Introduction
1. Contents. Two points strike every careful reader of the poem: the extreme difficulty of determining its meaning as a whole and deciding as to the class of poetry in which it is to be placed; and the fascinating beauty of its details. The former is evident on a mere glance at the attempts which have been and still are being made to define its scope and character. The Jews admitted it into the Canon on the supposition that it depicts the relations between Jehovah and His people. But for that interpretation the doubts which gathered round it and were not authoritatively discouraged till the Synod of Jamnia (90 a.d.), would never have been dispelled. The Christian Church followed the same general line, explaining the Song as an allegory of the love between Christ and the Church or Christ and the soul In this sense St. Bernard wrote no fewer than eighty-six sermons on the first two Chapter s. The headings of Chapter s and Pages in the English Bible express the same idea. In all ages, however, amongst both Jews and Christians, there were thinkers who perceived that the theme is not divine love but human. In course of time the poem came to be regarded by many as a drama. The adherents of this view were divided as to the plot. Some took it to be the story of Solomon's love for a country maiden, whom he raised to the rank of queen, himself for a while adopting a simpler mode of life, and although he eventually reverted to luxury and polygamy the poem remained as a protest against undue self-indulgence. The other and more plausible version of the dramatic theory is that the maiden was carried off to Solomon's harem and exposed to the blandishments of the monarch, who was seconded by the ladies of the court. But she continued faithful to her shepherd-lover, to whom, in the end, the king magnanimously restored her. Another opinion has recently been maintained with much confidence and has found considerable acceptance. According to it we have to do neither with drama, opera, nor unity of any kind, but with a collection of love-ditties, partly composed for, and all suitable for use at, marriage festivals. The title 'king' (Song of Solomon 1:4; Song of Solomon 1:12; Song of Solomon 7:5) is explained by the fact that in Syria bride and bridegroom play the part of queen and king during 'the king's week,' the first week of married life. Seated on a throne which is erected oh the 264 village threshingfloor, they receive the homage of the whole country-side. Nuptial songs and dances are executed by the bridesmen, the chorus of male and female bystanders, and the wedded pair. A plausible account can thus be given of the abrupt transitions, the apparent lack of connexion between the parts of which Canticles is composed. But the whole of the facts are not quite explained. Amidst all the admitted inconcinnity there is an equally undeniable unity. The recurrence of certain expressions (Song of Solomon 2:7; Song of Solomon 3:5; Song of Solomon 8:4; Song of Solomon 2:17; Song of Solomon 4:6; Song of Solomon 8:14) is doubtless meant to mark breaks in what is conceived of as a single poem. The sentiments and style are too similar throughout to have sprung from divers writers. Nor is this to be met by the assertion that we have before us a collection of folk-songs which resemble each other because they all belong to the same period and locality. Canticles reads like the work of an author who composed amatory poems on various occasions and subsequently wove them into a garland of verse. Perhaps some of the shorter pieces have fallen out of the places which he assigned to them: this has been forcibly argued with reference to 811f-813f. But when we remember the irrelevance, from our point of view, of the verses which are often sung in Eastern lands today we shall be slow to deny that the singers and hearers of the Song of Songs understood allusions and perceived a fitness which are hidden from us. We shall be compelled to admit that there is no definite line of advance, no initial simplicity, followed by complication, rounded off by a dramatic dénouement. Matters are as far advanced at Song of Solomon 1:4; Song of Solomon 2:4 as at Song of Solomon 8:4.
Yet the following brief analysis shows that the book falls into what may fairly be called seven cantos. Canto I, Song of Solomon 1:2 to Song of Solomon 2:7 : A rural bride declares her ardent affection for her husband, deprecates the townswomen's criticism of her beauty, desires to know where she may find her beloved. The lovers praise each other. Canto II, Song of Solomon 2:8 : She relates a visit he once paid her and the invitation he addressed to her. Canto III, Song of Solomon 3:1 : Her thoughts of him and search for him by night. An interlude. Canto IV, Song of Solomon 4:1 to Song of Solomon 5:1 : He depicts and eulogises her charms. He is ready to escort her through the most dangerous regions. Her invitation and his response. Canto V, Song of Solomon 5:2 to Song of Solomon 6:9 : A waking dream, with painful ending. She describes her lover. He has entered his garden. Once more he dilates on her loveliness, which surpasses that of the ladies belonging to the royal harem. Canto VI, Song of Solomon 6:10 to Song of Solomon 8:4 : A short dialogue betwixt these ladies and her. Again he praises her and she replies in terms of love and desire. Canto VII, Song of Solomon 8:5 : An inquiry. The bride reminds her husband of their early experiences, celebrates the might and spontaneity of love, remembers how carefully her brothers guarded her. He sets forth her preciousness in figurative language. Then he begs her to sing. She closes the poem with a repetition of Song of Solomon 2:17.