I. The Voice of Love Interfaces with Humanity and Nature (Song 2:8-9)
Love, humanity, and nature are perceived, understood, and valued intricately in the passage. One can only be understood and described in terms of the other two. The entire poem (2:8-17) was voiced by the young woman . There is no part of the poem that was not touched by voice. Although the entire poem was voiced by the woman, there are three voices that can be heard: the voice of love (vv. 8-10), the voice of creation (vv. 11-13); and the voice of human desire (vv. 10, 14-17); and these voices intermingle with each other. The first section of the passage gives voice to love through the voice of a woman who loves another human and draws from nature to describe her beloved. …show more content…
Sound of my beloved! (qôl dôdî! ) is a voice of love that anticipates the coming of the beloved. Though the beloved is out of hearing and far out of sight (leaping and skipping in the mountains and hills), it is the voice of love that dominates the scene. Hearers/readers hear the voice of love, a voice filled with excitement and anticipation. The exclamation point in the translation indicates how the woman speaks excitedly about the anticipated coming of her beloved (v. 8). The initial use of qôl signals the voice and sound of an imminent connection—“contracting the awaited future into the emergent “now”. The heart that loves knows intuitively. Love makes one attentive, alert, and ready for any sign of the beloved. Michael Fishbane describes love as being ripe for it “suddenly senses the long awaited moments” and “the time of waiting is fraught with intensity, within and without.” The woman of the Song, invites the women of Jerusalem (whom she addressed prior to this text in v. 7) and perhaps her audience/hearers/readers—to watch and listen with her. Hinnē-ze (behold/ lo/see that one) is a call to focus, look, and …show more content…
8-9) and later the woman’s use of perfective verbs (vv. 10-13) not only bring the readers/hearers attention to the sound and sight of the deer- like beloved, but also contributes to that overall qôl (voice) of the poem, the harmonious chorus, the intermingling dynamics at play in the poem, namely love, humans, and
Love, humanity, and nature are perceived, understood, and valued intricately in the passage. One can only be understood and described in terms of the other two. The entire poem (2:8-17) was voiced by the young woman . There is no part of the poem that was not touched by voice. Although the entire poem was voiced by the woman, there are three voices that can be heard: the voice of love (vv. 8-10), the voice of creation (vv. 11-13); and the voice of human desire (vv. 10, 14-17); and these voices intermingle with each other. The first section of the passage gives voice to love through the voice of a woman who loves another human and draws from nature to describe her beloved. …show more content…
Sound of my beloved! (qôl dôdî! ) is a voice of love that anticipates the coming of the beloved. Though the beloved is out of hearing and far out of sight (leaping and skipping in the mountains and hills), it is the voice of love that dominates the scene. Hearers/readers hear the voice of love, a voice filled with excitement and anticipation. The exclamation point in the translation indicates how the woman speaks excitedly about the anticipated coming of her beloved (v. 8). The initial use of qôl signals the voice and sound of an imminent connection—“contracting the awaited future into the emergent “now”. The heart that loves knows intuitively. Love makes one attentive, alert, and ready for any sign of the beloved. Michael Fishbane describes love as being ripe for it “suddenly senses the long awaited moments” and “the time of waiting is fraught with intensity, within and without.” The woman of the Song, invites the women of Jerusalem (whom she addressed prior to this text in v. 7) and perhaps her audience/hearers/readers—to watch and listen with her. Hinnē-ze (behold/ lo/see that one) is a call to focus, look, and …show more content…
8-9) and later the woman’s use of perfective verbs (vv. 10-13) not only bring the readers/hearers attention to the sound and sight of the deer- like beloved, but also contributes to that overall qôl (voice) of the poem, the harmonious chorus, the intermingling dynamics at play in the poem, namely love, humans, and