Today’s post is longer than I had planned. However, I hope you enjoy this post as I think through ways of reading the Song of Song. First read the text (Song of Song 1:2-8), then read my reflections.

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine,
³   your anointing oils are fragrant,
your name is perfume poured out;
   therefore the maidens love you.
⁴ Draw me after you, let us make haste.
   The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
   we will extol your love more than wine;
   rightly do they love you.

⁵ I am black and beautiful,
   O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
   like the curtains of Solomon.
⁶ Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
   because the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
   they made me keeper of the vineyards,
   but my own vineyard I have not kept!
⁷ Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
   where you pasture your flock,
   where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who is veiled
   beside the flocks of your companions?

⁸ If you do not know,
   O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
   and pasture your kids
   beside the shepherds’ tents.  (NRSV) 

The literary persona opening the Song of Song is that of a female voice—the beloved. It is a wishful, risky, and subversive voice. Yet, it is a voice consisting of two radically different moods. On one hand, the beloved is extremely ecstatic having encountered a male figure—the love—that stirs her passion. But on the other hand, her “otherness” is an issue of which she is mindful and apologetic. In other words, she struggles with difference and the issue of acceptance. From her own perspective, her skin color (1:5-6a) and her family issues (1:6b) are possible hindrances to the lover accepting her.

Interestingly, her “otherness” is an issue only as she contemplates exploring her sexuality. The concept of “otherness” has a variety of manifestations: persons with disabilities (both physical and psychological), sexual orientation, age, gender, just to name a few. Remarkably, what is admirable in 1:2-8 is the female persona’s intent to pursue love amidst what she considers as her “otherness.” That is, she does not allow her difference to stifle her desire. My argument is that the beloved’s intent is to find love while struggling to accept her own “otherness.”

The opening verses (1:2-8) set the agenda and tone for the entire song. It begins with the beloved expressing her desire for sexual intimacy. The themes within these verses include the experience and effects of kissing (v. 2); the portrayal of love as stronger than wine (v. 2); the strong scent of oils as an intoxicating aroma (v. 3); the male as an object desired by many young women (v. 4); the behind-closed doors encounters between lovers (v. 4); the self-described “otherness” of the female (vv. 5-6a); and the shaping of experiences resulting from societal woes (v. 6b).

I divide 1:2-8 into two portions: vv. 2-4 and vv. 5-8. Both halves work together as a literary whole in constructing the beloved’s struggle with love and “otherness.” The main characteristic of vv. 2-4 is the tone and atmosphere of untamed passion. These verses describe the female persona in a state of untamed passion, as she explores and describes her want of love and desire. This description is not stifled by her self-described “otherness” later mentioned in vv. 5-8. However, it functions to set the stage for the apology and lament that follows.

The effect of the lover on the beloved is described as being better than wine (v. 2b). The meaning of this is explained in v. 3. The woman describes the man’s effect on her by drawing attention to his sweet-scented oils, which fills the air. It draws her passion and imagination toward him. The climax of this first section occurs in v. 4. In this verse, the woman is still inebriated by the sweet-scented smell of the lover’s fragrance. Yet, she plays with this image by asking the man to draw her after him as if he has not already done that. This is heightened as she includes a temporal dimension to her request by suggesting that it be done quickly. The end of v. 4 uses the theme of rejoicing and celebration. The female’s untamed passion has resulted in the male bringing her into his chamber, which causes her to rejoice in company with others who are witnessing this celebration of intimacy.

The first section shifts from the excitement of untamed desire (vv. 2-4) to a perceived inadequacy with regard to difference (vv. 5-8). To help frame my argument, I have termed this self-described inadequacy as “otherness.” This is the concern out of which the preceding and succeeding verses unfold. Because this section occurs in the opening chapters, the argument for the Song’s focus on love and otherness can be expanded to describe the purpose of the whole Song. Extant passages in the Song that describe her experiences of marginalization provide support for this claim: familial issues caused by male family members that have ensuing psychological effects (1:6b); and the experience of physical abuse by male members of society (5:7).

 The presence and location of this section is in contrast with the extravagant description of the female’s desire for physical intimacy. In fact, the lament within these verses interacts with v. 4. In v. 4, the female voice describes the male as one desired by young women. The physical appearance of these women is not described and thus is unimportant to the reader. However, that the female voice is perhaps threatened by her own perceived inadequacy, in light of the presence of these unidentified un-described young women, is discerned in the juxtaposition of v. 4 and v. 5. In self-reflection as she uses the term “rightly” in v. 4, the female affirms that in light of the characteristics of the man, other women should desire him. Then she moves from reflecting on the presence of her competitors to measuring herself against them. In her mind, at least at this point, she perceives the young women as paragons of beauty.

In v. 5, she begins describing herself with the terms “black,” “blackish, or coal-black,” “beautiful,” and “tanned.” Although this term(s) is used in a variety of contexts and genres, some of which describe the color of hair (Leviticus 13:31, 37) and animals (Zechariah 6:2, 6), it may also be used to describe the skin. When used in reference to skin color, it is important to determine whether “black” is something desired or shunned.  African American Biblical scholars have addressed this issue within the context of the politics of racism and Bible translation. The consensus has been to interpret the female voice as embracing her skin color as something to be desired. In other words, she sees her “blackness” as something that is beautiful.

While I understand the reason(s) for this position, and the possible foreignness of this issue for the ancient audience, I do not think the context supports this conclusion. The female voice sees herself (i.e., skin color and cultural context) as a hindrance to experiencing the love she images in vv. 2-4. In vv. 5-6 she is simultaneously making an apology and lamenting about her appearance as she addresses the daughters of Jerusalem. That her physical appearance may be an issue is observed in v. 5 with the emphasis placed on the adjective “black or coal-black.” The beloved sees her appearance as a hindrance, but it is also an issue with which she is most concerned. 

Verse 6a intensifies the concept of “otherness” as the female voice pleads with the Daughters of Jerusalem to accept her as she is. She invites them not to consider her skin color—her otherness—as an opportunity for ridicule. But, to further describe her “otherness” she describes a childhood experience that has had a lasting effect on her (v. 6b). This is the problem of growing up in a family consisting of male members who inflicted emotional pain on her. Yet, this culminates with her defending her right to claim this man.

Although the female voice is well aware of her otherness, she does not let this hinder her desire. In vv. 7-8, the focus moves from being on her “otherness” back to the topic of her desire. Here, in v. 7, the addressee appears to be the male figure. Her untamed desire causes her to risk all by pursuing him even in his place of occupation: shepherding the sheep!

In closing, let me reiterate my claim that the female persona in the Song is on a journey to find love amidst “otherness.” Although she is aware of her uniqueness in comparison to the other women, the daughters of Jerusalem, the fairest among women, she does not allow her “otherness” to stifle her desire. In other words, she does not allow her culture to determine whom she can and cannot pursue because of her life experiences.

Shalom,

RRB