The Bridegroom
The bridegroom calls the bride beautiful as Tirzah and lovely as Jerusalem, yet awe-inspiring as an army with banners. He asks her to turn her eyes away because they overwhelm him, then reprises images of her hair, teeth, and temples, showing that his admiration remains vivid and undiminished.
Y4ou are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, 5Turn your eyes away from me, 6Your teeth are like a flock of sheep 7Your brow behind your veil
He acknowledges many queens, concubines, and maidens, yet declares the bride alone to be his dove and perfect one, singular to her mother and praised by all who see her. His words set her apart not merely as preferred but as unique and universally recognized in beauty.
8There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, 9but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,