Song of Songs 2:8-14
Chapter 2
8
IX. Spring
The voice of my lover! Behold he comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills,9
like a gazelle or a young stag.Now he stands behind our wall,looking through the windows,peering through the lattice.
10
My lover speaks to me,“Arise, my love, my beautiful one!
11
Come, the winter is gone,the rains are over.
12
Flowers have appeared on earth;the season of singing has come;the cooing of doves is heard.
13
The fig tree forms its early fruit,the vines in blossom are fragrant.Arise, my beautiful one,come with me, my love, come.
14
O my dove in the rocky cleft,in the secret places of the cliff,let me see your face,let me hear your voice.Your face—how lovely!Your voice—how sweet!”
Commentaries
Spring.
This is the first idyll in the Song. The verbs of movement and the voice provide unity to the composition. The protagonist of the idyll is the “fascinating” girl (14), who was introduced in the book’s prologue (1.5). She has endured a winter of absence. Now, spring has arrived. The flowers in the field, the budding fig trees, the swelling vines, the season of singing, and the cooing of the turtledove all invite us to celebrate and enjoy love. The attentive listener perceives the presence of the beloved, even if only “a rumor…” From then on, she imagines him approaching quickly, like a deer or fawn, peeking through the window and fence. She hears his voice, or she herself puts words in her beloved’s mouth: “Get up… Come.” But the girl resists. She turns her house into a dovecote, even though she longs for her beloved’s presence more than anything. The game of love can sometimes be too cruel (Song 8:6). The boy would be content just to see the “fascinating” girl and hear her “sweet voice.” After the spell against the foxes that threaten the vineyard, which was previously unguarded, the girl solemnly declares: “My beloved is mine, and I am his; he delights among the roses!” While the night lasts, it is time for the deer or fawn to roam the narrow hills. The language is allusive and subtle. Although both the girl and the boy have voices in this beautiful idyll, it may only be a fantasy of the girl, who dreams of total devotion and possession.