Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc

Jon Noring writes:
 
> There are other good translations of the Song also, so let's not get
> into a flame war regarding which is a more faithful translation, reads
> better, uses a better source, etc., although rational and calm
> comparisons between translations would be very interesting.

[First few verses follow]
 
> "The Song of Solomon" also known as "The Song of Songs"
> *******************************************************
> 
> Intro [1:1]     -  Solomon's Song of Songs.
> 
> Woman [1:2-4]   -  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth -
>                    for your love is more delightful than wine.
>                    Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
>                    your name is like perfume poured out.
>                    No wonder the maidens love you!
>                    Take me away with you - let us hurry!
>                    The king has brought me into his chambers.
> 
> Friends [1:4]   -  We rejoice and delight in you;  [1]
>                    we will praise your love more than wine.
> 
> Woman [1:4-7]   -  How right they are to adore you!
>                    Dark am I, yet lovely,
>                    O daughters of Jerusalem,
>                    dark like the tents of Kedar,
>                    like the tent curtains of Solomon.  [2]
>                    Do not stare at me because I am dark,
>                    because I am darkened by the sun.
>                    My mother's sons were angry with me
>                    and made me take care of the vineyards;
>                    my own vineyard I have neglected.
>                    Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock
>                    and where you rest your sheep at midday.
>                    Why should I be like a veiled woman
>                    beside the flocks of your friends?

I posted the following to usenet a year or so ago and got but few
responses.  Here it is again:

OK all you Bible scholars out there, I've got some questions for you
relating to the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon).  Specifically what I
would like to know is the true history of it.  Who composed it?  When?
Why?  And who are the speakers?  There is at least one female speaker,
one male speaker, and other unidentifiable persons or person.  Is the
female speaker the same from verse to verse, etc?  The best reference
I've been able to come up with so far is Pope's book [2], but this
isn't really clear, and he quotes a lot of sources without indicating
which is more believable and why.

He does give a translation in which he discusses why he chose almost
every word.  I've included the first six verses of the King James
version, Pope's translation, as well as a more lyrical modern 
translation by Marcia Falk.  Information including references would
be appreciated.



King James             Marvin H. Pope            Marcia Falk

The song of songs,     The Sublime Song of       The Song of Songs
   which is Solomon's.    Solomon


Let him kiss me with   Let him kiss me with      O for your kiss!  For your
   the kisses of his      his mouth's kisses!       love
   mouth:              Truly, sweeter is your    More enticing than wine,
for thy love is           love than wine,        For your scent and sweet 
   better than wine.   Than the smell of your       name --
Because of the savour     precious oil.          For all this they love you.
   of thy good         Turaq oil is your name.
   ointments           Therefore girls love you.
thy name is as 
   ointment poured
   forth,
therefore do the
   virgins love thee.

Draw me, we will run   Draw me after you, let    Take me away to your room,
   after thee:            us run!                Like a king to his rooms --
the king hath brought  The king brought me to    We'll rejoice there with 
   me into his            his chambers.             wine.
   chambers:           We will exult and joy in  No wonder they love you!
we will be glad and       you.
   and rejoice in      We will savor your love 
   thee,                  above wine.
we will remember thy   Rightly do they love you.
   love more than 
   wine:
the upright love thee.


I am black, but        Black I am, and           Yes, I am black!  and 
   comely,                beautiful,                radiant --
O ye daughters of      O Jerusalem girls,        O city women watching me --
   Jerusalem,          Like the tents of Qedar,  As black as Kedar's goathair
as  the tents of       like the pavilions of        tents
   Kedar,                 Salmah.                Or Solomon's fine tapestries.
as the curtains of
   Solomon.

Look not upon me       Stare not at me that I    Will you disrobe me with your
   because I am black,    am swart,                 stares?
because the sun hath   That the sun has          The eyes of many morning suns
   looked upon me:        blackened me.          Have pierced my skin, and now
                                                    I shine
                                                 Black as the light before the
                                                    dawn.
                                                 
my mother's children   My mother's sons were     And I have faced the angry
   were angry with me;    incensed at me,           glare
they made me keeper    They made me a vineyard   Of others, even my mother's
   of the vineyards;      guard;                    sons
but mine own vineyard  My own vineyard I did     Who sent me out to watch 
   have I not kept.       not guard.                their vines
                                                 While I neglected all my own.


Fred LaMaster          fpl@icbdfcs3.fc.hp.com


References:

[1] Authorized King James Version, THE HOLY BIBLE, Collins World, printed
    in Great Britain, 1975.
[2] Marvin H. Pope, SONG OF SONGS, Doubleday & Company Inc., Garden City,
    New York, 1977.
[3] Marcia Falk, THE SONG OF SONGS, HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc