In this chapter of the Song, we see the relationship of the Lovers blossom and bear
fruit. How appropriate that it begins with images of flowers and fruit trees, symbols of romantic love!
The Song nowhere directly mentions the betrothal of the Lovers (see above). We think that it occurs between chapters
1 and 2 (which would account for the chapter division and the complete musical break it marks), or else within
chapter 2 itself. In chapter 2, we see actions and thoughts appropriate to a happily engaged couple.
A. Song 2:1-3: The Lovers' Mutual Respect (pages
10,
11)
Shulamith opens the chapter with a verse of haunting musical simplicity:
I am a rose in Sharon,
A lily in the valleys (verse 1).
The plain of Sharon has long been noted for its fertility as well as its flowers.1 The so-called "rose of Sharon" may be the polyanthus
narcissus, a yellow-and-white flower which grown in abundance on the Plains
of Sharon, Carmel and Jericho.2
The "lily of the valleys" reminds us of the "lilies of the field" Jesus spoke of in the "Sermon
on the Mount": "Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28-29).
And yet, so many very common flowers in
Israel are of astonishing beauty!3
To which "lily of the valleys", then, does Shulamith compare herself? One candidate is the corn flag, indigenous to the Land of Israel.4 Another is the stunning scarlet
anemone.5
Other possibiliites include the early tulip,
the ranculus and the poppy.6 Some suppose
the amaryllis lutea (a golden lilaceous
flower) is meant; others, the Martagnon lily.7 Who can choose between all these?
In any case, the Hebrew schoschaNa is
generally translated as "lily".8
Most likely Shulamith did not limit herself to one species, but likened herself to one lone flower among many flowers
of different species. All the same, though Shulamith may think of herself as a "common flower", she is
not lacking in self-esteem.9 The
melos presents Shulamith's accurate (yet
humble) self-appraisal as one beautiful girl among many whom Solomon could have chosen.
The Letteris Edition (upon which Haïk-Vantoura's work is based) and the Snaith Edition omit a musical sign
in verse 1 where one would normally expect to find it: on the word haScharon (cf. Appendix 2). This omission forces the cadence (melodic punctuation) to remain on the
5th degree, giving an almost disturbing
tone to the verse.
Was this omission intentional rather than a scribal or printing error? Haïk-Vantoura's score does not seek
to correct it. The BHS and Ginsburg Editions (and the Bomberg and other early and modern editions) do repair the omission, giving a rendering expressing
an apt personal humility (even more than does the Letteris reading). Thus we believe that the omission in Letteris
(which Snaith apparently copied) is accidental,
not purposeful. It does not, however, seriously affect the melos or Haïk-Vantoura's arrangement of it.
The Dear One's self-image has greatly improved since the beginning of the Song. Yet even here, the music hints
at a humble awe that she should be the
object of the Loved One's affection. She is a flower indeed -- one just awakening to the light of the vernal sun:
Like a lily among the thorns,
So is my Dear among the daughters (verse 2).
To the Loved One, there is no comparison between the Dear One and any other maiden.
She is as far above them (in beauty and in worth) as the lily is above the thorns. His melody is haunting too,
with a deeply spiritual tone. His love and respect is very much a picture of God's love and respect for His people.
The Dear One's response to the Loved One's praise is warm and tender, and more romantic in its melody than the
first two verses:
Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my Lover among the sons.
In his shadow I delighted and sat down,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste. (verse 3)
The apple tree is itself a symbol of romantic love. Some think this whole section
refers to lovemaking (and even to oral sex). Not at all! We
are still a long way from the wedding night, in the actual melodic-verbal chronology of the Song. The Dear One
is simply delighting in the Loved One's care and concern for her as a person. Her comparison of Solomon to his
fellows is not quite the same as his comparison of her to other maidens. The other trees no doubt have their own
dignity and value -- but only a fruit-bearing tree can fill a woman's hunger (and refresh her soul). This reflects
the different romantic perspectives of men and women. Men are drawn to physical attractiveness; women, to specific
personalities. Is not the wisdom of Solomon the poet-composer evident here?
B. Song 2:4: The Second Banquet
(pages
11,
12)
Poetically, Song 2:3-7 is parallel to Song 8:1-5. The musical modes and melodies at the beginning of each
differ from one another, even though there are exact melodic-verbal parallels later on (Song 2:7; 8:5).
