Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-05-17
EHE SONG OF SONGS.
The Meaning Of ThI. Noted Biblical
Poem.-A sertpturaI Love story.

Poem.-A sertpturaI Love story.
Ellice Hopkins, in an article in the
century on the "Song of Songs" which
is Solomon's says: II has been re-
served for modern IIcbraists TO restsre
this lovely little epithaamium to it's
proper place, and, scraping away the
accumulated whitewash and plaster of
ages, mistransldtions and misun-
derstandings Of centuries, to reveal it
rs it Is, an exquisite little shrine Of the
affections, embedded in the very heart
of our Bibles, anush with passionate
color, but pure and chaste and cndur-
ing as sculptured marble. The plot or
argument of the poem Is this: King
solomon on one OF his numerous
pleasure excursions, accompanied, rs
usual, by his court. is passing through
the north Of his kingdom "a land rich
in vineyards; and fair pastoral beauty.
when they perceive. in neighbor-
ing nut-gardcn, "A beautiful girl, sing
ing and dancing TO herself in the Joy
If the spring.
She has come down TO the garden to
look at the tender opening buds, and
in the gladncss Of her own opening
lie and the happiness of first love she
has thrown aside her veil and is sing
ing with the birds and dancing with
the dancing lights. They watch her.
lost in admiration. when, suddenly
pcrceiying that she is observed, she
makes shy movement Of flight.
arrested for moment by the cntrcat-
ing voices with which they CAL her
back. The king. at once deeply
cnamorcd Of the beautiful stranger.
leaves orders that She shall bc trans
fcrrcd 30 his harcm. her dress denoting
that she was unmarried and I'M
plightcd. On inquiry it is found that
the maiden the Sulammitc, az She
is called throughout the poem. from
her native village Sulrm-is the only
daughter Of her mother. Her father
IS dead, and her step brothers, the sons
of a former marriage. exercise his
authority in his stead. They treat her
with great harshncss. and make her
the keeper Of one of their vineyards
There she meets with young shcp-
herd and keeper Of gardens like her-
self on whom she pours ont her "for-
gotten heart. "a love which he re-
turns. but without. ~ yet. having
gained the consent of the brothers e.
their bctrothal They. on the CON
trary. very much prefer the adyanta-
gcous offer Of the king and she is at
once transferred to the harcm at Jcru-
salem There the great king woys the
simple village maiden, and she has to
endure every seduction that wealth
and luxury and rank can bring to bear
upon her. But she remains faithful
to her shcpherd-lovcr. prcferring true
love to worldly advancement Finding
her obduratc. the king at last resolves
to pay her the highest honor Of all.
He resolves 10 marry her and make
her one Of his queens; but with no
better result His advances are
always stopped 10y her siintng away
with the desparing cry on her lips:
MY beloved Is mine, and | am his"
Till at lengsh. since the worship Of
Jehovah puts bounds 10 even the pas
sions Of king and forbids the use Of
violence, he suffers her 10 depart to
her shepherd-lover. The poem ends
in the gardens Of the north. with the
reunion of the lovers and their ap-
proaching marriage. and with the
great unveiled utterance and keynote
of the poem, love is as strong Is
death" and "many waters" (cycn the
deep waters Of trial through which the
Sulammitc had passed. cannot drown
it," followed by little mirthful song
of triumph on her part, and a mocking
allusion 20 the failure Of the great
king 10 bribe her from her faithful
ucss.
With regard to the approximate age
If the poem. the data are more salts
factory. The poem itself is sufficient
to prove that it was not written .hy
solomon. The great king would GER
tainly not have satirized himself so
severely.
A Terrier Saves Baby.