How graceful are your feet opens with the same exclamation as 4.10; see comments there. Graceful, describing the way the young woman walks, renders the Hebrew adjective “beautiful.” The Revised Standard Version choice graceful may be influenced by the base meaning of feet, which is “[foot]steps.” Since most of the features described are the body parts themselves, the adjective describing her feet is probably better given as “beautiful.” “Lovely” is an acceptable alternative.

In sandals: the leather sandals traditionally worn left the top of the foot exposed. However, the Hebrew term may actually describe any kind of footwear.

“How beautiful are your feet in sandals” (Good News Translation) is one model for translation.

O queenly maiden: see comments on 6.12. Here the phrase, literally “daughter of a noble,” balances her references to her lover as “king.” That is to say, the young man affectionately refers to her as a noblewoman (see also the discussion under 6.12). “O noblewoman!” is Fox’s suggested translation, while Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible give “O prince’s daughter.” It may be simpler to say “[my] princess.” Good News Translation appears to combine this phrase with the opening exclamation and says “What a magnificent young woman you are!”

Your rounded thighs are like jewels describes the upper part of her legs. Rounded thighs is given as “the curve of your thighs” in Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and can be followed. Jewels is the Revised Standard Version rendering of a Hebrew word that occurs only here, so its meaning is not certain. The root seems to be connected with the idea of chain-like ornaments. Comparing the young woman with jewels may be a way of telling her she is precious and beautiful—“Your hips are curved like jewels.” Good News Translation leaves out the comparison altogether, following directly with the next line.

The work of a master hand or “the work of the hands of a craftsman.” The elegance and beauty created by an artist is the point of this description. The noun phrase work of may be effectively rendered as a verb phrase, “made by a fine artist.”

One possibility for translation is to reverse the order of some of the description but maintain the same idea: “Your rounded thighs are works of art, beautiful as jewels.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .