Song of Songs 8, 13–14: A Commentary
https://doi.org/10.31802/2658-4476-2019-4-4-163-202
Abstract
The two final verses of the Song of Songs are read here as a separate poem, which is shown to depend largely on the tradition of paraclausithyron (ancient serenade). The topoi of this oral genre help explain some features of the poem usually considered to be difficult: the solemn invocation of the girl as «living in the gardens», the presence of the «friends» and, above all, the fact that the girl (contrary to what is said in many commentaries) does not invite the boy, but rather sends him away. Another important aspect of the poem is that it serves as an epilogue to the lyric sequence of Song of Songs. Thus the farewell of the girl to the boy corresponds, on a metapoetic level, to the farewell of the poet to the book and to the audience.
References
1. Artjushkov A. (ed.) (1997) Tit Makcij Plavt. Komedii [Tit Maktsii Plavt. Comedies]. Moscow: Terra, vol. 1–3 (in Russian).
2. Assis E. (2009) Flashes of Fire. A Literary Analysis of the Song of Songs. New York; London: T. & T. Clark.
3. Barbiero G. (2011) Song of Songs. A Close Reading. Leiden: Brill (Supplements to Vetus Testamentum; 144).
4. Beckby H. (ed.) (1965) Anthologia graeca. München: Ernst Heimeran Verlag, vol. 1–4.
5. Bergant D. (2001) The Song of Songs. Collegeville (Minnesota): Liturgical Press (Berit Olam. Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry).
6. Biggs R. D. (1967) šà.zi.ga. Ancient Mesopotamian Potency Incantations. Locust Valley (New York): J. J. Augustin (Texts from Cuneiform Sources; 2).
7. Bloch A., Bloch C. (1995) The Song of Songs. A New Translation with an Introduction and Commentary. New York: Random House.
8. Braginskaja N. V. (1995) “Pesn’ gorizonta” [“Song of Horizon”]. Lotmanovskij sbornik. Moscow: IS-Garant, vol. 1, pp. 719–731 (in Russian).
9. Burck E. (1966) “Das Paraclausithyron”. Vom Menschenbild in der Römischen Literatur. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pp. 244–256.
10. Cairns F. (1972) Generic Composition in Greek and Roman Poetry. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
11. Copley F. O. (1942) “On the Origin of Certain Features of the Paraclausithyron”. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, no. 73, pp. 96–107.
12. Copley F. O. (1956) Exclusus Amator: A Study in Latin Love Poetry. Madison: American Philological Association.
13. Culler J. (2014) “The Language of Lyric”. Thinking Verse, vol. 4 (1), pp. 160–176.
14. Cummings M. S. (2001) “The Early Greek Paraclausithyron and Gnesippus”. Scholia, vol. 10, pp. 38–53.
15. Dobbs-Allsopp F. W. (2005) “Late Linguistic Features in the Song of Songs”, in A. C. Hagedorn (ed.) Perspectives on the Song of Songs (Perspective der Hoheliedsauslegung). Berlin; New York: W. de Gruyter (Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft; 346), pp. 27–77.
16. Dobbs-Allsopp F. W. (2015) On Biblical Poetry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
17. Dodds E. R. (ed.) (1960) Euripides. Bacchae. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
18. Eidelkind Y. D. (2015) Pesn’ pesnej: perevod i filologicheskij kommentarij k glavam 1–3 [Song of Songs: Translation and Philological Commentary on Chapters 1–3]. Moscow: RGGU (in Russian).
19. Exum J. C. (2005) Song of Songs: A Commentary. Louisville (Kentucky): Westminster John Knox Press (Old Testament Library).
20. Falkenstein A. (1964) “Sumerische Religiöse Texte”. Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 56, pp. 44–129.
21. Firmage E. (1992) “Zoology (Fauna)”, in D. N. Freedman (ed.) The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, vol. 6, pp. 1109–1167.
22. Fox M. V. (1985) The Song of Songs and the Ancient Egyptian Love Songs. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
23. Freidenberg O. M. (1995) “Etjudy po semantologii literaturnyh form” [“Etudes on the Semantology of Literary Forms”]. Lotmanovskij sbornik. Moscow: IS-Garant, vol. 1, pp. 704–718 (in Russian).
