Week 25 Song of Solomon
I’ve never really thought much about the title of the book. But when a book calls itself a “Song” then it’s pretty safe to guess that that’s what it is.
It’s called Song of Songs. Or Solomon’s Song of Songs.
Sometimes it’s called Canticles (“canticle” in English means song).
I think the reason I got to thinking about this was because in the bible version that I’m reading there are a bunch of subheadings in italics that identify who is saying or singing that part. And there are Three Characters: the Beloved. The Friends. And the Lover.
The Lover is a guy
The Beloved is a girl
The Friends are – maybe – observers. Responders.
So this year the Song of Solomon started to look more like the words of a piece of musical theatre.
I wondered what it would be like to see a young woman appear on a stage. There’s a back-up quartet of instruments. She sings let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
A choir or chorus is spotlighted: we rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.
Then a guy is on stage replying to the girl: your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of pearls.
Back and forth. The girl. The guy. The chorus.
Seeing & hearing a theatrical performance vs. reading the words of the script is a totally different experience.
Note: quotes from Song of Solomon 1:2 4 16 (NIV)