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From: martin@kawa.ssl.fujitsu.co.jp (S.C.T. Martin)
Date: 13 Aug 93 01:39:08 GMT
Subject: The Song of Solomon
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For your edification and delight!
What follows is an introduction to the the Song of Solomon by
Jon Noring (permission given) and the book itself (no prior
permission given).
From: noring@netcom.com (Jon Noring)
************************
Introduction to the Song of Solomon (LONG)
*******************************************
[Reference to context of original posting removed :SCTM]
...following this long introduction
is the complete book from the Bible, "Song of Solomon" (or "Song of
Songs"). I'm sure that most will agree that the Song is a highly
romantic and erotic poem, and certainly sheds some light on the roles
of romantic love and sexuality during the time of King Solomon in
ancient Israel. I chose the New International Version (NIV)
translation since it is easy to read and that it conveys very well the
erotic nature of the original writing. There are other good
translations of the Song also, so let's not get into a flame war
regarding which is a more faithful translation, reads better, uses a
better source, etc., although rational and calm comparisons between
translations would be very interesting.
[Note: I am excerpting the Song without prior permission from the New
York International Bible Society [copyright 1978], but I believe it is
within the commonly accepted guidelines (though pushing the limits I
admit) for use of copyrighted material for scholarly research and
annotation, so I have no problem providing the complete excerpt,
especially since it is needed to support several points I make in the
Introduction. If you have any problems with my use of this book this
way, feel free to write to the NYIBS and inform them of my grievous
'sin'. :^) ]
[You can inform on me too if you like ;-) :SCTM]
It is curious to note that there is a complete lack of any type of
religious content or teaching in the Song. Unless you knew beforehand
that it is an Old Testament book, you'd never know by its content that
it is considered canon by the Jewish and Christian religions (and
probably also considered divinely inspired by the Moslem faithful -
any feedback here?).
I also encourage you to either purchase or look at a copy of the NIV
Study Guide Version of Bible (or some other study guide or commentary)
which gives the interested reader a lot more information, verse by
verse, of what is known about the more subtle meanings of the words
and phrases used that were perfectly obvious to a reader in the first
Millennium B.C., but may be obscure or even unknown today.
I will give the following opinions from a liberal Christian
perspective. But let's not forget that the modern Jewish and Moslem
religions also regard this book as divinely inspired (at least I'm led
to believe that.) Thus, I would like to get feedback as to how the
Jewish and Moslem religions view this book.
I must comment on what I know some conservative and/or traditional
Christians (both Protestant and Catholic) will state in response to
this posting, that is, this book *ultimately* refers to Christ's love
for the Church. I reject this notion outright for reasons I'll give
below. I believe the real, but unstated, reason for them *having* to
say this is because the book otherwise would be an embarrassment to
their preconceived notions that sexuality is something that needs to
be repressed and downplayed in proper Christian practice, even in
marriage.
I believe the Song of Solomon was written *primarily* with the
spiritual intent of letting people know of the beauty and grandeur of
one of God's greatest gifts to mankind - sexuality. In fact, I would
say that God's primary purpose for inspiring Solomon (the probable
author) to write the Song of Solomon is for this book to serve as an
ever-present buffer against those misinformed Jewish and Christian
teachers who would arise throughout history and teach, using a
distortion of Scripture, that sexuality is somehow dirty or a
necessary evil for only procreation purposes.
And despite the presence of the Song of Solomon in the Bible, many
false teachers have been able to effectively divert much mainstream
Christian opinion in the late 19th Century (among other eras) to
accept the incorrect view that human sexuality is "dirty" and a
necessary evil (if you want me to support this contention, I can
e-mail a tract written by a Methodist woman from the late 19th Century
that will make your hair curl with its blatant message that sex is
dirty and a necessary evil to be performed by the wife for the sole
purpose of bearing children.) I would furthermore assert that
theologians who profess the view that God's ultimate purpose for the
Song of Solomon is to illustrate Christ's love for the Church are
teaching false and, in my opinion, dangerous doctrine, since this can
open the door to the abuses that history shows have occurred. The
exegesis I've seen from these theologians leaves much to be desired -
about the only arguments that they can make is that for some reason
this book has always been accepted as canon by both Jews and
Christians alike (combined with the Christian view that all Scripture
points to Christ), and that in some places of the New Testament the
relationship of Christ and the Church is talked of as a 'marriage'.
These reasons are too flimsy, in my opinion, to make the quantum leap
to the assertion that the primary purpose of the Song is to illustrate
Christ's love for the Church, beautiful as that comparison is.
