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THE BRIDEGROOM.

THE BRIDE.

Chorus of Virgins, her attendants.
The Followers of the Bridegroom.

THE CHAMBERLAIN, the royal messenger (xoμwaïos).
Vine-dressers, &c.

SCENE. The Inclosure of the Palace and Royal Gardens.

NOTE.-Some critical and explanatory Notes have been prepared, but from their length they are necessarily omitted.

SCENE I.

BRIDE, VIRGINS, and CHAMBERLAIN; afterwards, BRIDEGROOM.

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Why should I like a muffled stranger be
'Mid flocks of others, while I search for thee?

VIRGINS.

Fairest of women, if thou canst not tell,

Follow the flock-track-it will guide thee well;
Or feed thy kids the shepherds' tents beside,
Where, till he come, none ill shall thee betide.

BRIDEGROOM (meeting them).

I likened thee, my love, on thy advancing,
To the proud steeds in Pharaoh's chariot prancing.
Thy cheeks reflect the sheen of jewels rare,
Set in thine ears, and on thy forehead fair;
Thy neck with beads is beautiful-but we
Richer adornment will have made for thee,
A dress of costly stuff and precious things,
With silver studs and golden borderings.

BRIDE.

I on the King threw nard of pleasant smell,-
The nard was sweeter as on him it fell.
To me my dearest, my beloved one,
A perfume is of myrrh and cinnamon;
Therefore my love betwixt my breasts shall lie
Through all the night, as precious spicery.
Sweet is my love to me, within his bower,
As is En-gedi's clustering hennah-flower.

BRIDEGROOM.

Lo! thou art passing beautiful, my love,-
Lo! beautiful, with eyes o' the turtle dove.

BRIDE.

What beauty, my beloved, in thee is seen!
How sweet our flowery bed! how fresh the green!.
How blooms our carpet with its lively woof!
Cedars the beams, and cypresses the roof!

I am a wild flower of the open field —

A lily of the sort the valleys yield.

BRIDEGROOM.

A lily in the midst of thorns, my fair!
If any with the daughters thee compare.

BRIDE.

And thou amid the sons, compared with these,
Art as the citron midst the forest trees.
I longed to make its shadow my retreat,
And to my taste its fruit will be-how sweet!
Oh, bring me to the banquet-house, and raise
Love's banner o'er me with its starry blaze.
Oh, bring me citrons, cordials—for I need
Refection,-I am faint with love, indeed!
Under my head his left arm doth uphold me,
His right doth softly, tenderly infold me.
Ob, by the does, and fawns that follow them,
I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem!
Let not the slumber of my love be shaken;
Stir not, I charge you, till himself awaken.

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As light of foot as any fawn is he,-
Fleet as the roebuck—and he speeds to me!

He stood behind our fence and peeped, secure
Of welcome, through the flowery coverture,
And at the lattice shewed his lovely head,
And tenderly to me, his true love, said,—
"Arise, and come! my loved and lovely one :
For, lo! the winter o'er, the rain is gone;

The ground is garnished with the bloom of flowers;
The birds are singing in the groves and bowers;
Her love-song now the turtle-dove distils;
Its fruit with richest juice the fig-tree fills;
The new vine-blossoms scent the clear calm air
With sweetest fragrance: rise and come, my fair!
My dove, that in the clefts of rocks dost hide,
Where to the spoiler entrance is denied.
Speak to me, love, and let thy face appear-
Lovely thy face, and sweet thy voice to hear.

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My vineyard-keepers! watch the vines with care,
And take the foxes which for spoil repair,
Or else they will the tender grapes devour,
And leave no vintage for the vintage-hour."
"My love is mine, and I am his indeed;
Will not my love among the lilies feed?
Stay till the day breathe, and the shadows flee,—
Stay with me, my beloved, and comfort me!"
But as I spake, he turned him to depart-
On Bether's tops so bounds the startled hart.

I sought my dearest on my bed at night;
I sought, but could not find my soul's delight.
I said, "I will arise, and to and fro
In quest of my beloved one will go.
Him will I seek 'mid night's uncertain shades,
In the broad places and the colonnades.

Where has he gone and left his love behind him?"
I rose and sought him, but I could not find him.
The nightly watchers, as they went their round,
Me running all about at random found.
"Tell me! oh tell me, watchers of the night,
Have yel oh have ye seen my soul's delight?"
Scarce had I passed them when my love I found,
And round him eagerly my arms I wound;
Nor would release him from my fond embrace,
Until I brought him to my mother's place.
Oh, by the does and fawns that follow them,
I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem!
Let not the slumber of my love be shaken;
Stir not, I charge you, till himself awaken.

SCENE III.

VIRGINS; afterwards, BRIDEGROOM and BRIDE.

FIRST VIRGIN (on sight of the Bride with the bridal train).
Who is it from the desert comes,

Like to a cloud of smoke, which gums,
Bought from the merchant store, dispense-
A smoke of myrrh and frankincense?