Now the Lovers are at another formal banquet -- "in the house of wine" (verse 4). Here the musical theme
which began the Song proper (Song 1:2) is reintroduced, now in diatonic minor and slightly varied. It reminds one
of Shulamith's introduction to Solomon (which she no doubt remembers at this occasion). The slight change in musical
mode depicts a greater intimacy between the couple; the mode is more "earthbound" than the "Greek
Dorian" used at the beginning of the Song.
The Lovers' greater intimacy is indicated by the words as well. The Loved One's personal attention and care for
the Dear One is obvious, not only to her, but to everyone in the hall. How often (and how rightly!) has her phrase
been used by Christians to describe Christ's love for His people who shine as lights in the world:
...And his banner over me is love.
-- love being
the person-centered aspect of ahava.
We think this is the banquet where the Lovers' betrothal is formally announced and celebrated. The idea fits both
the verbal and musical context and the spiritual typology. If the Lovers had decided to wed between chapters 1
and 2, this banquet would be a reasonable place to make their intentions public.
C. Song 2:5: The Dear One Addresses the Daughters (page
12)
The Hebrew of this verse indicates what an English translation cannot (except by circumlocution): Shulamith addresses,
not a single person, but the Daughters of Jerusalem (or others around her, her friends, or the world at large).
The melodic theme of verse 4 is varied in verse 5, giving a sense of urgency. Her admission of "lovesickness"
is heartfelt and utterly candid, in words and melody alike:
Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with apples;
For I am sick with love!
The briefest absence makes the Dear One sick at heart; the melody expresses her emotion
aptly. Her "disease" is ahava:
here, the sort of idealized, hormonal "love" which Amnon had (in the worst way!) for Tamar, Absalom's
sister (2 Samuel 13:1-5). One can almost hear Shulamith groaning from it! (Her "love", however, is infinitely more Godly than was Absalom's "love"
for Tamar!) We can only look on, amazed, as Solomon the poet-melodist magnifies one implication or another of ahava according to the context.
The melodic-verbal theme "for I am sick with love" will reappear in Song 5:8, and for the same reason:
the Loved One's absence. An analogy with the believer's longing for intimacy with God is by no means out of order.
D. Song 2:6: The Lovers' Embrace (page
12)
In the Letteris and Snaith Editions (though not in others -- see Appendix 2), the same musical sign, in a near-identical
musical context, is omitted here as it was in verse 1. (It is not omitted in the parallel Song 8:3.) Moreover,
the word translated "my head" is not the same in these two verses: leroschi here versus roschi
in Song 8:3.
The prefix le- (as the parallel verse
confirms) is actually not required by the grammatical structure. Solomon no doubt deliberately intended to draw
out this verse slightly, in comparison to Song 8:3. The omission of the expected musical sign actually adds to
the air of tension (and of suspension of time) not present in Song 8:3 to quite the
same degree.
Many commentators have taken this verse, and Song 8:3, to describe foreplay before sexual intercourse. They claim
that the verb here translated "to embrace" can be translated "to fondle". According to them,
the Loved One, lying by the Dear One, would put his left hand under her head while his right hand intimately fondled
her body. Some think this an indication that the Song's imagery is not chronological (unless one assumes the couple
shared a great deal of "heavy petting" before marriage).
The actual Hebrew (and its melody) shows this is not the case. The word translated "to embrace" (habak) means
exactly that: "to clasp, embrace", not "to caress" (cf. BDBG). The melody indicates a purity in the Dear One's longing which denies the idea of intense foreplay. The overall melodic
and poetic structure demands that this verse be placed before, not after, the wedding
of the couple.
Here the Lovers are simply holding each other, standing up and face to face. The Loved One puts his left hand under
the back of the Dear One's head (the better to see her face) while his right hand encircles her waist.10 She is indeed moved by this personal intimacy
-- but in a personal way, not an explicitly
sexual one. Nothing more should be read
into the Dear One's words, here or in Song 8:3.
E. Song 2:7: The Dear One's First Admonishment (pages
12,
13)
This verse opens with a sequence of te`amim
not found earlier in the Song. We will hear this musical theme again (in various modes) in Song 2:17, 3:2 and in
later verses (including later, similar admonishments).
Here the Dear One gives a passionate, yet dignified piece of advice:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the hinds
or by the gazelles of the field:
do not awaken,
and do not arouse Love
before it pleases.