24. Garbini G. (1992) Cantico dei cantici. Testo, traduzione, note e commento. Brescia: Paideia (Biblica. Testi e studi; 2).
25. Gelb I. J. (1970) “Sargonic Texts in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford”. Materials for the Assyrian Dictionary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, no. 5, pp. 7–12.
26. Gerhards M. (2010) Das Hohelied. Studien zu seiner literarischen Gestalt und theologischen Bedeutung. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt (Arbeiten zur Bibel und ihrer Geschichte; 35).
27. Gerleman G. (1981) Ruth. Das Hohelied. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag (Biblischer Kommentar. Altes Testament; 18).
28. Gordis R. (1974) The Song of Songs: A Study, Modern Translation and Commentary. New York: Ktav Publishing House, Inc.
29. Gow A. S. F. (ed.) (1952) Theocritus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, vol. 1–2.
30. Grabar’-Passek M. E. (ed.) (1958) Feokrit. Mosh. Bion. Idillii i epigrammy [Theocritus. Mosch. Bion. Idylls and Epigrams]. Moscow: AN SSSR (in Russian).
31. Hagedorn A. C. (2005) “Jealousy and Desire at Night. Fragmentum Grenfelianum and Song of Songs”, in A. C. Hagedorn (ed.) Perspectives on the Song of Songs (Perspective der Hoheliedsauslegung). Berlin; New York: W. de Gruyter (Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft; 346), pp. 206–227.
32. Heyworth S. J. (ed.) (2007) Sexti Properti Elegos. Oxonii: e typographeo Clarendoniano (Oxford Classical Texts).
33. Höffken P. (2005) “Das Hohelied und die Salomoliteratur”. “Fürchte dich nicht, denn ich bin mit dir!” (Jesaja 41,10). Gesammelte Aufsätze zu Grundtexten des Alten Testaments. Münster: LIT Verlag (Beiträge zum Verstehen der Bibel; 14), pp. 267–275.
34. James E. T. (2017) Landscapes of the Song of Songs: Poetry and Place. Oxford: University Press.
35. Jarho V. N. (1982) “Novyj epod Arhiloha” [“The New Epode of Archilochus”]. Vestnik drevnej istorii, no. 159/1, pp. 64–80 (in Russian).
36. Jongeling K., Kerr R. M. (2005) Late Punic Epigraphy. An Introduction to the Study of Neo-Punic and Latino-Punic Inscriptions. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.
37. Keel O. (1992) Das Hohelied. Zürich: Theologischer Verlag (Zürcher Bibelkommentare: Altes Testament; 18).
38. Kenney E. J. (ed.) (1961) P. Ovidi Nasonis Amores, Medicamina Faciei Femineae, Ars Amatoria, Remedia Amoris. Oxonii: e typographeo Clarendoniano.
39. Krinetzki G. (1981) Kommentar zum Hohenlied. Bildsprache und theologische Botschaft. Frankfurt am Main; Bern: Verlag Peter D. Lang (Beiträge zur Biblischen Exegese und Theologie; 16).
40. Lambert W. G. (1987) “Devotion: The Languages of Religion and Love”, in M. Mindlin, M. J. Geller, J. E. Wansbrough (eds.) Figurative Language in the Ancient Near East. London: School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), pp. 25–39.
41. Landy F. (2011) Paradoxes of Paradise. Identity and Difference in the Song of Songs. Sheffield: Phoenix Press.
42. Longman T. III (2001) Song of Songs. Grand Rapids (Mich.); Cambridge (UK): Eerdmans (New International Commentary on the Old Testament).
43. Loretz O. (1971) Studien zur althebräischen Poesie 1. Das althebräische Liebeslied. Untersuchungen zur Stichometrie und Redaktionsgeschichte des Hohenliedes und des 45. Psalms. Kevelaer: Butzon & Bercker Verlag; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag (Alter Orient und Altes Testament; 14/1).
44. Melikova-Tolstaja S. V. (1929) “Serenada v antichnoj literature” [“Serenada in Ancient Literature”]. Izvestija AN SSSR, seria 7, pp. 549–573 (in Russian).
