Song of Solomon 8 GNV
Summary: The woman wishes her beloved were like a brother she could kiss openly without shame and bring to her mother's house, again repeating the refrain against awakening love before its time. A poem on love's power follows, one of the book's best-known passages: "love is strong as death... many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it" (v. 6-7), and love cannot be bought with all a man's wealth. The scene shifts to a memory of a young sister with no breasts yet, and brothers debating how to guard her depending on whether she is a "wall" or a "door"; the woman answers that she is a wall whose breasts are like towers, bringing her beloved contentment, alongside a note about Solomon's own vineyard let out to keepers. The book closes with the beloved wanting to hear her voice and her final words urging him to be swift, "like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices" (v. 14).
1Oh that thou werest as my brother that sucked the brestes of my mother: I would finde thee without, I would kisse thee, then they should not despise thee.
2I will leade thee and bring thee into my mothers house: there thou shalt teache me: and I will cause thee to drinke spiced wine, and newe wine of the pomegranate.
3His left hand shalbe vnder mine head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
4I charge you, O daughters of Ierusale, that you stir not vp, nor waken my loue, vntil she please.
5(Who is this that commeth vp out of the wildernesse, leaning vpon her welbeloued?) I raysed thee vp vnder an apple tree: there thy mother conceiued thee: there she coceiued that bare thee.
6Set mee as a seale on thine heart, and as a signet vpon thine arme: for loue is strong as death: ielousie is cruel as the graue: the coles thereof are fierie coles, and a vehement flame.
7Much water can not quench loue, neither can the floods drowne it: If a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue, they would greatly contemne it.
8Wee haue a litle sister, and she hath no breastes: what shall we do for our sister when she shalbe spoken for?
9If shee be a wall, we will builde vpon her a siluer palace: and if she be a doore, we wil keepe her in with bordes of cedar.
10I am a wall, and my breasts are as towres: then was I in his eyes as one that findeth peace.
11Salomon had a vine in Baal-hamon: hee gaue the vineyarde vnto keepers: euery one bringeth for ye fruite thereof a thousand pieces of siluer.
12But my vineyarde which is mine, is before me: to thee, O Salomon appertaineth a thousand pieces of siluer, and two hundreth to them that keepe the fruite thereof.
13O thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken vnto thy voyce: cause me to heare it.
14O my welbeloued, flee away, and be like vnto the roe, or to the yong harte vpon ye mountaines of spices.
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