However, to use another argument, even if the purpose of the Song of
Solomon were to illustrate Christ's love for the Church, (which should
be clear by now that I reject), the use of erotic allusions and even
explicit sexual language (by our standards as well as the standards of
ancient Israel) automatically adds *legitimacy* to the goodness and
appropriateness (Godliness) of *expressed* and practiced eroticism in
Christian sexuality. Or putting it another way, God would not have
used such explicit sexual eroticism to describe the relationship of
Christ to the Church unless such sexual eroticism itself is good and
approved in God's eyes.
Thus, no matter what side of the fence you sit on vis-a-vis the Song's
primary purpose, one can only conclude from this book that eroticism
should play a normal, honored, and yes, talked about (rather than
hidden) role in Christian sexual expression, and that it should be
openly taught to our children in such terms. As a thought provoking
statement, if Solomon wrote erotic poetry as seen in the Song, then
why don't Christians write erotic literature and poetry today?
And if you as a Christian are uneasy with what I've said here, then
explore your feelings and go back to Scripture and ask the question to
yourself: "Why do I feel uneasy?" I would assert that any uneasiness
is due to the improper teaching of human sexuality that still lingers
on in 20th Century Christian thought and practice. Of course, I've
heard some argue that sexuality is so "holy" that it is to be kept
private and unspoken, but I believe that that, too, is an incorrect
view with roots in the anti-sexuality Christian teaching from the last
century; it's the logical response when one is uneasy about talking
about human sexuality.
According to Tim and Beverly LaHaye, in their book "The Act of
Marriage", (which is a good attempt - by a conservative Christian
couple - to strip away some of the repressive anti-sexuality of the
Christian Church from the 1800's which unfortunately survives to this
day), the Song of Solomon actually describes aspects of sexual
intercourse in a very explicit manner. For example, in 8:3,
"His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me.",
the word "embraces" actually refers to clitoral stimulation by the man
with the right arm (hand). It helps explain the anecdote that the
Hebrew bride, when she listened to the words of the Song read at her
wedding, would often blush (this book was apparently read at all
pre-Christian era Jewish marriages). One question, if your 13 year
old read the book and asked you what this verse means, what would you
say? If you're uneasy with this question, again explore your feelings
as well as Scripture. I would have no problem telling my 13 year old
up front exactly what it means since this comes from the Bible.
With respect to the overall eroticism of the Song, 8:10-12 is
illustrative:
"I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. Come, my lover, let
us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages [or
henna bushes]. Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines
have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates
are in bloom - there I will give you my love."
and in 7:6-9,
"How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters
of fruit. I said, 'I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of
its fruit.' May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the
fragrance of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best
wine."
Wow! I daresay that if a Christian writer today wrote something like
this, even using milder and more symbolic language, he/she would be
quickly censored by the so-called Christian "moralists" who would view
this as pornographic.
There are many erotic allusions in the Song that even today we can
still understand (however, some of the symbolism has unfortunately
been lost). I believe that older teen Christians should be encouraged
to read this book, to help balance out the too many negative messages
(thou shalt nots) that many in Christianity teach today, as well as to
counteract the negative secular messages about sexuality that we are
also inundated with today. It will give them even something more to
look forward to in marriage and reduce sexual hangups that plague a
large number of Christian and Christian-influenced marriages.
I also believe that Christians should take a more active role in
discussing the beauty and goodness of sexuality rather than to try to
continually hide it or feel ashamed talking about it, or to talk about
it only when referring to what one should NOT do, or that its role is
strictly reproductive, (as I said above, how about Christian erotic
literature?). This post of the Song of Solomon is an attempt to begin
the process of opening up Christianity to the beauty of human
sexuality - and to begin to talk about it rather than to hide it as if
it doesn't exist.
End of Introduction
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
"The Song of Solomon" also known as "The Song of Songs"
*******************************************************
(Note: There are apparently three voices in the following Biblical erotic
poem, based on the gender of the Hebrew pronouns used in the original text.
They are the woman (the beloved), the man (the lover) and the woman's friends.
It is unclear if the 'king' referred to in the text is the same person as
the man. Wherever there are difficulties in translation, or notes need to
be given, they are numbered in [..] and explained at the end of the text.)
Intro [1:1] - Solomon's Song of Songs.
Woman [1:2-4] - Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth -
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens love you!
Take me away with you - let us hurry!
The king has brought me into his chambers.
Friends [1:4] - We rejoice and delight in you; [1]
we will praise your love more than wine.
Woman [1:4-7] - How right they are to adore you!
Dark am I, yet lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon. [2]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother's sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I have neglected.
Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Man [1:8-11] - If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
I liken you, my darling, to a mare
harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh.
Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.
