Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Songs of Songs 4, A Lover's Garden

Until now the woman has been showering her lover with praise, expressing her longing for him in various ways. In this chapter the man speaks up.

Song of Songs 4:1a, A beautiful woman
How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.

Alter disagrees with the translation of lə·ṣam·mā·ṯêḵ as "veil" in verses 1 and 3 (and in 6:7.) He argues that the word could be translated "tresses" (of long hair.) The KJV agrees, translating that word as "locks" (of hair.) Alter argues that, as there are alternative meanings to the Hebrew word, a demure veil is not in keeping with the frank and intimate language of the passage. After all, the man mentions the woman's breasts in verse 5, so it is unlikely that she has been keeping her face covered.

Song of Songs 4:1b-3a, A flock of goats
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.

Although modern readers find these metaphors strange, to the people of the ANE, they are strong images. If one look at flocks of black goats of Mount Gilead, one might think of his lover's long black tresses. The woman has a glorious smile, with teeth white and well-formed, not common in a culture long before the modern dentist. Even in the ANE, red lipstick was in fashion for women; archeologists have found make-up from ancient Persia that dates to 2000 BC. (See here.) Furthermore, not all metaphors are intended to give visual images; if I tell my wife, "You look like a million bucks," I am not comparing her to a stack of dollar bills. In the ANE, flocks of goats and flocks of sheep were signs of wealth.

Song of Songs 4:3b-4, A tower
Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. 
Your neck is like the tower of David, built with elegance;
on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.

The woman's face and neck are smooth and elegant, adorned with beautiful jewelry.

Song of Songs 4:5, Two breasts
Your two breasts are like two fawns, 
like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies.  

And now, in a passage that is embarrassing to any who think Hugh Hefner invented sex, the man praises the woman's soft breasts, with tender images of gentle fawns. The Old Testament's approach to sexual attraction includes my favorite proverb, Proverbs 5:18-19.

Song of Songs 4:6-7, Mountain of myrrh
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.

After declaring that the woman's breasts are tender fawns, the man declares his intent to stay the night at the "mountain of myrrh and the hill of incense." Alter and Davidson disagree at the intent of this metaphor but both agree that the man's intent to stay the night with his lover is clear. Davidson thinks these are metaphors for the woman's breasts; Alter says the "mountain" is singular and may be a metaphor for the "mount of venus"; the author is probably deliberately vague, merely hinting at the arousal of the lovers.

The last verse provides an "envelope" (points out Alter) for the man's declaration of the woman's beauty. He begins and ends this passage with a simple statement of beauty.

Song of Songs 4:8, Come away with me
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.  

The man calls the woman away, to go with him to foreign places. The places named in this passage are not completely clear. Does the man invite her to go to Lebanon or from Lebanon. Lebanon would be a far away wild and romantic place, and Mount Hermon is also far to the north, on the border of Lebanon and Syria. Apparently Senir is an Ammonite name for Hermon. Amana does not appear in the Old Testament and is presumably part of the Mount Hermon range. The lions' dens and haunts of the leopards also allude to wild mysterious places.

Song of Songs 4:9-10, You have stolen my heart!
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!  

With one glance of her eyes, with one jewel of her necklace, he is enraptured, says her lover. He rejoices in her love, declaring it better than wine, her perfume greater than any spice! These strong words of worship and love are addressed to "sister" and "bride." Most commentators agree that those words are also exaggerated, ANE terms of endearment. The couple may be promised to each other but sister simply means a dear female friend and bride would mean a lover. To read either incest or marriage into this couple is to ignore the poetry of the passage.

Song of Songs 4:11, Lips drip honey
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.  

There is Hebrew alliteration in verse 11, nō·p̄eṯ tiṭ·ṭō·p̄ə·nāh śip̄·ṯō·ṯa·yiḵ (literally "as the honey drip your lips") and many English translations pass on the alliteration with "lips drip honey." A very similar line occurs in Proverbs 5:3 where it is the lips of the stranger that drip honey. Here the sweet taste of his lover's lip is extolled.

I recall, long ago when Jan and I were dating, that on a beautiful spring day in western Illinois, we went out to Spring Lake park. (We both enjoyed hikes in the outdoors.) There we rented a rowboat and rowed out into the center of Spring Lake... and suddenly discovered how wonderful it was to just sit in the boat, nuzzled against each other and kiss. And kiss. The sweetness of her lips is still vivid fifty years later. (We no longer can sit and kiss sweetly for an hour -- after all, we now have a verdant bed in a private home!)

Song of Songs 4:12-15, Locked garden
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, 
a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.

The woman is described as a locked garden; her body a private place of hidden and reserved beauty. The man elegantly describes the perfumes and images of nature that she provides. The final verse describes her as a garden fountain, of bubbling fresh water. We may see this as a beautiful description but in the dry climate of Israel, the woman is being described as a wonderful oasis. May the man always find the woman as a safe oasis.

The adjective translated "incense" in verse 14 is lebonah, punning with Lebanon. It is often translated "frankincense."

Song of Songs 4:16, It is your garden
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.

So far in this chapter, the man has voiced all the praise, describing the woman's body as a beautiful locked garden, with many wonderful scents and attrations. At the end of his praise, the woman responds. Yes, lover, come into your garden and taste! The invitation is clear; this is both beautiful and erotic.

This poem continues into the first verse of chapter 5, where the man accepts her invitation.

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