The Song of Solomon - Essay Example

The Song of Solomon The song of the songs is a series of poems based on a discussion or dialogue between two lovers. However, the dialogue may not be taken as literally as it sounds and may have a hidden meaning. There is irony in the poem and I like to read it to enjoy the allegory it contains. Considered as one of the finest romantic poems, song of the songs is romance between Christ and his Church where Christ is the bridegroom and the Church his pretty bride. The poem starts off with the following line “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth as thy love is better than wine” (Nelson 191).

There are thinkers, poets and important artists who believe that this poem is just a romance between two ordinary individuals but not me. I believe that this is a cry from a bride who has been waiting for her groom for years and as the moment approaches she grows more anxious. Worldly love has been made as intense as it possibly could be by separating the lovers for a good few years. The reunion of the lovers is the reunion of the Church (we the people) with Christ in hope that all sins will be forgiven.

Kisses of the mouth could come in different forms at different parts of the body. Like kissing on a hand is a gesture of honor, kissing in the forehead is a gesture of blessing. These blessings are better than wine, which is considered as a drink to soothe and comfort. The first line of the next verse in the poem read something like “Draw me and we will run after thee” (Nelson 191). I translated this line as if our Lord draws us towards him then we will run after him. If only he walks 1 step towards us then in gratitude we will run towards him.

If we compare this to worldly love between men and women then we can penetrate that the worldly love is made of physical beings more of lust and beauty. However, we are drawn towards Christ with spiritual love and we are prepared to run towards him in order to attain that everlasting love. “I am black, but comely, O you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of kedar, as the curtains of Solomon” (Nelson 191). In this specific verse, the Church is speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem. The Church is a representation of men and women in this world.

We are black because we have sinned so much in our life. Sins have made our hearts black and we seek Jesus’ love to purify it. Our love for him is something we were born with. Nobody taught us to love him (our Lord) but it is an innate feeling. It is our faith and love for Jesus that makes us confess that we are sinners and we seek redemption. “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest” (Nelson 191). True love always seeks the presence of Christ. This is how I comprehend this line from the poem.

We do not need Christ just to redeem ourselves but we need him to show us the true path. We seek him because we know that he will be back in this world. This is actually a question asked from Jesus that where he rests. Though we do not know anything about his presence but our heart reach out to him. In our heart we love him and we should not be any shy to show this feeling of love. The reply from Christ comes “Go thy way to the footsteps of the flock and feed the kids beside the shepherd tents” (Nelson 191).

Christ could be found with love and devotion towards him. The footstep of the flock is the path where all the holy people of God have travelled. These are the people like Jacob and Isaac who sacrificed their life for God. This is the path of submitting yourself to the Lord. Jesus replies by testing the love for him. Is the love strong enough to give up the worldly things and to follow him in the path where all the righteous people have travelled? If yes then one can choose to follow that path and accompany Jesus in his mission to give love and redeem people from sins.

The poem is allegorical but depends on how a person translates it. For the people who have faith in Jesus and believe that he will be back one day will take it as something that will unite them with their Lord. The poem is about spiritual love and how it could be attained if man has the power to make a few sacrifices in the name of his Lord. The poem is about an everlasting spiritual love. Works Cited Nelson, Thomas. King James Reference Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1990.