Axial Commons
Hebrew / JewishChristianity
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand cease: for thou knowest not which may rather spring up, this or that: and if both together, it shall be the better.
The light is sweet, and it is delightful for the eyes to see the sun.
If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he must remember the darksome time, and the many days: which when they shall come, the things past shall be accused of vanity.
Rejoice therefore, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes: and know that for all these God will bring thee into judgment.
Remove anger from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh. For youth and pleasure are vain.
Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:
Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:
When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:
And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder's voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.
And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.
Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,
And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.
And whereas Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and declared the things that he had done: and seeking out, he set forth many parables.
He sought profitable words, and wrote words most right, and full of truth.
The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails deeply fastened in, which by the counsel of masters are given from one shepherd.
More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.
Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:
And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.
Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine,
Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee.
Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the rightous love thee.
I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept.
Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions.
If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds.
To my company of horsemen, in Pharao's chariots, have I likened thee, O my love.
Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove's, thy neck as jewels.
We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver.
While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof.
A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts.
A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi.
Behold thou are fair, O my love, behold thou are fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.
Behold thou art fair, my beloved, and comely. Our bed is flourishing.
The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress trees.
I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate.
He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me.
Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples: because I languish with love.
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and the harts of the field, that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please.
The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills.
My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart. Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.
Behold my beloved speaketh to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.
For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land:
The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come:
My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.
Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath flourished.
My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among the lilies,
Till the day break, and the shadows retire. Return: be like, my beloved, to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not.
I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not.
The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth?
When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him: and I will not let him go, till I bring him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that bore me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved, till she please.
Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?
Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of Israel, surrounded the bed of Solomon?
All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man's sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night.
King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Libanus:
The pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem.
Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of the joy of his heart.
How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! thy eyes are doves' eyes, besides what is hid within. Thy hair is as flocks of goats, which come up from mount Galaad.
Thy teeth as flocks of sheep, that are shorn, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.
Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet. Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate, besides that which lieth hid within.
Thy neck, is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men.
Thy two breasts like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.
Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy neck.
How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.
Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense.
My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.
Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard.
Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Libanus, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes.
The fountain of gardens: the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus.
Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow.
Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat the fruit of his apple trees. I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrh, with my aromatical spices: I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.
I sleep, and my heart watcheth: the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights.
I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch.
I arose up to open to my beloved: my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the choicest myrrh.
I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: but he had turned aside, and was gone. My soul melted when he spoke: I sought him, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me.
The keepers that go about the city found me: they struck me: and wounded me: the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.
What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, O thou most beautiful among women? what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou hast so adjured us?
My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.
His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.
His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.
His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers. His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.
His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.
His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. His form as of Libanus, excellent as the cedars.
His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou most beautiful among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside, and we will seek him with thee?
My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the bed of aromatical spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
I to my beloved, and my beloved to me, who feedeth among the lilies.
Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely as Jerusalem terrible as an army set in array.
Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from Galaad.