Song of Songs

The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is
better than wine. (1:1-2)

Russell McNeil, PhD

Malaspina Great Books Lecture Series

Malaspina Great Books 2006

 Music and Words
A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me;
he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire
in the vineyards of En-gedi. (1:13-14)
Song of Songs 6:1-10

Bridegroom

Whither is thy beloved gone,

O thou fairest among women?
whither is thy beloved turned aside?
that we may seek him with thee.

Bride

My beloved is gone down into his garden,

to the beds of spices,
to feed in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved's,
and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
Bridegroom

Thou art beautiful, O my love,

as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as an army with banners
Turn away thine eyes from me,
for they have overcome me:
thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing,
whereof every one beareth twins,
and there is not one barren among them.
As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
There are threescore queens,
and fourscore concubines,
and virgins without number.
My dove, my undefiled is but one;
she is the only one of her mother, …
Song of Songs
Lorenza Ponce and Ben Zebelman

Declaration
Count Each Kiss
How Beautiful You Are
I Love To Look At You
My Perfect One
My Beloved Is
Sweeter Than
The Blossoms
Devouring Flame
Images
Chagall Song of
Songs IV
Janet Ayliffe Song
of Songs
Song of Songs 4:9-13

You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride,

you have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride!
how much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Your lips distil nectar, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue;
the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon.
A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a garden locked, a fountain sealed.
Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
with all choicest fruits, henna with nard …
Song of Songs 5:1-6

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, O friends, and drink: drink deeply, O lovers!
I slept, but my heart was awake.
Hark! 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?
I had bathed my feet, how could I soil them?
My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within
me.
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 gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.
Song of Songs 8:6-7

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;

for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods
drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his
house, it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Songs 2:16

My beloved is mine and I am his

Song of Songs 2:12-13

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of

singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom; they give forth
fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come
away.
 Kabbalah
Kabbalah is an aspect of Jewish mysticism. It consists of a large
body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the creation, the
origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings. It
consists also of meditative, devotional, mystical and magical
practices which were taught only to a select few and for this
reason Kabbalah is regarded as an esoteric offshoot of Judaism.

Images by Phillip Ratner – Ratner Museum

Behold, you are
beautiful, my love;
behold, you are
beautiful; your eyes are
doves.

Images by Phillip Ratner –

Ratner Museum
I am the rose of Sharon, and
the lily of the valleys.

As the lily among thorns, so

is my love among the
daughters.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
that appear from mount
Gilead.
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as
a seal upon thine arm: for love is
strong as death; jealousy is cruel as
the grave: the coals thereof are coals
of fire, which hath a most vehement
flame.
The voice of my beloved!
behold, he cometh leaping upon
the mountains, skipping upon
the hills.
Blow upon my garden, that the
spices thereof may flow out. Let
my beloved come into his garden,
and eat his pleasant fruits.
My beloved is like a
gazelle, or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall, gazing in
at the windows, looking
through the lattice.
The flowers appear on the
earth, the time of singing has
come, and the voice of the
turtledove is heard in our land.
I am a rose of Sharon, a
lily of the valleys.

As a lily among brambles,

so is my love among
maidens.
O my dove, in the clefts of the
rock, in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face, let me hear
your voice, for your voice is
sweet, and your face is comely.
I adjure you, O daughters of
Jerusalem, that you stir not
up nor awaken love until it
please.
Behold, you are beautiful, my
love; behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
There are sixty queens and
eighty concubines, and
maidens without number.
"Who is this that looks
forth like the dawn, fair as
the moon, bright as the
sun, terrible as an army
with banners?"