The Song of Songs

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
Your love is more delightful than wine;
delicate is the fragrance of your perfume,
your name is an oil poured out,
and that is why the maidens love you.
Draw me in your footsteps, let us run.
The King has brought me into his rooms;
you will be our joy and gladness.
We shall praise your love above wine;
how right it is to love you.

FIRST POEM

I am black but lovely, daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the pavilions of Salmah.
Take no notice of my swarthiness,
it is the sun that has burnt me.
My mother's sons turned their anger on me,
they made me look after the vineyards.
Had I only looked after my own!

Tell me then, you whom my heart loves:
Where will you lead your flock to graze,
where will you rest it at noon?
That I may no more wander like a vagabond
beside the flocks of your companions.

If you do not know this, O loveliest of woman,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and take your kids to graze
close by the shepherds' tents.

To my mare harnessed to Pharaoh's chariot
I compare you, my love.
Your cheeks show fair between their pendants
and your neck within its necklaces.
We shall make you golden earrings
and beads of silver.

While the King rests in his own room
my nard yields its perfume.
My Beloved is a sachet of myrrh
lying between my breasts.
My Beloved is a cluster of henna flowers
among the vines of Engedi.

How beautiful you are, my love,
how beautiful you are!
Your eyes are doves.

How beautiful you are, my Beloved,
and how delightful!
All green is our bed.

The beams of our house are of cedar,
the paneling of cypress.


I am the rose of Sharon,
the lily of the valleys.


As a lily among the thistles,
so is my love among the maidens.


As an apple tree among the trees of the orchard,
so is my beloved among the young men.
In his longed-for shade I am seated
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He has taken me to his banquet hall,
and the banner he raises over me is love.
Feed me with raisin cakes,
restore me with apples,
for I am sick with love.

His left arm is under my head,
his right embraces me.

I charge you,
daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles, by the hinds of the field,
not to stir my love, nor rouse it,
until it please to awake.


The Song of Songs, taken as a whole book, is the gospel of the Old Testament. True, it does not contain specific prophecies of the coming of Messiah, but it sings of His nature, and the nature of His undying love for humanity, and that too is prophecy, of the most intimate kind.

The book can be read on at least three levels. For the man and woman united in marriage, it can be read and fulfilled in their physical and spiritual intimacy. This is commanded and consecrated by the God who made us. For the lover of God, it can be read and fulfilled in the personal relationship with the Lord, which is not only possible but also commanded, as He has called His lovers to be holy as He is holy. Finally, in the historical sense, the book contains the good news, the gospel of God's love for humanity, starting with His love for His hereditary people Israel, and then, through their denial and diaspora among the nations, finishing with His love for His spiritual Israel, all who call on His name, both Jew and Gentile.

My reading this morning was the book of Song of Songs, and as I read and prayed, I remembered my own salvation history clinging to many verses, as tufts of wool are snagged on thorn bushes when a sheep passes near them, to remain as evidence that it has passed that way. I wanted to copy the whole book into my blog, but I realised that what I wanted to do isn't really possible using this kind of media. The text is from the original Jerusalem Bible, and I have not put in the verse numbers, but the selection runs from chapter 1, verse 1 through chapter 2, verse 7. Reading parts of it also from the NIV version, I understand that different versions divide up the speakers differently, and because of that, sometimes the translations are slightly different. I am using little images and coloring the text to distinguish the Bride, the Bridegroom, and the Chorus. Perhaps I will continue posting the other four poems comprising this book in the future, but for now, just the first.