Song of Songs of Solomon: A Poetic Interpretation

By Falvey, Lindsay, Ph.D.

Book Id: WPLBN0002828961
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 15.46 MB
Reproduction Date: 10/8/2013

Title:	Song of Songs of Solomon: A Poetic Interpretation
Author:	Falvey, Lindsay, Ph.D.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Non Fiction, Religion, Poetry
Collections:	Authors Community, Poetry
Historic Publication Date:	2013
Publisher:	Self-published

Member Page:	Lindsay Falvey
Citation APA MLA Chicago Falvey, Ph.D, B. L. (2013). Song of Songs of Solomon: A Poetic Interpretation. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
The Song of Songs [of Solomon] (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים Šîr haŠîrîm, ᾎσμα ᾎσμάτων Aisma Aismatōn, Cantĭcum Canticōrum) is a poetic courtship that moves from enchantment to consummation. Devoid of religiosity, it has traditionally been understood as metaphor for the relationship of the soul with the Divine – of God with Israel – of Christ with the Church – of Christ with the human soul – or humanistically, as a metaphor for psychological integrity. In his 12th century sermon, ‘On the Title of the Book: The Song of Songs’, St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s meditative reading followed the book of Ecclesiastes, which teaches ‘how to … have done with the false promise of this world’, and the book of Proverbs that enlightens ‘your life and your conduct’. He called these two preliminary books antidotes to the two enemies of the soul – ‘misguided love of the world and an excessive love of self’, and he observed that only ‘the mind disciplined by persevering study’ is made ‘ripe … for nuptial union with the divine partner’. His spiritual marriage between the heavenly Bridegroom and the human bride occurs when the two become one, and that one is the same as God in the mystical world accessed through meditative reading, Lectio Divina. The Song of Songs has inspired more art than we can ever know, in music from Bach’s ‘Sleepers Wake’ to Purcell’s ‘My Beloved Spake’, and in literature from Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’ to Goethe’s ‘Faust’. The Song of Songs is also the favourite book of the title character in one of my favourite books, that of Nobel Laureate Sinclair Lewis – ‘Elmer Gantry’. To me the Song of Songs unites the mystical traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, dispensing with trivial dogmatic and cultural differences in such beautiful metaphor that it is no surprise to find such imagery in these and all other religions, albeit often neglected or even denigrated by institutional religious bodies to ‘protect’ the ignorant. Long noticed similarities of the Song of Songs with other Ancient Middle Eastern love poetry from Sumeria through Egypt, and beyond into Persia, continues today into modern Tamil literature. A recent exhibition of 13th century Persian and related manuscripts from the State Library of Victoria and the Bodleian Library in Oxford spurred me to render the similar but much more ancient Song of Songs into a rhyming poetic form. And as had Bernard, I first studied Ecclesiastes – rendering it into Buddhist thought through rhyming verse that was published as ‘Pranja Anthology’. Consideration of the book of Proverbs concentrating on versus related to wisdom as in the background of the cover of this book then led to this poetic interpretation of the Song of Songs.

Summary
A rendering of the Old Testament book into modern poetic form in rhyming couplets to produce a love poem in the style of a continuing poetic form from ancient Hebrew and other forms through Persia and India.

Excerpt
A wise man once set down in song, beauty that in nature rests, for which all hearts forever long like dreams deep in maidens’ breasts : The young woman: “My man, your kiss is my mantle your musk clothes me with alarm, allows my guard be more gentle. Oh, who could resist such charm! Oh, let’s elope to foreign parts, and reveal to me your realm; there let us practice lovers’ arts for we’ll both be overwhelmed. Yes, no one could resist such charm! Sisters of our sober town, You see my skin so sunned from farm, its like a richly gilded gown – a noble robe gifting my hue. Though born beyond your boudoir, underneath I’m the same as you. Why look down on my colour,

Table of Contents
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