SECOND VIRGIN.

It is the royal palanquin!
Around it sixty men are seen,
Of Israel's warriors famed afar,

Each has his sword upon his thigh,
Lest some fear of night be nigh.
The palanquin King Solomon
Had made from wood of Lebanon.
The feet are made of silver;
Of cloth of gold the cushion;
The hangings are of purple ;
The inside is Mosaic,

Inlaid with many a broidered gem,
Love-mottoes over every one:
The daughters of Jerusalem
Embroidered it for Solomon.

THIRD VIRGIN (on sight of the King coming to meet his Bride).

Daughters of Sion! look and see—

Who cometh yonder? who is he?
Lo! the crowned King appearing,
And the golden circle wearing,

With the which his mother crowned him,

On the day whereon he bound him

By the holy marriage-vows

To his lovely, loving spouse.

Enter BRIDEGROOM and BRIDE.

BRIDEGROOM (having lifted her veil).
Lo! my beloved, thou art fair, most fair;
Thine eyes are doves' eyes; and thy clustering hair
With many a rich and glossy ringlet floats,
Thy head adorning, as a flock of goats,
In many a cluster hanging from the height,
Glistens on Gilead in the morning-light.
Thy teeth are white and even, like the sheep,
Twin-bearing ewes, which from the wash-pool leap,
When they are shorn; thy mouth with beauty glows;
Like scarlet threads, thy lips their bloom disclose;
Thy cheeks from out thy tresses shine to view,
Rich in their tint as the pomegranate's hue.
Thy neck is like the tower beheld afar
Which David built to keep the spoils of war;
Within the stately tower are hung to ken

A thousand shields-all shields of mighty men.
Thy breasts are like twin fawns one mother bred,
That sport and feed upon the lily-bed.
Till the day breathe, and night be passed away
Upon this myrrh-hill I my head will lay,
And on this mound of frankincense will be.

Fair art thou, love! there is no spot in thee.

SCENE IV.

Bridegroom, Bride, VIRGINS, and the BRIDEGROOM'S COMPANIONS.

BRIDEGROOM.

Hither, my partner, my espoused one,—
Hither, hie hither, sweet, from Lebanon.
From steep Amana look securely down,
From Senir's top, and Hermon's lofty crown;
And from the lions' dens, and from the height
Of the Pard-mountains, fearless, cast thy sight.
My spouse, my sister! thou hast touched my heart,
Hast touched my bosom in the inmost part.
One look of thy dear eyes-one graceful turn
Of thy fair neck, has made me inly yearn.

How pleasant is thy love, fair sister mine!
And how much better is thy love than wine!
Sweeter the odours which thy robes dispense
Than are all perfumes, spices, frankincense.
Thy lovely mouth pure milk and honey fill,-
The virgin honey thy sweet lips distil.
Thy garments a delicious odour shed,
Like that of Lebanon's dew-sparkling head.
A fenced and sheltered garden is my fair-
A fountain sealed-a spring locked up with care.
In thy rich garden are pomegranates found;
All sorts of precious fruits therein abound ;
Hennah, and nard, and saffron,-incense-trees,
Aloes, and myrrh, and all choice spiceries.
Thy garden has within itself a rill

That with refreshment all its life doth fill-
A spring of living waters; and thereon
Run down the trickling streams from Lebanon.

BRIDE.

Awake, O north-wind; gently breathe about,
Thou south, that from the spice-trees may flow out
Their sweetest odours. Come, my love, and eat
The pleasant fruits within thy cool retreat.

BRIDEGROOM.

Into my garden I am come to thee;

My myrrh and spices have I gathered me;

Have eaten honey from the comb; and wine

Have drunk with milk. Come in, companions mine!
Come, eat and drink; here plenty never ends;
Drink ye, yea, drink abundantly, my friends!

SCENE V.

BRIDE and VIRGINS; afterwards, BRIDEGROOM.

BRIDE.

I was asleep, but soon my heart awoke;
My love was knocking-it was he that spoke :
"Open to me, my gentle one and true,
My undefiled! my head is filled with dew,
My hair is heavy with the drops of night,—
Open, my dove, my darling, and delight!"
"Must I now rouse me from my slumber sweet,
Put on my raiment, and defile my feet?"
Through the door-hole he tried to raise the latch;
The bar was fixed, the peg was in the catch.

I yearned towards him, and myself I roused,

And rose to open to my own espoused.

My hand dropped myrrh, pure myrrh my fingers dropped On the door-latch, which had his entrance stopped.

I opened to him—but I was alone;

My soul was faint, because my love was gone.

I sought, but found him not; I called his name,

He answered not: the nightly watchers came,
And when they found me, they my face would see,-
They raised my veil, they struck me, wounded me.
I charme you Yirrins if xe chance to find

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