Song of Solomon 5-6

The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)

Song of Solomon 5 - I come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I gather my myrrh with my spice, I eat my honeycomb with my honey, I drink my wine with my milk.

Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love.

Another Dream

I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! my beloved is knocking. "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night." I had put off my garment; how could I put it on again? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? My beloved thrust his hand into the opening, and my inmost being yearned for him. I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, upon the handles of the bolt. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and was gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but did not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer. Making their rounds in the city the sentinels found me; they beat me, they wounded me, they took away my mantle, those sentinels of the walls. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, tell him this: I am faint with love.

Colloquy of Friends and Bride

What is your beloved more than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us?

My beloved is all radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand. His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, bathed in milk, fitly set. His cheeks are like beds of spices, yielding fragrance. His lips are lilies, distilling liquid myrrh. His arms are rounded gold, set with jewels. His body is ivory work, encrusted with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns, set upon bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His speech is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Song of Solomon 6 - Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Which way has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he pastures his flock among the lilies.

The Bride's Matchless Beauty

You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me! Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins, and not one among them is bereaved. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number. My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the darling of her mother, flawless to her that bore her. The maidens saw her and called her happy; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?"

I went down to the nut orchard, to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom. Before I was aware, my fancy set me in a chariot beside my prince.

Return, return, O Shulammite! Return, return, that we may look upon you.

Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies?

My Comments

I think I am having more fun reading this book than any of the others so far. It's just passionate romance and physical love. Granted, I am not a huge fan of love that is more physical than intellectual (I'm just more passionate about having someone that I can talk to than a nice set of abs, I guess) but it's just SO nice to see here. The Bible is full of relationships that are based on fear, dominance, control, and respect. The Bible hardly speaks of love between people, especially man and wife. Especially a MUTUAL love, which I think is the key. We have seen some sparks, but none that seem to really glorify a love that could surpass one's love for God himself.

I kind of see this book this way. God is hardly mentioned and is not the recipient of this love. Odd to find in a Holy book, a human relationship which seems to be held up over the love between creation and Creator.

Honestly, I like it.

Still fun to find the innuendos. I remember reading Shakespeare and having fun finding all the sexual innuendos in his plays. Get the same kind of childish giggles reading this. Especially the dream in chapter 5. Hot damn. :P

Wednesday: Song of Solomon 7-8