Analysis of King Solomons Song of Songs - Book Report/Review Example

of the Literature of the Teacher 16 May King Solomon’s Song of Songs The Song of Songs indeed happens to be one of the most moving books of the Bible. This song actually comprises of an array of lyrical poems. These poems are so organized that they constitute an elaborate dialogue between a young damsel and her ardent lover. This book also has a chorus that addresses the two lovers from time to time. Many of the poems in this book are attributed to a young girl who desires to be by the side of her lover and to cherish his amorous advances. Like Proverbs and Psalms, Song of Songs is a part of the Old Testament. The amazing thing is that Song of Songs is a book that is entirely drafted in a poetic format. As is typical of the Hebrew poetry, Song of Songs happens to be very lyrical both in it thought as well as in content (Gordis 24). Primarily speaking, Song of Songs is a lyrical composition that tends to celebrate and appreciate God’s creation. The essential thing is that this book treats the love between man and woman as the hallmark of God’s creation that needs to be celebrated and cherished. One particular aspect of Divinity that this book unravels for the believers is that God does not treat the divine and the secular as two disparate aspects of life. The very presence of this book in the Old Testament certifies this fact. If one goes by the spirit of this book, it will be commonsensical to conclude that God ascribes as much importance and beneficence on the worldly commitment and love, as on the affinity between the devout and the Divine. It is indeed sad that since ages people have tried to attribute a symbolic significance to the message inherent in Song of Songs, without taking the pains to ascribe a meaning to this book that happens to be most obvious and evident. Time and again it has been stressed that Song of Songs happens to be an allegorical composition (Gordis 8). Scholars have gone ahead to declare that Song of Songs is a profession of God’s love for his people or God’s love for the Church (Gordis 8). There are also experts who believe that originally speaking, Song of Songs actually happened to be a series of songs meant to be sung on auspicious occasions like weddings and betrothals (Gordis 17). There is no denying the fact that the allegorical meanings ascribed to Song of Songs may actually be true. However, the irony is that the experts, who try to cull out symbolical meanings from this book, deprive it of its most obvious intent, which is to celebrate the love between a man and a woman that constitutes the very basis of this creation. The thing pertaining to Song of Songs that deserves apt attention is that in this book a lyrical format is used to express the love between a man and a woman. Also, the profession of this deep love in this book is never contained through stringent rules, laws and customs. Hence, it would not be wrong to say that in Song of Songs, God celebrates the marital bond and commitment between two lovers, which is indeed a marvellous, amazing and blissful aspect of human life. Thereby, it would be really justified to claim that in Song of Songs God chooses to celebrate the hallmark of His creation and that is human love (Gordis 10). The choice of a lyrical format in this book also testifies to this assertion, as it is impossible to give expression to human love and intimacy through the usage of prose. Thereby, the faithful do not need to ascribe symbolic meanings to Song of Songs while negating its most obvious message and that is the blessedness of the bond of love between a man and a woman. Through this book, perhaps the message that God intends to convey to the humanity is that carnal love and intimacy are as much a creation of God as are the spiritual love and grace. The thing that needs to be kept in mind is that though Bible is taken to be God’s word, God choose to convey his message to the people by choosing varied people and formats. In Song of Songs God chooses the intimacy between two lovers, to convey to humans the divine relevance and importance of the human love, an interpretation that is mostly bypassed in more conservative interpretations of Song of Songs. The thing that comes out as being most obvious is that any attempt to read Song of Songs as a historical or holy message culminates in utterly confusing conclusions. Perhaps it would be really humble and graceful to accept the most obvious fact that the message that this book intends to convey to the people is that the love between a man and a wife with all the accompanying carnal and emotional aspects happens to be a divine gift from God. It has indeed been sad that the rise of a secular temperament in the Western civilization has deprived Song of Songs and many other parts of the Bible of their visible and discernible intent and meaning in favour of more symbolic and seemingly exalted interpretations (Hawkins & Stahlberg 305). Such interpretations have not only deprived the holy texts of their innate vitality and fervour, but have also made Christianity and seem an emotionally sanitized and prosaic faith. Hence, the need of the hour is to recognize the fact that a book like Song of Songs though could be affiliated to symbolic and allegorical interpretations, yet, the most obvious interpretations of such texts also do happen to be valid and appropriate. In Christianity as in many other religions, the mentioning and discussion of the love between a man and a woman is considered to be a taboo that could no way constitute an aspect of the mainstream theological concerns. However, the amazing thing is that the beauty and grace inherent in a book like Song of Songs only becomes evident and visible if the readers interpret it in the light of the most obvious message being conveyed through this work. Any attempt to glorify and exalt the content and intent of this book by ascribing purely theological and secular interpretations to it deprives it of its innate beauty and charm. Song of Songs is the part of the sacred text that once again asserts the fact that more earthy aspect of the human existence like the physical and emotional bonding and intimacy between a man and a woman is as much a design of the Divine as more mystical and purely spiritual aspects of theology. Hence in a more direct context, Song of Songs though being a part of the Bible happens to convey a more temporal message as to the importance and relevance of the earthly love in human life (Hawkins & Stahlberg 72). This book amply and clearly recognizes the fact that the love between a man and a woman is something that is common to all civilizations and cultures. Hence, through depicting such love in a lyrical manner, Song of Songs conveys the very essence of what such love needs to ascribe to. For instance the lyrical dialogue in this book conveys that love is something that is based on a fair give and take between a man and a woman. No where this book happens to convey or establish that man is superior to woman or woman is superior to man. Thereby this book validates an idea of love that is as relevant and appropriate in the current times given to gender equality, as it happened to be in the distant past. This book also happens to convey that since passion is a gift of good, it does need to be treated with all the due respect and sobriety. Hence, irrespective of being about passion, this book nowhere trivializes the relationship between man and woman. Thereby, while reading and studying Song of Songs one always does need to keep in mind the fact that love, relationships and passion do happen to be the gifts from God. One does need to accept that all the aspects of human existence are it the temporal love and passion or the exalted mysticism and faith, happen to be God’s gift to man. Hence, the idea of demeaning certain aspects of human life like carnal love and passion in favour of other aspects of the human life which are considered to be superior is wrong and erroneous. Song of Songs celebrates and explains this approach towards life in a very intimate and emphatic manner. Thereby, one does need to be thankful to God for the gift of human love and passion and must pray to God to endow one with the wisdom and the strength to cherish these aspects of life in a moral and fair manner. Song of Songs is all about the bliss and joy inherent in a one to one relationship between a man and a woman. Works Cited Gordis, Robert. The Song of Songs. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1954. Print. Hawkins, Peter S, & Lesleigh Cushing Stahlberg. Scrolls of Love. New York: Fordham University Press, 2006. Print. Read More