Here we encounter Love
in the emphatic sense (et - ha'ahava) for the first time. The melos of her admonition has the qualities of romanticism,
friendship, and selfless concern for the other's welfare combined (which indicates that et
- ha'ahava is used to underline the fusion of spiritual, companionable and erotic loves). Her use of deer and gazelles as symbols of
female sexuality (cf.
Chapter
13 of this book) reminds the Daughters to let Love take its own time --
and to guard their hearts from "running away with them" before that time comes.
F. Song 2:8-14: The Loved One Visits the Dear One (pages
13,
14,
15,
16,
17)
Here once again the location changes. From the rural setting described, it cannot be in Jerusalem. Evidently Shulamith
has gone back to her home, in a mountainous area. No doubt there were preparations to be made there, before the
marriage -- and no doubt Shulamith wanted to see her family once again before her new life began.
We have alleged Shulamith must have grown up in Gilead, probably in or near Mahanaim. Notice how the Loved One
comes to her! Shulamith may not have been expecting his arrival -- or else she has not seen him all winter. Her
joy at seeing him is palpable:
The voice of my Lover!
Behold, he comes,
jumping on the mountains,
leaping on the hills. (verse 8)
He approaches the wall of her dwelling11 (the word kotel,
"wall of a house", is used only here in the Bible) and peeks eagerly through the lattice of the windows
(verse 9). The melody (in its beautiful "Hypophrygian" mode) portrays his eagerness, his joy at the prospect of seeing the Dear One. Evidently
it has been a long winter for him as well!
The modality of this section evokes spring in full bloom. The imagery of the Loved One's call to the Dear One is
equally poignant, and has its own unique melodic-verbal theme beginning and ending it:
Arise,
my Dear,
my beautiful one,
and come away. (verses 10, 13)
The Loved One indulges in a special word-play in verse 12. The middle stich has a
double meaning: the first meaning referring back to the first stich, the second meaning forward to the third stich.
His melody (which pauses on the 4th degree at the end of the middle stich) gives a balanced emphasis to the three
stiches, underlining the word-play:
The blossoms appear in the land;
The time of singing [or, of pruning] is come;
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.12
His vivid description of the plants and animals of spring turns, with a slight alteration
of the mode (by making the 4th degree variable), to the Dear One herself:
O my dove,
(nested) in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret place of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely. (verse 14)
How perfectly
this slight alteration expresses his earnestness! The word yonati ("O my dove") is marked by a melismatic musical sign found in but a few other verses
of the Song (cf. Appendix 2). In this verse, it suggests the fluttering of the dove's wings as it nests in the cleft of the rock. He asks his "dove" to
come out of her protected shelter and enjoy the day. The word for "your face" (marêkh) underlines the beauty of the Dear One's countenance.13
G. Song 2:15: The Dear One's Reverie (page
18)
This verse is parallel (in the overall chiasmic structure of the poem) to Song 6:11-12, which (as we will see in
context) is a daydream by the Loved One.
Here it is the Dear One (not the Loved One, as many surmise) who is speaking. The melody's contours and overall
"tone" fit the characteristics of a woman's voice, not a man's. Moreover, the melodic theme and tempo
changes here (to a variant of the theme first stated in Song 1:2, in fact), confirming that a different speaker
is intended.
Many commentators find the Dear One's words puzzling (even those who do not assign them to the Loved One):
Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes that spoil the vineyards,
for our vines are in blossom.
The warm, dreamy quality of the Dear One's
remarks tells us they have nothing to do with literal foxes -- and everything to do with romance! It is the "little" problems, not the big ones, that can ruin
a relationship, especially when it has just come to bloom. Just as foxes can spoil the grapes just as they appear,
so little misunderstandings between a couple can keep the relationship from coming to fruition.
The Dear One is expressing her wish to keep such problems and misunderstandings at bay. Her comments have the quality
of a reverie. The word "catch"
is not addressed to one or both Lovers, but to others (the verb is in the transitive, imperative plural). Her words,
"Catch (ye) for us", rather than "Let us catch for ourselves", confirm that her comments are
rhetorical.14
H. Song 2:16: "My Lover is Mine..." (page
18)
By now the couple share a mutual commitment and sense of belonging, enough to allow a greater physical intimacy.
As the Dear One says, in a different (minor) mode from that of her preceding comments (in Mixolydian mode):
My Lover is mine,
and I am his --
he who feeds among the lilies.