Woman [1:12-14] - While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
Man [1:15] - How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
Woman [1:16] - How handsome you are, my lover!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
Man [1:17] - The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.
Woman [2:1] - I am a rose of Sharon, [3]
a lily of the valleys.
Man [2:2] - Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
Woman [2:3-13] - Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my lover among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He has taken me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love,
Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
Listen! My lover!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."
Man [2:14-15] - My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.
Woman [2:16-17,
3:1-11] - My lover is mine and I am his;
he browses among the lilies.
Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn, my lover,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the rugged hills. [4]
All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
"Have you seen the one my heart loves?"
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother's house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Who is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and incense
made from all the spices of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon's carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior lovingly inlaid
by the daughters of Jerusalem. [5]
Come out, you daughters of Zion,
and look at King Solomon wearing the crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.
Man [4:1-15] - How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with elegance; [6]
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle
that browse among the lilies.
Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of incense.
All beautiful you are, my darling;
there is no flaw in you.
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions' dens
and the mountain haunts of the leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon.
You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.
You are a garden fountain, [7]
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
Woman [4:16] - Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread abroad.
Let my lover come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
Man [5:1] - I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Friends [5:1] - Eat, O friends, and drink;
drink your fill, O lovers.
Woman [5:2-8] - I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My lover is knocking:
"Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night."
I have taken off my robe -
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet -
must I soil them again?
My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
I arose to open for my lover,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
on the handles of the lock.
I opened for my lover,
but my lover had left; he was gone.
My heart had gone out to him when he spoke.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak,
those watchmen of the walls!
O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you -
if you find my lover,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.
Friends [5:9] - How is your beloved better than others,
most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved better than others,
that you charge us so?
Woman [5:10-16] - My lover is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand.
His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy
and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves
by the water streams,
washed in milk,
mounted like jewels.
His cheeks are like beds of spice
yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies
dripping with myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold
set with chrysolite.
His body is like polished ivory
decorated with sapphires. [8]
His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as its cedars.
His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my lover, this my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
Friends [6:1] - Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your lover turn,
that we may look for him with you?
Woman [6:2-3] - My lover has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to browse in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
I am my lover's and my lover is mine;
he browses among the lilies.
Man [6:4-12] - You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,
lovely as Jerusalem,
majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is alone.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
Sixty queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number;
but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.
Who is this that appears like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?
I went down to the grove of nut trees
to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
Before I realized it,
my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people. [9]
Friends [6:13] - Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!
Man [6:13-7:9] - Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
as on the dance of Mahanaim?
How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince's daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of a craftsman's hands.
Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
O love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, "I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit."
May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.
Woman [7:9-8:4] - May the wine go straight to my lover,
flowing gently over lips and teeth. [10]
I belong to my lover,
and his desire is for me.
Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages. [11]
Let us go early to the vineyards
to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom -
there I will give you my love.
The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my lover.
If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother's breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
I would lead you
and bring you to my mother's house -
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Friends [8:5] - Who is this coming up from the desert
leaning on her lover?
Woman [8:5-7] - Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived you,
there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal over your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave. [12,13]
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame. [14]
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned. [15]
Friends [8:8-9] - We have a young sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown,
What shall we do for our sister
for the day she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar. [16]
Woman [8:10-12] - I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels of silver.
But my own vineyard is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, [17]
O Solomon,
and two hundred are for those [18]
who tend its fruit.
Man [8:13] - You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
Woman [8:14] - Come away, my lover,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the spice-laden mountains.
Notes:
=====
[1] In the Hebrew, the pronoun 'you' is masculine singular.
[2] Or 'Salma'.
[3] Possibly a member of the crocus family.
[4] Or 'the hills of Bether'.
[5] Or 'its inlaid interior a gift of love / from'.
[6] The meaning of the Hebrew for this word (trans. as 'elegance')
is uncertain.
[7] Or 'I am' (spoken by the woman).
[8] Or 'lapis lazuli'.
[9] Or 'among the chariots of Amminadab'; or 'among the chariots of the
people of the prince'.
[10] Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew 'lips of sleepers'.
[11] Or 'henna bushes'.
[12] Alternative translation to 'jealousy' is 'ardor'.
[13] Hebrew 'Sheol'.
[14] Or 'like the very flame of the Lord'.
[15] Alternative translation to 'it' is 'he'.
[16] The original meaning of the metaphors 'wall', 'door' is not known.
[17] That is, about 25 pounds weight.
[18] That is, about 5 pounds weight.
End of the Song of Solomon
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|S.C.T. Martin|Fujitsu S.S.L. Limited|martin@kawa.ssl.fujitsu.co.jp|
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| Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality |
| Jules de Gaultier |
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