45. Melo W. de (ed.) (2011) Plautus: Casina. The Casket Comedy. Curculio. Epidicus. The Two Menaechmuses. Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard University Press (Loeb Classical Library).
46. Meredith M. (2012) Journeys in the Songscape: Reading Space in the Song of Songs. PhD Thesis, Department of Biblical Studies. The University of Sheffield.
47. Militarev A., Kogan L. (2005) Semitic Etymologycal Dictionary. Vol. 2: Animal Names. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag (Alter Orient und Altes Testament; 278/2).
48. Morgan J. R. (ed.) (2004) Longus: Daphnis and Chloe. Oxford: Aris & Phillips (Aris & Phillips Classical Texts).
49. Müller H.-P. (1992) “Das Hohelied”, in H.-P. Müller, O. Kaiser , J. A. Loader (eds.) Das Hohelied, Klagelieder, Das Buch Ester. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (Das Alte Testament Deutsch; 16/2), pp. 1–90.
50. Munro J. M. (1995) Spikenard and Saffron. A Study in the Poetic Language of the Song of Songs. Sheffield: Academic Press (Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. Supplement Series; 203).
51. Murphy R. E. (1990) The Song of Songs (Hermeneia). Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
52. Nissinen M. (1998) “Love Lyrics of Nabû and Tašmetu: An Assyrian Song of Songs?”, in M. Dietrich, I. Kottsieper (eds.) Und Mose schrieb dieses Lied auf. Studien zum Alten Testament und zum Alten Orient. Fs. O. Loretz. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag (Alter Orient und Altes Testament; 250), pp. 585–634.
53. Petrovskij F. (ed.) (1963) Valerij Katull. Al’bij Tibull. Sekst Propercij [Valery Katull. Albiy Tibull. Sextus Propertius]. Moscow: Hudozhestvennajaj literatura (Biblioteka antichnoj literatury. Rim) (in Russian).
54. Petrovskij F., Shul’c Ju. (ed.) (1960) Grecheskaja epigramma [Greek Epigram]. Moscow: Hudozhestvennajaj literatura (in Russian).
55. Pope M. H. (1977) Song of Songs. A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday & Company (Anchor Bible; 7c).
56. Rahlfs A. (ed.) (1931) Septuaginta. Vetus Testamentum Graecum. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, vol. 10: Psalmi cum Odis.
57. Robert A., Tournay R., Feuillet A. (1963) Le Cantique des cantiques. Paris: Librairie Lecoffre J. Gabalda et Cie.
58. Roberts D. P. (2007) Let Me See Your Form: Seeking Poetic Structure in the Song of Songs. Lanham (Maryland): University Press of America (Studies in Judaism).
59. Rudolph W. (1970) Das Buch Ruth. Das Hohe Lied. Die Klagelider. Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.
60. Shablevskij N. (2019) “Recenzija na: Eidel’kind Ja. D. Pesn’ pesnej: perevod i filologicheskij kommentarij k glavam 1–3. M.: RGGU, 2015” [“Review of: Eidelkind Ya. D. Song of Songs: Translation and Philological Commentary on Chapters 1–3. Moscow: RSUH, 2015”]. Biblija i hristianskaja drevnost’, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 221–231 (in Russian).
61. Staubli T. (2016) “Love Poetry from the House of the Mother”, in A. Schellenberg, L. Schwienhorst-Schönberger (eds.) Interpreting the Song of Songs — Literal or Allegorical? Leuven: Peeters, pp. 79–101.
62. Thomson D. F. S. (ed.) (1997) Catullus. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
63. Treat J. C. (1996) Lost Keys: Text and Interpretation in Old Greek Song of Songs and Its Earliest Manuscript Witnesses. A Dissertation in Religious Studies Presented to the Faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania.
64. Yardley J. C. (1978) “The Elegiac Paraclausithyron”. Eranos, vol. 76, pp. 19–34.
65. Zakovitch Y. (2004) Das Hohelied. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder (Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament).
Review
For citations:
Eidelkind Ya. Song of Songs 8, 13–14: A Commentary. Bible and Christian Antiquity. 2019;(4):163-202. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31802/2658-4476-2019-4-4-163-202
Views:
51
JATS XML
Email this article 