3:5. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved, till she please.
3:6. Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?
3:7. Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of Israel, surrounded the bed of Solomon?
3:8. All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man"s sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night.
3:9. King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Liba.n.u.s:
3:10. The pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem.
3:11. Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of the joy of his heart.
Canticle of Canticles Chapter 4
Christ sets forth the graces of his spouse: and declares his love for her.
4:1. How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! thy eyes are doves" eyes, besides what is hid within. Thy hair is as flocks of goats, which come up from mount Galaad.
How beautiful art thou... Christ again praises the beauties of his church, which through the whole of this chapter are exemplified by a variety of metaphors, setting forth her purity, her simplicity, and her stability.
4:2. Thy teeth as flocks of sheep, that are shorn, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them.
4:3. Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet. Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate, besides that which lieth hid within.
4:4. Thy neck, is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men.
4:5. Thy two b.r.e.a.s.t.s like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
Thy two b.r.e.a.s.t.s, etc... Mystically to be understood: the love of G.o.d and the love of our neighbour, which are so united as twins which feed among the lilies: that is, the love of G.o.d and our neighbour, feeds on the divine mysteries and the holy sacraments, left by Christ to his spouse to feed and nourish her children.
4:6. Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
4:7. Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.
4:8. Come from Liba.n.u.s, my spouse, come from Liba.n.u.s, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
4:9. Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy neck.
4:10. How beautiful are thy b.r.e.a.s.t.s, my sister, my spouse! thy b.r.e.a.s.t.s are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.
4:11. Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense.
4:12. My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.
My sister, etc., a garden enclosed... Figuratively the church is enclosed, containing only the faithful. A fountain sealed up... That none can drink of its waters, that is, the graces and spiritual benefits of the holy sacraments, but those who are within its walls.
4:13. Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard.
4:14. Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Liba.n.u.s, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes.
4:15. The fountain of gardens: the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Liba.n.u.s.
4:16. Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow.
Canticle of Canticles Chapter 5
Christ calls his spouse: she languishes with love: and describes him by his graces.
5:1. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat the fruit of his apple trees. I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrh, with my aromatical spices: I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.
Let my beloved come into his garden, etc... Garden, mystically the church of Christ, abounding with fruit, that is, the good works of the elect.
5:2. I sleep, and my heart watcheth: the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights.
5:3. I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
5:4. My beloved put his hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at his touch.
My beloved put his hand through the key hole, etc... The spouse of Christ, his church, at times as it were penned up by its persecutors, and in fears, expecting the divine a.s.sistance, here signified by his hand: and ver. 6, but he had turned aside and was gone, that is, Christ permitting a further trial of suffering: and again, ver. 7, the keepers, etc., signifying the violent and cruel persecutors of the church taking her veil, despoiling the church of its places of worship and ornaments for the divine service.
5:5. I arose up to open to my beloved: my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers were full of the choicest myrrh.
5:6. I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: but he had turned aside, and was gone. My soul melted when he spoke: I sought him, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me.
5:7. The keepers that go about the city found me: they struck me: and wounded me: the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
5:8. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love.
5:9. What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, O thou most beautiful among women? what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou hast so adjured us?
5:10. My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.
My beloved, etc... In this and the following verses, the church mystically describes Christ to those who know him not, that is, to infidels in order to convert them to the true faith.
5:11. His head is as the finest gold: his locks as branches of palm trees, black as a raven.
5:12. His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.
5:13. His cheeks are as beds of aromatical spices set by the perfumers.
His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.
5:14. His hands are turned and as of gold, full of hyacinths. His belly as of ivory, set with sapphires.
5:15. His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold.
His form as of Liba.n.u.s, excellent as the cedars.
5:16. His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.