A DREAM. HIS BEAUTY AND HERS 2-7. Another dream of hers, with a painful ending. The accumulation (Song of Solomon 5:2) of names of endearment reminds us of the frequent repetition, by a Palestinian bridegroom during the wedding dance, of _Yâ halâli, Yâ mâli_, ' O my property, 'Omy possession!'... [ Continue Reading ]
Heavy dew falls, especially during spring and in the second half of the night. The Spanish poet whom Longfellow translated had in his mind our passage and Revelation 3:20 : 'Lord, what am I, that, with unceasing care, Thou didst seek after me,—that thou didst wait, Wet with unhealthy dews before my... [ Continue Reading ]
A hole is still cut in the door of Syrian houses, through which the owner can insert his arm and the key. 5. 'Myrrha stacta,' liquid myrrh, which flowed from the bark of the plant, was the finest and most costly. In two modern Egyptian poems we find: 'My love hath perfumed herself on the nights of t... [ Continue Reading ]
Her eyes have thrown him into confusion. 8. She is far above all the queens and concubines, the ladies of the harem, who are just now at hand.... [ Continue Reading ]
The watchmen treat her as a mere night-wanderer: cp. the solicitude of Boaz for Ruth (Ruth 3 :M). They tore off her wrapper (Mark 14:51), a light garment which rested on the shoulders, or was thrown round the head as a veil.... [ Continue Reading ]
She is her mother's only, i.e. dearest, one (Genesis 22:2), and her pure one. The chorus prepares the way for her eulogy of her beloved. 10-16. Nuptial songs in praise of the bridegroom's beauty are at the present day comparatively rare in Palestine. His head is the most fine gold, an expression w... [ Continue Reading ]
A DIALOGUE. HER LOVELINESS 10-13. A dialogue between these ladies and her. They compare her to the dawn, stooping down to look on the earth from the sky. It is still common in Arabic poems to address the beloved as 'Moon,' or 'Full moon'! 11, 12. She tells of her visit to the nut-garden, where, er... [ Continue Reading ]
But the chorus beg her to return and perform for them the 'Dance of Mahanaim' (RV), a sword-dance, no doubt, such as the bride executes, sword in hand, on the evening of the marriage, amidst a half-circle of men and women, whilst a poem (_wasf_= 'description') of the character of Song of Solomon 7:1... [ Continue Reading ]
The fingers are round and shapely; the nails like topazes; the body (RV) a plate of ivory encrusted with lapis lazuli, blue veins showing through the lighter skin.... [ Continue Reading ]
The pillars of marble remind us of a song still current in those regions: the singer avers that his dear one's foot is of white silver, which would be scratched if she walked even on cloth. SONG OF SOLOMON 6:1. The chorus enquire where he may be found, and she, in dreamy and indefinite language, in... [ Continue Reading ]