Haïk-Vantoura renders the last phrase "pastures (his flock) among the lilies". "His flock"
is not in the original Hebrew, though the word we translate "feeds" does refer to the grazing of a flock
of sheep. Once again, the tone of the Dear One's remarks shows she is not speaking in literal terms.15 We prefer our own rendering to that given
by most translators, which does not fit the heart-stirring, yet simple melody which accompanies it.
Later on the Dear One describes her Loved One's lips as lilies (Song 5:13). Lilies are part of the imagery the
Loved One uses to describe the breasts and belly of the Dear One -- places where he longs to kiss her (Song 4:5,
7:3). The Dear One here speaks of her Loved One's kisses on her own lips. They must be rather long, fervent kisses
(though not as deep, we think, as in Song 4:11), if she likens them to sheep feeding among lilies! The melody (in
its minor mode) expresses how disturbing
this tender intimacy is to her. It affects her to the core of her being.
I. Song 2:17: The Dear One's Longing (page
19)
This verse begins with a melodic-verbal phrase which appears again (in a different musical mode) in Song 4:6:
Until the day breathes,
and the shadows flee away...
These words describe night ending in sunrise, not day ending in sunset.16 On the wedding night, these words are spoken by the Loved One, when he expresses his intention
to make love until dawn. Here the Dear One adds:
Return!...
And liken yourself, my Lover, to a gazelle,
or a fawn of the stags,
on the mountains of Bether.
Many commentators think the Dear One is expressing a wish for lovemaking here. Some think the wish overt (assuming
the Song's strophes are not in chronological order); but the Lovers' wedding does not occur until the next chapter!
Others think the Dear One may be hinting at desires that cannot yet be fulfilled. In most translations, return! is rendered simply as "turn" -- which
leaves the meaning of this verse open to the context, a context undefinable apart from the original music.
We note first that "return" (çov)
is marked by a musical sign17 used
nowhere else in the Song. This flowery melisma not only draws one's attention to çov, but it also draws itself
away from the word. The root çabab,
on the other hand, can mean (among other things) "turn about, often as preliminary to something else"
(BDBG; cf.
Appendix
1). With one ta`am on one word, then, the melos
expresses a sense of going and coming,
not evident from the verbal context alone.
After the word "return", the mode alters from "diatonic minor" to the mode found elsewhere
only in Song 1:5-6.18 The former
mode gives the phrase, "Until the day breathes, and the shadows flee," a wistful sadness. The latter
mode, by contrast, gives the phrases it supports a sense of warm anticipation. These musical clues make clear what
the Dear One is saying in context.
Note once more: verses 8-9a of this chapter describe the Loved One's eager approach to the Dear One's home. Verses
9b-14 give his romantic invitation to spend the day outdoors with him. Verse 15 describes the Dear One's wish that
nothing disturb this "perfect day", nor the budding relationship the Lovers share on it. At the end of
the day (verse 16), the Lovers share a farewell embrace and a long kiss.
Verse 17 flows out of this context. It begins with the same minor mode that supports verse 16. The Dear One hates
to see the Loved One leave (as the opening mode and melody tell us). Her first words lead us to expect a request
for the Loved One to stay all night (as she undoubtedly wishes he could). Instead, she tells him to leave for the
night -- and to return as quickly as he may. No doubt we see here the Dear One catching herself, before her desires
get out of control!
This verse forms a melodic-verbal link with several other verses. "Until the day breathes and the shadows
flee" (Song 2:17; 4:6) links "the mountains of Bether" (cf.
Appendix
1) to "the mountain of myrrh and the
hill of frankincense" -- an explicitly sexual reference. The phrase "like a gazelle or a fawn of the
stags" (Song 2:9, 17; 8:14) links Bether with "the mountains of spices" -- again, a sexual reference.
In 8:14, the simile of a gazelle refers to the Loved One's sexual potency; in 2:9, to the Loved One's athletic
prowess. In 2:17, the simile refers to the latter image and foreshadows the former. Thus the images are interwoven across the Song, confirming the unity of its melodic-verbal structure.
The "mountains of Bether" are surely literal: the mountains near the Dear One's home. Some think they
symbolize the Dear One's breasts or their "cleavage". If anything, given the cross-references with other
verses that we have just noted, the Dear One's "secret parts" (and secret desires) are symbolized (cf.
Appendix
1). The Dear One's simile overtly refers to the eager return of her Loved One. Yet it also hints
at her growing (yet still-hidden and totally innocent) anticipation of the Lovers' consummation. The Loved One
will remind her of her words (and say them with a different tone) when the wedding night finally arrives.
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