oils are good to smell,

Daughters of Jerusalem and King's Men:
שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑ךָ –
your name is oil poured out –

The King's Men:
עַל־כֵּ֖ן עֲלָמ֥וֹת אֲהֵבֽוּךָ
that's why young women have loved you.

the Shulamít spies her lover the Shepherd peering through the lattice,
runs over to him and whispers:

The Shulamít:
ד מָשְׁכֵ֖נִי אַֽחֲרֶ֣יךָ נָּר֑וּצָה הֱבִיאַ֨נִי הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ חֲדָרָ֗יו...!
4. Pull me after you, let's run! The King has brought me to his chambers...

The Daughters of Jerusalem:
(to their amusing new playmate the Shulamít – they don't want her to go)
נָגִ֤ילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ!
We'll play and have fun with you!

Daughters of Jerusalem and King's Men:
(to Sh'lomó)
נַזְכִּ֤ירָה דֹדֶ֨יךָ֙ מִיַּ֔יִן –
We'll speak of how your loving is better than wine –

King's Men:
מֵֽישָׁרִ֖ים אֲהֵבֽוּךָ! {פ}
they were right to love you!

♦ ♥ ♦

Scene 2 – The girls' chambers in the palace – Day

The Shulamít:
(to the Daughters of Jerusalem)
ה שְׁחוֹרָ֤ה אֲנִי֙ וְֽנָאוָ֔ה בְּנ֖וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כְּאָֽהֳלֵ֣י קֵדָ֔ר כִּֽירִיע֖וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה
5. Black am I, and lovely, Daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedár, like Sh'lomó's tapestries.
ו אַל־תִּרְא֨וּנִי֙ שֶֽׁאֲנִ֣י שְׁחַרְחֹ֔רֶת שֶׁשְּׁזָפַ֖תְנִי הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ...
6. Don't see me as a merely dark-skinned girl, as if the sun has tanned me...
(reconsidering)
בְּנֵ֧י אִמִּ֣י נִֽחֲרוּ־בִ֗י שָׂמֻ֨נִי֙ נֹֽטֵרָ֣ה אֶת־הַכְּרָמִ֔ים כַּרְמִ֥י שֶׁלִּ֖י לֹ֥א נָטָֽרְתִּי
My mother's sons turned their noses up at me,
they made me tend their plantations – my own plantation I did not tend.
(aside, to the Shepherd)
ז הַגִּ֣ידָה לִּ֗י שֶׁ֤אָֽהֲבָה֙ נַפְשִׁ֔י אֵיכָ֣ה תִרְעֶ֔ה אֵיכָ֖ה תַּרְבִּ֣יץ בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם שַׁלָּמָ֤ה אֶֽהְיֶה֙ כְּעֹ֣טְיָ֔ה עַ֖ל עֶדְרֵ֥י חֲבֵרֶֽיךָ?
7. Tell me, you whom my soul loved, how can you wander?
How can you rest at midday?
For why should I have to hover over your friends' flocks?

Shepherd:
(sarcastically, perturbed at his girlfriend's new-found haughtiness)
ח אִם־לֹ֤א תֵֽדְעִי֙ לָ֔ךְ הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים צְֽאִי־לָ֞ךְ בְּעִקְבֵ֣י הַצֹּ֗אן וּרְעִי֙ אֶת־גְּדִיֹּתַ֔יִךְ עַ֖ל מִשְׁכְּנ֥וֹת הָֽרֹעִֽים {פ}
8. If you don't know, "O most beautiful of women," go out yourself,
follow the tracks of the flocks, and herd your kids by the shepherds' dwellings.

♦ ♥ ♦

Scene 3 – The girls' chambers in the palace – Evening

( Sh'lomó visits the Shulamít in the girls' chambers)

Sh'lomó:
ט לְסֻֽסָתִי֙ בְּרִכְבֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה דִּמִּיתִ֖יךְ רַעְיָתִֽי
9. To my mare among Pharaoh's chariots I compared you, my companion;
י נָאו֤וּ לְחָיַ֨יִךְ֙ בַּתֹּרִ֔ים צַוָּארֵ֖ךְ בַּֽחֲרוּזִֽים...
10. your cheeks looked lovely with their baubles, your neck with its beads...

Sh'lomó and Daughters of Jerusalem:
יא ... תּוֹרֵ֤י זָהָב֙ נַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ עִ֖ם נְקֻדּ֥וֹת הַכָּֽסֶף
11. ...we will make necklaces of gold for you, with silver studs!

The Shulamít:
יב עַד־שֶׁ֤הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ֙ בִּמְסִבּ֔וֹ נִרְדִּ֖י נָתַ֥ן רֵיחֽוֹ
12. By the time the King reclines my spikenard will have given forth its fragrance.
יג צְר֨וֹר הַמֹּ֤ר ׀ דּוֹדִי֙ לִ֔י בֵּ֥ין שָׁדַ֖י יָלִֽין
13. The sachet of myrrh is my lover to me, he will sleep between my breasts.
יד אֶשְׁכֹּ֨ל הַכֹּ֤פֶר ׀ דּוֹדִי֙ לִ֔י בְּכַרְמֵ֖י עֵ֥ין גֶּֽדִי {ס}
14. The cluster of henna blossoms is my lover to me, in the plantations of Ęin Gédi.

♦ ♥ ♦

Sh'lomó, surprised by her candor, finds himself at a loss for words - perhaps for the first time in his life – and resorts to a cliché. He pays for it with the Shulamít's interruption
Sh'lomó:
טו הִנָּ֤ךְ יָפָה֙ רַעְיָתִ֔י הִנָּ֥ךְ יָפָ֖ה עֵינַ֥יִךְ יוֹנִֽים...
15. How beautiful you are, my companion, how beautiful you are, your eyes are doves...


The Shulamít:
(interrupting, overeager; ostensibly to Sh'lomó but really to both men)
טז הִנְּךָ֨ יָפֶ֤ה דוֹדִי֙ אַ֣ף נָעִ֔ים אַף־עַרְשֵׂ֖נוּ רַֽעֲנָנָֽה
16. How handsome you are, my lover, yes, and so nice to be with,
yes, and our bed is fresh and green.

Sh'lomó, the Shepherd and the Shulamít:
יז קֹר֤וֹת בָּתֵּ֨ינוּ֙ אֲרָזִ֔ים רַֽהִיטֵ֖נוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים
17. The pillars of our houses are cedars, our rafters are cypresses.

English translation and dramatic adaptation: Aryeh Naftaly, all rights reserved