Song of Songs is love poetry without guilt. The lovers it portrays are at ease but not obsessed with their sexuality. They praise each other’s beauty, are overtaken by the desire for intimacy and union, and celebrate their longing for each other. The young girl takes the lead in the relationship. The song celebrates a love so fierce that nothing but death can match its power. The lovers look forward to a life of commitment to each other (8:6).
As I see it, the first unit in the cycle of units which constitute the book is 1:2-14, a 22-line unit. Parallelism in the Song of Songs is often subtle and complex. Verset and line-level
parallelisms are augmented by strophe and stanza-level parallelisms. It
is impossible to catch it all in a notation scheme.
I find two more 22-line units in Song of Songs: 4:1-11; 6:1-12.
Go here for 1:2-14:
Song_of_Songs_Chapter 1_verses_2_to_14_scansion.pdf
Song_of_Songs 1_2-14_translation.pdf
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