Song of Songs 6:4-8
New Catholic Bible
Fifth Poem
One Alone Is My Dove, My Perfect One
You Are Beautiful, My Beloved[a]
Bridegroom:
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah,[b] my beloved,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they leave me defenseless.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
as they come up from the washing;
each of them has a twin,
and not one is alone.
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and maidens[c] beyond numbering.
9 One alone is my dove, my perfect one,
the darling of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and proclaimed her blessed;
the queens and concubines sang her praises.
Companions:
10 Who is this that comes forth like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
formidable as an army with banners?
Bride:
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
to look at the green shoots in the valley,[d]
to see whether the vines had budded
and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I realized it, my desire had placed me
in a chariot beside my prince.[e]
Chapter 7
How Beautiful You Are and How Charming[f]
Companions:
Bridegroom:
Why are you looking at the Shulammite
as at a dance of Mahanaim?
Companions:
2 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the handiwork of a master hand.
3 Your navel is a well-rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a mound of wheat[i]
surrounded by lilies.
4 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
5 Your neck is like an ivory tower;
your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon[j]
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon
that faces toward Damascus.
6 Your head is held high like Carmel;[k]
your flowing locks are as dark as purple,
and a king is held captive in your tresses.
Bridegroom:
7 How beautiful you are and how charming,
my beloved, my delight.
8 You are as stately as a palm tree,[l]
and your breasts are like clusters of fruit.
9 [m]I have decided to climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.
May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the scent of your breath as sweet as apples,
10 and your mouth like fragrant wine.
Come, My Beloved, I Will Give You My Love[n]
Bride:
[o]May the wine go straight to my beloved,
gliding over the lips and teeth.
11 I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.[p]
12 Come, my beloved,
let us go forth into the fields
and spend the night in the villages.
13 Let us go to the vineyards early
and see if the vines are budding,
if their blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom;
there I will give you my love.
14 The mandrakes[q] emit their fragrance,
and at our doors are the rarest of fruits,
fresh as well as ripened,
which I have kept in store for you, my beloved.
Chapter 8
1 Oh, if only you were to me like a brother,
nursed at my mother’s breast.
Then if I met you out of doors,
I could kiss you
without people regarding me with scorn.[r]
2 I would lead you
and bring you into the home of my mother.
There you would teach me to give you spiced wine to drink
and the juice of my pomegranates.
3 His left hand is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Bridegroom:
4 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem:
Do not stir up or awaken love
before its time has come.[s]
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 6:4 The bridegroom allows himself to be led to his rendezvous and praises his beloved: he stresses above all her undivided love, which is much different from that of Solomon, which was comprised of numerous and imperfect loves. For this young man, all his delight is in his unique beloved. This is the song of true love.
Israel can no longer forget that God prefers his people among all nations. And finally, the Lord’s love is unique for everyone, as St. Paul so boldly declares: “The Son of God . . . loved me and gave himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). - Song of Songs 6:4 Tirzah: i.e., “the charming,” “the desired,” was the capital of the northern kingdom before Samaria was built (see 1 Ki 14:17). As majestic as an army with banners: the bridegroom is as struck by his beloved’s beauty as he is by watching an army majestically moving forward with its banners unfurled.
- Song of Songs 6:8 Queens . . . concubines . . . maidens: either all the women of Solomon’s harem or all the beautiful women in the land.
- Song of Songs 6:11 Look . . . in the valley: for the early signs of spring (see note on Song 2:11-13).
- Song of Songs 6:12 The meaning of the entire verse is uncertain. The Vulgate reads: “I did not know, and I was disturbed because of the chariots of Amminadab.”
- Song of Songs 7:1 The chorus sees the bride as resembling Abishag the Shunammite, the exceptionally beautiful girl of whom 1 Ki 1:1-4 speaks. The passionate praise is received by the bride while she dances with joy.
In the poetic comparison, the terms are taken from the geography of Israel; this is a way of also singing the happiness of the people who rediscover their land. Thus, our chants will exult in the joy of the kingdom of God and the happiness that radiates from the holy city where all will be gathered together. - Song of Songs 7:1 The comparisons have to be understood in the light of Eastern esthetics, and even then they are not always easy to understand.
- Song of Songs 7:1 Shulammite: usually interpreted as referring to a woman from Shunem, specifically Abishag the Shunammite (1 Ki 1:1-4).
- Song of Songs 7:3 Wine . . . wheat: symbols of fertility.
- Song of Songs 7:5 Heshbon: a city in the Transjordan blessed with a great supply of spring water. Bath-rabbim: “Daughter of many,” so named perhaps because at that gate people went in crowds for water. Tower of Lebanon: probably the beautiful and towering mountains of Lebanon.
- Song of Songs 7:6 Carmel: a region on the west coast of the kingdom famous for its majesty and beauty.
- Song of Songs 7:8 Palm tree: a tree known for its stateliness.
- Song of Songs 7:9 The bride’s beauty is an irresistible draw for her husband.
- Song of Songs 7:10 In her turn, the bride lets the cry of her heart come forth; she invites the bridegroom to a promenade in the exuberant countryside of the new spring. Everything reminds them of the joy of union. However, there is a bit of regret: how she would like to bear witness before everyone that she and her lover belong to one another, and how she would like to take him home to her mother for their marriage! The poem concludes with a refrain that evokes the bride asleep, filled with tenderness and love.
Again, the destiny of Israel seems to us to be very close to this adventure. Overwhelmed by God’s love, the people will one day respond perfectly to the invitations of the one who is their spouse. And for more than one mystic there is no better image for the spiritual encounter with God than the new joy of a betrothal. - Song of Songs 7:10 The bride offers the wine of her love to the bridegroom.
- Song of Songs 7:11 See notes on Song 2:16a; 6:3.
- Song of Songs 7:14 Mandrakes: herbs thought to inspire love and increase fertility (see Gen 30:14).
- Song of Songs 8:1 Without people regarding me with scorn: the bride could show her affection openly and incur no scorn.
- Song of Songs 8:4 See note on Song 2:7.
