1I am the rose of Sharon,
the lily of the valley. 2As a lily among thorns,
so is my love among women. She
She
3As an apple tree in a forest,
so is my lover among men.
I sought his shade, there I sat;
his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4He has taken me to the wine-store;
his banner over me reads: “Love.” 5Oh, strengthen me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,
for love makes me sick! 6His left hand is under my head;
his right arm embraces me.
He
7I beg you, daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and hinds of the field,
not to arouse or stir up love
before her time has come.
She
8 ① The voice of my lover! Behold he comes,
springing across the mountains,
jumping over the hills, 9like a gazelle or a young stag.
Now he stands behind our wall,
looking through the windows,
peering through the lattice. 10My lover speaks to me,He
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one! 11Come, the winter is gone,
the rains are over. 12Flowers have appeared on earth;
the season of singing has come;
the cooing of doves is heard. 13The fig tree forms its early fruit,
the vines in blossom are fragrant.
Arise, my beautiful one, come with me, my love, come. 14O 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!” 15Capture the foxes, the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
our vineyards in flower. 16My lover is mine and I am his;
he shepherds his flock among the lilies. 17Before the dusk blows and shadows flee,
return, my lover, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the rugged hills.
- Song 2,8 A springtime of annunciation: love comes to seek the beloved. Finished are the trials that seemed to have no end and no sense. The lover is pleased to sing the beauty of his beloved. Here faith is required of the reader: we have just closed a paper telling us of millions of galaxies blown like a bubble of soap fifteen thousand million years ago, and then the Song speaks of Him seeking a love among the innumerable descendants of the little homo habilis. Is it true? Possible? These hundreds of thousands of centuries and suns are perhaps but a cloud of smoke which hides at a different depth the mystery of the Supreme Person, the source of love. A love that is not only human, for while experiencing it himself, at the same time his Spirit lights its flame in us. We have said that this text has the sound of its time. The verse 2:15 is surely an allusion to the difficulties of a community unable to give itself, as it would wish, in its search for its God. Are we ever able to find a peaceful place, where at least, there are no mosquitoes, and more than insects, preventing us from enjoying the presence of God?
