The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-04-04
The Song of SONGS

Most of us, l suppose, have, from time to
time. perused the Song of Songs, which is
Solomon's" as it stands in the authorized YER
sions, with perplexed feeling as to what it all
means Perhaps. if we were honest enough, we
should confess also to some feeling of violated
good taste and delicacy. Should we have
turned In our perplexity to an orthodox com
mentator, these feelings would scarcely have
been relieved by finding language of confes-
sedly erotic character and of doubtful propriety
some of it addressed by voluptuous king to
an inmate of his harem-transferred entire to
themouth of Christ as his language in addressing
his Church.
1t has, however been reserved for modern
Hebraists to restore this lovely little epithalam-
lum to its proper place, and scraping away the
accumulated whitewash and plaster of ages
che mistranslations and misunderstanding of
tenturies,-to reveal it it is, an exquisite lit
tie shrine of the affections. embedded in the
very heart of our Bibles, ahush with passionate
color, but pure and chaste and enduring as
sculptured marble.
The plot or argument of the poem is this
King Solomon, on one of his numerous pleasure
excursions, accompanied, as 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 a neighboring nut
garden, beautiful girl, singing and dancing to
herself in the JOY OF the spring She has come
down to the tender opening buds and in the
gladness of her own opening life and the hap
piness of first love she has thrown aside her
veil, and is singing with the birds and dancing
with the dancing lights. They watch her lost
In admiration, when. suddenly percelving she
is observed she makes a shy movement of
flight, arrested for a moment by the entreating
voices with which they call her back The
king at once deeply enamored of the beautiful
stranger, leaves orders that she shall be trans
ferred to his harem, her dress denoting that she
was unmarried and unplighted. On inquiry it
Is found that the maiden-the SulammiSe, as she
is called throughout the poems, from her native
village, Sulem-is the only daughter of her
mother Her father Is dead, and her step-broth
ers, the sons of former marriage, exercise his
authority in his stead. They treat her with
great harshness and make her the keeper Of one
of their vineyards. There she meets with a
| young shepherd and keeper of gardens like her
| self, and on whom she peurs out her forgotten
heart, "a love which he returns, but without
as yet, having gained the consent of the broth
ers to their betrothal They on the contrary
very much prefer the advantageous offers OF the
king, and she is at once transferred to the harem
at Jerusalem. There the great king woos 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 shephered-lover, prefer
/ ring true love to worldly advancement. Find
/ ing her obdurate, the king at last resolves to
to marry her and make her one of his queens !;
but with no better result. His advances are
always stopped by her fainting away with the
despairing cry on her lips Ny beloved is
mine, and am his" Till at length, since the
worship of Jehovah puts bounds to even the pas
sions of king and forbids the use of violence,
he suffers her to depart to her shepherd-love
The poem ends in the gardens of the north, with
the reunion of the lovers and their approaching
marriage, and with the great unveiled utterance
and keynote of the poem, Love is as strong
as death" and many waters" (even the deep
waters of trial through which the Sulammlte
had pas ed) cannot drown il" followed by a
little mirthful song Of triumph on her part, and
| mocking allusion to the failure of the great
king to bribe her from her falthfulness. X
With regard to the approximate age Of the
poem, the data are more satisfactory. The poem
itself is sufficient 10 prove that it was not writ
ten by Solomon. The great king would Ger
tainly not have satirized himself 50 severely.
The Century.
We are a little surprised to see this extract
reprinted in the Interior Presbyterian paper
Of sound views, without note OF comment or
protest. The article from which il is taken in
Scribner is a very scholarly one, and the trans
lation given Of the poem is very interesting and
instructive. The writer also (Ellice Hopkins)
does full justice to the literary value and the
high moral purpose Of the composition. But
the article, as a whole, is calculated to lower
our idea Of the inspired books Of Scripture, and
las we have pointed out elsewhere) is merely a
reproduction Of that despiritualised historical
criticism which leaves the Bible pretty much on
level with the writings Of Coniucius or the
mythology Of the Greeks The Century Maya
zine publishes such an article, Of course; it is
very noticeable that our magazines are always