Lo fair thou art, lo fair my Love!

[Christ]

1 Lo fair thou art,lo fair my Love!
doves-eyes in thy locks are;
Thy hair as flocks of goats that on
mount Gilead high appear.
2 Thy teeth are like the whit'ned flock,
which from the washing rose,
New shorn, and ev'ry one bear twins,
and none without them goes.

3 Thy lips are like a scarlet thread,
whence graceful accents flow:
Within thy locks, thy temples like
pomgranates in their blow.
4 Thy neck like to David's tow'r appears
built for an magazine;
Wherein a thousand bucklers hang,
all shields of mighty men.

5 Thy two fair breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a roe, who feed
Among the lillies of the vale;
but thine in charms exceed.
6 Till morning's fragrant breath shall rise,
and all the shades fly hence.
I'll get me to the mount of myrrh,
and hill of frankincense.

7 All fair thou art, my lovely one,
there is no spot in thee!
8 My spouse, O come from Lebanon,
from Lebanon with Me!
Look from the top of Amana,
from Shenir's summit high
From Hermon's top; from lions dens,
from leopard's mountains fly.

9 My sister, spouse! thou hast my heart
quite ravished from Me,
With one of thy chaste eyes, with one
chain of thy neck I see
10 How fair thy loves my sister, spouse,
how far they wine excel!
How far above all spices is
thy od'rous ointments smell!

11 Thy lips drop like the honey-comb:
my spouse, beneath thy tongue
Honey and milk: thy cloaths perfume
like scents from Lebanon.
12 My sister, spouse, a gardne is,
fenc'd for security;
And as a precious spring enclos'd,
a fountain seal'd for Me.

13 Thy cions, of pomgranates, are
the sprouts of paradise,
With all the most delicious fruits,
camphire and spikenard choice.
14 Where calamus and cinnamon,
with saffron, spikenard too,
All incense-trees, aloes and mirrh,
with all chief spices grow.

15 A fountain there, of gardens is
in thee, and springs that run,
Yea living springs that send their streams
all round from Lebanon

[The Church]

16 Awake, O north wind, come thou south,
and on my garden blow;
That all the spice and odours there
may forth abundant flow:
And then let my beloved one
into his garden come,
Partake of his delicious fruit,
and of his choice perfume.

Source: The Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testament, faithfully translated into English Metre: being the New-England Psalm-Book, revised and improved... (2nd ed.) #SIV