Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Song of Songs §7.1-7.13

Praise of the Shulamite's Body and Invitation to the Field

Passage 7 of 8 · Greek

Summary

The man (or the chorus) praises various parts of the Shulamite's beautiful body from her feet to her head and hair, to which the woman responds by inviting her beloved to the fields and vineyards, promising to give him her love.

§7.1Τί δψεοθε ἐν τῆ Σουμανείτιδις ἡ ἐρχομένη ὡς χοροὶ τῶν παρεμβολῶν. (2) Ὡραιώθησαν διαβήματά σου ἐν ὑποδήμασιν, θύγατερ Ναδάβ.
What will you see in the Shulamite? She that comes as dances of the camps. (2) How beautiful are your feet with shoes, O daughter of Nadab!
ὀυθμοὶ μηρῶν σου ὃμοιοι ὁρμίσκοις. ἔργον τεχνίτου.
The joints of your thighs are like necklaces, the work of a craftsman.
§7.2ὀμφαλός σου κρατὴρ τορευτός, μὴ ὑστερούμενος κρᾶμα·
Your navel is a rounded goblet, not lacking mixed wine.
κοιλία σου θιμωνιὰ σίτου πεφραγμένη ἐν κρίνοις.
Your belly is a heap of wheat fenced about with lilies.
§7.3δύο μαστοί σου ὡς δύο νεβροὶ δίδυμοι δορκάδος·
Your two breasts are as two twin fawns of a gazelle.
§7.4ὁ τράχηλός σου ὡς πύργος ἐλεφάντινος.
Your neck is as an ivory tower.
οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὡς λίμναι ἐν Ἐσεβῶν, ἐν πύλαις θυγατρὸς πολλῶν.
Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon, by the gate of the daughter of many.
μυκτήρ σου ὡς πύργος τοῦ Λιβάνου σκοπεύωυ πρόσαοπον Δαμασκοῦ.
Your nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.
§7.5κεφαλή σου ἐπὶ σέ ὡς Κάρμηλος, καὶ πλόκιον κεφαλῆς σου ὡς πορφύρα, βασύιεὺς δεδεμένος ἐν παραδρομαῖς.
Your head upon you is as Carmel, and the hair of your head like purple; a king is held captive in the galleries.
§7.6τί ὡραιώθης, καὶ τί ἡδύνθης, ἀγάπη, ἐν τρυφαῖς σους
How beautiful and how pleasant you are, O love, for delights!
§7.7τοῦτο μέγεθός σου· ὡμοιώθης τῷ φοίνικι, καὶ οἱ μαστοί σου τοῖς βότρυσιν.
This your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts to clusters of grapes.
§7.8εἶπα Ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ φοίνικι, κρατήσω τῶυ ὕψεωυ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἔσονται δὴ μαστοί σου ὡς βότρυες τῆς ἀμπέλου, καὶ ὀσμὴ ῥινός σου ὡς μῆλα, §7.9καὶ ὁ λάρυγξ σου ὡς οἶνος ὁ ἀγαθός, πορευόμενος τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου εἰς εὐθύτητα, ἱκανούμενος χείλεσίν μου καὶ ὀδοῦσιν.
I said, "I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof." And let your breasts be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of your nose like apples; and your roof of the mouth like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, satisfying my lips and teeth.
§7.10Ἐγὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου. καὶ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ αὐτοῦ.
I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
§7.11ἐλθὲ, ἀδελφιδέ μου, ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς ἀγρόν. αὐλισθῶμευ ἐν κώμαις·
Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
§7.12ὀρθρίσωμεν εἰς ἀμπελῶνας, ἴδωμεν εἰ ἤνθησεν ἡ ἄμπελος, ἤνθησεν ὁ κυπρισμός, ἤνθησαν αἱ ῥὸαι· ἐκεῖ δώσω τοὺς μαστούς μου σοί.
Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you my breasts.
§7.13οἱ μανδραγόραι ἔδωκαν ὀσμήν, καὶ ἐπὶ θύραις ἡμῶν πάντα ἀκρόδρυα, νέα πρὸς παλαιά, ἀδελφιδέ μου, ἐτήρησά σοι.
The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.

Notes

  1. §7.1θύγατερ Ναδάβ — The Hebrew Masoretic text "daughter of a noble" (bat nadiv) was interpreted by the Septuagint translator as a proper name "daughter of Nadab," pairing the vocative θύγατερ (singular vocative) with the genitive of the proper noun Ναδάβ.
  2. §7.4ἐν πύλαις θυγατρὸς πολλῶν — A literal translation of the place name "the gate of Bat-rabbim" (daughter of many). The genitive singular θυγατρὸς of θυγάτηρ is paired with the genitive plural πολλῶν of πολύς, creating an unusual syntax meaning "by the gates of the daughter of many," which reflects a word-for-word rendering of the Hebrew.
  3. §7.5βασιλεὺς δεδεμένος ἐν παραδρομαῖς — The participle δεδεμένος (perfect passive participle masculine singular nominative) modifies the subject βασιλεὺς. The prepositional phrase ἐν παραδρομαῖς ("in the galleries/channels") grammatically represents the place where the king is held captive, although in the original Hebrew it refers to the tresses or locks of hair.
  4. §7.9πορευόμενος ... ἱκανούμενος — Both present participles πορευόμενος and ἱκανούμενος are masculine singular nominative, modifying the preceding masculine singular noun οἶνος (wine). However, the dative phrase following the latter, χείλεσίν μου καὶ ὀδοῦσιν ("with my lips and teeth"), introduces a shift to the first person (from the Hebrew "lips of sleepers"), reflecting a grammatical and narrative transition to the female speaker.

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Song of Songs §7.1-7.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg031.humanitext-grc1:7.1-7.13

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.