Translation
THE PEACEFUL WOMAN TO HER OWN DAUGHTERS
My Love is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
Go to footnote numberin the vineyards
Go to footnote numberof EN GEDI.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
THE COMPLETE WOMAN TO HER OWN DAUGHTERS
The love of my life is to me the most desirable type of peaceful prosperity from the most refreshing SPRING imaginable.
Footnotes
1
[1] Henna (also called camphire) is a plant with a cream or orange colored flower much admired in that part of the world both then and now, and often used for decorating or adorning something.
2
Vineyards were a symbol for peaceful prosperity.
3
En Gedi was, and still is, a lush and refreshing oasis on the shores of the Dead Sea. It has a series of several waterfalls fed by a natural spring. It is surrounded by extremely dry and harsh desert, making the contrast greater and the refreshing character of the oasis more appealing. En Gedi was probably the most refreshing place an Israelite could think of. The name En Gedi means “spring of a kid,” and was likely so named because the animals come to it in droves, including wild or lost goats. For the paraphrase I have taken only the “spring” part of the name because that is what fits its context in The Song; the part about the young goats is more difficult to incorporate.