From David Dorsey’s book. Students of S of S may want to give other designations to the sections.

A. Opening words of mutual love and desire 1:2-2:7

B. young man’s invitation to young woman to join him in the countryside 2:8-17

C. young woman’s night time search for   young man 3:1-5

D. wedding day 3:6-5:1

C’. young woman’s night time search for young man, and their speeches of admiration and longing 5:2-7:11

B’. young woman’s invitation to the young man to join her in the countryside 7:12-8:4

A’. Closing words of mutual love and desire 8:5-14

There are other proposals such as this from Davidson http://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1253&context=jats, which also contains a thorough review of literature.

A 1:2–2:7 Mutual Love
B 2:8–17 Coming and Going
C 3:1–5 Dream I: Lost and Found
D 3:6–11 Praise of Groom, I
E 4:1–7 Praise of Bride, I
F 4:8–15 Praise of Bride, II
G 4:16 Invitation by Bride
G ́ 5:1 Acceptance of Invitation by Groom and Divine
Approbation
C ́ 5:2–8 Dream II: Found and Lost
D ́ 5:9–6:3 Praise of Groom, II
E ́ 6:4–12 Praise of Bride, III
F ́ 7:1 [Eng. 6:13]–10 [Eng. 9] Praise of Bride, IV
B ́ 7:11 [Eng. 10]–8:2 Going and Coming
A ́ 8:3–14 Mutual Love

A (13) The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with THE TENDER GRAPE give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

B (14) O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see THY COUNTENANCE,

C (14) let me hear THY VOICE;

C′ (14) for sweet is THY VOICE,

B′ (14) and THY COUNTENANCE is comely.

A′ (15) Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have TENDER GRAPES.

Ruth building on Nigel’s 5:14-6:6

A.(8) I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

B.(9) What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

C.(10) My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

D.(11) His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. (12) His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. (13) His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

E.(14,15) His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory < 08127> overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

F. (16) His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

G. (1) Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest <03303> among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

H. (2) My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

I(3) I am my beloved’s,
I'(3) and my beloved is mine:

H'(3) he feedeth among the lilies.

G'(4) Thou art beautiful <03303>, O my love,

F'(4) as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

E'(5, 6) Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. Thy teeth <08127> are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

D'(7) As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

C'(8) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

B’.(9) My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her.

A’. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

A (1) O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

B (2) I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

C (3,4) His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love <0160>, until he please.

D (5) Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there brought thee forth:

E (5) thy mother

D1 (5) there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

C1 (6) Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love <0160> is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

B1 (7) Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

A1 (8) We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

Note: Order for DED1 follows Hebrew.(Nigel)

A (7) As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

B (8) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

C (9) is but one <0259>;

D (9) My dove, my undefiled

C1 (9) she is the only one <0259> of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her.

B1 (9) The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

A1 (10,11) Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
Note: Order for CDC1 follows Hebrew.(Nigel)

A (14,15) His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory < 08127> overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

B (16) His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

C (1) Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest <03303> among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

D (2) My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

E (3) I am my beloved’s,
E1 (3) and my beloved is mine:

D1(3) he feedeth among the lilies.

C1 (4) Thou art beautiful <03303>, O my love,

B1 (4) as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

A1 (5, 6) Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. Thy teeth <08127> are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

A (10) How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

B (11) Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

C (12) A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

D (13) Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

E (14) Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

F (15) A fountain of gardens,

G (15) a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

F1 (16) Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden,

E1 (16) that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden,

D1 (16) and eat his pleasant fruits.

C1 (1) I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse:

B1 (1) I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;

A1 (1) I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

A (4) It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

B (5) I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field,

C (5) that ye stir not up, nor awake my love <0160>, till he please.

D (6) Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

E (8) They all hold swords,

F (8) being expert in war:

E1 (8) every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

D1 (9) King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

C1 (10) He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love <0160>,

B1 (10) for the daughters of Jerusalem.

A1 (11) Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

A (10) My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up <06965>, my love, my fair one, and come away.

B (11,12) For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth <0776>;

C (12) the time of the singing of birds is come,

B1 (12) and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land <0776>;

A1 (13) The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise <06965>, my love, my fair one, and come away.

A (1,2) I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

B (3) As the apple tree  among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

C (4) He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

B’ (5) Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge you

A’  7, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.