Upon my bed I searched through every hour For the one my soul had learned to love. I rose and walked the streets beneath the darkness, Through the squares and passages of stone. The watchmen found me moving through the city; I asked if they had seen the one I sought. Then I found the one my soul loves; I held him and would not let him go. I brought him toward my mother's quiet house, To the room where life had first begun. Do not awaken love before its season; Let desire rise when it is ready. Who is this ascending from the wilderness, Rising like a pillar filled with fragrance? Solomon is carried through the distance, Guarded by the strongest men of Israel. Silver forms the posts, and gold the resting place; Purple spreads beneath the royal company. Come and see the crown his mother gave him On the day his heart rejoiced in marriage.