May 21, 2008 – Song of Songs – Tryst in the Spring
Portions of this beautiful poem are often read at weddings because of its description of the kind of beauty and trust that are inherent in genuine, intimate relationships. We look closely at 2:8-17.
Hark! my lover – here he comes . . .
An authentic relationship is honest.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
An honest relationship relies on the integrity of both partners.
My lover belongs to me and I to him; he browses among the lilies. Until the day breathe cool and the shadows lengthen, roam, my lover . . .
In God’s creation, we are meant to be separate parts of the same being that yearn for union with one another.
My lover is like a gazelle . . . Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.
We are meant to call to one another . . . just as God calls to us . . .
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
We are meant to bear the fruit we are designed to produce.
The fig tree puts forth its figs . . .
We are meant to be pruned in order to produce in abundance.
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning has come . . .
St, Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that . . . Love does not divide, it unites. Love does not despair, it rejoices. Love does not mock or delight in injury, it is gladdened by joy in the other.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
Love endures. Love persists. Love trusts and is trustworthy. Love is sincere rather than deceitful. Love looks for ways to come together rather than to remain apart. Love makes reparation. Love forgives.
Hark! my lover – here he comes . . .
. . . have I been making preparations for the wedding feast?
Return to The Book of Our Life tab for more reflections on Books in the Bible.
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