Chapter 6

Scene 1 – The Shulamít's chamber – Night (continuation of previous scene)

The Shulamít now fully realizes her folly in sending the Shepherd away.
She worries that she has lost him forever – or will lose him to some other "lily"

Daughters of Jerusalem:
(sympathetic after her glowing description of the Shepherd)
א אָ֚נָה הָלַ֣ךְ דּוֹדֵ֔ךְ הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים? אָ֚נָה פָּנָ֣ה דוֹדֵ֔ךְ וּנְבַקְשֶׁ֖נּוּ עִמָּֽךְ?
1. Where has your lover gone, O most beautiful of women?
Which way did your lover go, that we may seek him with you?

The Shulamít:
ב דּוֹדִי֙ יָרַ֣ד לְגַנּ֔וֹ לַֽעֲרֻג֖וֹת הַבֹּ֑שֶׂם לִרְעוֹת֙ בַּגַּנִּ֔ים וְלִלְקֹ֖ט שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים
2. My lover went down to his garden, to the Flowerbeds of Perfume,
to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies.
(determinedly)
ג אֲנִ֤י לְדוֹדִי֙ וְדוֹדִ֣י לִ֔י הָֽרֹעֶ֖ה בַּשּֽׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים {ס}
3. I am my lover's and my lover is mine – the wanderer among the lilies.

♦ ♥ ♦

Scene 2 – The Garden of Balsam in Ęin Gédi – Day

The Shulamít finds the Shepherd in his garden... alone

The Shepherd:
ד יָפָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ רַעְיָתִי֙ כְּתִרְצָ֔ה נָאוָ֖ה כִּירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּנִּדְגָּלֽוֹת
4. You are as beautiful, my companion, as Tirtzah, as lovely as Jerusalem,
as daunting as the stars above.
ה הָסֵ֤בִּי עֵינַ֨יִךְ֙ מִנֶּגְדִּ֔י שֶׁ֥הֵ֖ם הִרְהִיבֻ֑נִי שַׂעְרֵךְ֙ כְּעֵ֣דֶר הָֽעִזִּ֔ים שֶׁגָּֽלְשׁ֖וּ מִן־הַגִּלְעָֽד
5. Turn your eyes away from me, for they've aroused me;
your hair is like the flock of sheep that slid down Mt. Gilead.
ו שִׁנַּ֨יִךְ֙ כְּעֵ֣דֶר הָֽרְחֵלִ֔ים שֶֽׁעָל֖וּ מִן־הָֽרַחְצָ֑ה שֶׁכֻּלָּם֙ מַתְאִימ֔וֹת וְשַׁכֻּלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין בָּהֶֽם
6. Your teeth – like the flock of goats that came up from bathing,
all of which bear twins and none are barren.
ז כְּפֶ֤לַח הָֽרִמּוֹן֙ רַקָּתֵ֔ךְ מִבַּ֖עַד לְצַמָּתֵֽךְ
7. Like the slice of pomegranate is your temple peeking through your braid.

Simultaneously, Sh'lomó, in his palace, thinks the same thing

The Shulamít and The Shepherd (and Sh'lomó offstage):
ח שִׁשִּׁ֥ים הֵ֨מָּה֙ מְלָכ֔וֹת וּשְׁמֹנִ֖ים פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים וַֽעֲלָמ֖וֹת אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר
8. Sixty are the queens, and eighty the concubines, and young ladies are without number.
ט אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ יֽוֹנָתִ֣י תַמָּתִ֔י אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ לְאִמָּ֔הּ בָּרָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְיֽוֹלַדְתָּ֑הּ רָא֤וּהָ בָנוֹת֙ וַֽיְאַשְּׁר֔וּהָ מְלָכ֥וֹת וּפִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים וַֽיְהַלְלֽוּהָ {ס}

♦ ♥ ♦

The Shepherd (and Sh'lomó offstage):
ט אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ יֽוֹנָתִ֣י תַמָּתִ֔י אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ לְאִמָּ֔הּ בָּרָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְיֽוֹלַדְתָּ֑הּ
רָא֤וּהָ בָנוֹת֙ וַֽיְאַשְּׁר֔וּהָ מְלָכ֥וֹת וּפִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים וַֽיְהַלְלֽוּהָ {ס}
9. One is my dove, my innocent girl, she is her mother's only one,
the light of her birth-mother's life.
Maidens saw her and approved of her; queens and concubines, and they praised her.

♦ ♥ ♦

Scene 3 – The palace, looking out the window from a main hall – Day

The Daughters of Jerusalem and the King's Men:
(seeing the Shulamít returning to the palace, aglow after her reunion with the Shepherd)

י מִי־זֹ֥את הַנִּשְׁקָפָ֖ה כְּמוֹ־שָׁ֑חַר יָפָ֣ה כַלְּבָנָ֗ה בָּרָה֙ כַּֽחַמָּ֔ה אֲיֻמָּ֖ה כַּנִּדְגָּלֽוֹת? {ס}
10. Who is she, who appears like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon,
as bright as the sun, as daunting as the stars above?

♦ ♥ ♦

Scene 4 – The girls' chambers of the palace – Day

The Shulamít:
יא אֶל־גִּנַּ֤ת אֱגוֹז֙ יָרַ֔דְתִּי לִרְא֖וֹת בְּאִבֵּ֣י הַנָּ֑חַל לִרְאוֹת֙ הֲפָֽרְחָ֣ה הַגֶּ֔פֶן הֵנֵ֖צוּ הָֽרִמֹּנִֽים
11. I went down to Nut Garden to see the first sprouts by the creek,
to see whether the grapevine had blossomed, whether the pomegranate had budded.
יב לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי נַפְשִׁ֣י שָׂמַ֔תְנִי מַרְכְּב֖וֹת עַמִּ֥י נָדִֽיב
12. I don't know what happened... my soul bore me back to my noble people.