Tota pulchra es, amica mea

General information

Frequently set text from Song of Solomon 4:7,11; 2:11–13; 4:8.

Settings by composers

• Heinrich Isaac
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
• John Plummer (Latin and English versions available)
• Ludwig Senfl
• Robert White

Original text and translations

Latin text

Tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te;
favus distillans labia tua; mel et lac sub lingua tua;
odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata:
jam enim hiems transiit, imber abiit et recessit.
Flores apparuerunt; vineae florentes odorem dederunt,
et vox turturis audita est in terra nostra:
surge, propera, amica mea: veni de Libano, veni, coronaberis.

English translation

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
Your lips distil nectar; honey and milk are under your tongue;
the scent of your perfumes is beyond all spices.
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared; the flowering vines have given forth their fragrance,
and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.
Arise, my love, my fair one; come from Lebanon, come, you will be crowned.

English translation

Thou art wholly fair, my love, nor is there any stain in thee;
thy lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under thy tongue;
the scent of thy perfumes is beyond all spices;
for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared; the flourishing vineyards have given forth their fragrance
and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.
Arise, my love, my fair one: come from Lebanon, come, thou shalt be crowned.

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