Song of Songs Chapter 2

Christ caresses his spouse: he invites her to him.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. I am the flower of the field... Christ professes himself the flower of mankind, yea, the Lord of all creatures: and (verse 2) declares the excellence of his spouse, the true church above all other societies, which are to be considered as thorns.
2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3 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.
4 He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me.
5 Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples: because I languish with love.
6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
7 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.
8 The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. The voice of my beloved: that is, the preaching of the gospel surmounting difficulties figuratively here expressed by mountains and little hills.
9 My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart. Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.
10 Behold my beloved speaketh to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.
11 For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land:
13 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:
14 My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, show me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.
15 Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath flourished. Catch us the little foxes... Christ commands his pastors to catch false teachers, by holding forth their fallacy and erroneous doctrine, which like foxes would bite and destroy the vines.
16 My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among the lilies,
17 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.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Ego flos campi,
et lilium convallium.
2 Sponsus. Sicut lilium inter spinas,
sic amica mea inter filias.
3 Sponsa. Sicut malus inter ligna silvarum,
sic dilectus meus inter filios.
Sub umbra illius quem desideraveram sedi,
et fructus ejus dulcis gutturi meo.
4 Introduxit me in cellam vinariam;
ordinavit in me caritatem.
5 Fulcite me floribus,
stipate me malis,
quia amore langueo.
6 Læva ejus sub capite meo,
et dextera illius amplexabitur me.
7 Sponsus. Adjuro vos, filiæ Jerusalem,
per capreas cervosque camporum,
ne suscitetis, neque evigilare faciatis dilectam,
quoadusque ipsa velit.
8 Sponsa. Vox dilecti mei; ecce iste venit,
saliens in montibus, transiliens colles.
9 Similis est dilectus meus capreæ,
hinnuloque cervorum.
En ipse stat post parietem nostrum,
respiciens per fenestras,
prospiciens per cancellos.
10 En dilectus meus loquitur mihi.
Sponsus. Surge, propera, amica mea,
columba mea, formosa mea, et veni:
11 jam enim hiems transiit;
imber abiit, et recessit.
12 Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra;
tempus putationis advenit:
vox turturis audita est in terra nostra;
13 ficus protulit grossos suos;
vineæ florentes dederunt odorem suum.
Surge, amica mea, speciosa mea, et veni:
14 columba mea, in foraminibus petræ, in caverna maceriæ,
ostende mihi faciem tuam,
sonet vox tua in auribus meis:
vox enim tua dulcis, et facies tua decora.
15 Sponsa. Capite nobis vulpes parvulas
quæ demoliuntur vineas:
nam vinea nostra floruit.
16 Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi,
qui pascitur inter lilia,
17 donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbræ.
Revertere; similis esto, dilecte mi, capreæ,
hinnuloque cervorum super montes Bether.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition