March 4, 2003

• In the Spring a Young Man's Fancy

  
  

  I like to dabble in poetry, but not nearly so much as I like to read it.  I'm captivated by the surprising phrase, the sideways glance that the poet offers to bring a new perspective on the thing I thought I already knew.  It seems to me that for as long as poets have been mining their langauages for that gem of an image, they have been placing those jewels around the topic of love.  They write of friendship, of parental devotion, and the adoration of God.  But, more than anything else they write of the love between lovers.

  
  

  The Solomon's Song of Songs is an extended poem of sexual love.  (Some of the images contained therein are considered so powerful that Jewish Rabbis used not to teach the material to anyone under the age of 30).  There are spiritual applications of the poetry, the image of the jealous Lover-God who woos His people.  But, these applications really have to be forced on the text.  It is inescapably a love poem between a man and woman.

  
  

  The Lover: You have ravished my heart, and given me courage with one look from your eye, one jewel of your necklace.

  
  

  The Beloved: His hands are like rods of gold, his body a bright figure of ivory

  
  

  The Lover: Your lips drip honey as the honeycomb, the fragrance of your garments is as the cedars of Lebanon

  
  

  The Beloved: His legs are strong and steady pillars of marble

  
  

  The Lover: You are an orchard of pomegranates, a paradise of precious fruits

  
  

  The Beloved: His voice and speech are exceedingly sweet, he is altogether lovely, the whole of him delights.

  
  

  The Lover: You are a fountain in a garden, a well of living water and flowing springs

  
  

  The Beloved: My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices to feed in the gardens and gather lilies.  I am my beloved's and he is mine, he feeds among the liles.

  
  

  From the Finale: Set me like a seal on your heart, for love is as strong as death, as hard and cruel as the grave, It's flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame, the very flame of the Lord.  Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.  A man could offer all the good of his house for love, and they would be utterly despised.

  
  

  That's some fairly strong stuff.  I've been thinking about all the reasons that I so love the song that I mentioned in yesterday's post.  Of course, it has a beautiful melody and is song with tones like warm molasses.  But, it's the words in the end that I come back to over and over.  In some ways, it reminds me very much of the poetry from Solomon's Song.  Both are a duet between the lover and the beloved.  Ultimately, rather than the specific images they use to describe their lover, the chord that resonates with me is that over-encompassing picture of intimacy.  It's how together they become so much more than they can ever be apart.

  
  

  He: She does not lazy dance
          her hands on me
        She does not talk, no pretty talk
          she pleasures silently
        With her I am SUMMER
          I warm easy to her heat
        She fill me full, she fill me full
          she make me complete

  
  

  Skin to skin, skin to skin
  No cold wind blow on me, no cold wind blow on me
  

  
  

  She: Skin to skin, skin to skin
  The light it shine on me, the light it shine on me
  
       He is a secret soldier
          with pieces inside broke
       He hides in his own darkness
          his fire has no smoke
       And when my body song begins
          when he holds me tight
       He chases all my shadows
          and I burn so bright.

  
  

  He: Skin to skin, skin to skin
  No cold wind blow on me, no cold wind blow on me.

  
  

  They: skin to skin, skin to skin
  The light it shine on me, the light it shine on me

  
  

  He:  Winter inside of me, 
           ice to fight the storm
         She cannot see what I hide in me
           I can't be strong beside her warmth

  
  

  She: Skin to skin                       He: She's too close
  She: Skin to skin                       He: Much too close
  She: No cold wind blow on me     He: She's got a hold on me
  She: No cold wind blow on me     He: She's got a hold on me

  
  

  She: Skin to skin                       He: She touches soft
  She: Skin to skin                       He: Much too soft
  She: The light is shine on me      He: Her fire's burning me
  She: The light is shine on me      He: Her fire's burning me

  
  

  Now that's just cool.  Spring is almost here.  I think I can see a few sparks being struck here and there.  Soon there will be fires burning all around, and the thing about fire, it marks and changes everything it touches.

  • 9:03 am
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