TEXT [Commentary]

  VI.   Sixth Love Poem: Outdoor Love (1:15-17)

Young Man

15 How beautiful you are, my darling,

how beautiful!

Your eyes are like doves.

Young Woman

16 You are so handsome, my love,

pleasing beyond words!

The soft grass is our bed;

17 fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house,

and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The chapter concludes with a mutual admiration song. The man speaks first and proclaims his beloved beautiful, specifically remarking on the attractiveness of her eyes. The comparison with doves is difficult and it is hard to know for sure what the point of comparison was. It may be “the dove’s softness, beauty of feathers and eyes, and affection for and faithfulness to its mate” (DBI 217). In any case, the context shows it to be a warm compliment. The woman responds with an equally warm affirmation of her attraction to the man and adds a word about their intimate location. They are embracing outdoors. Their bed is the grass, and they are surrounded by trees that provide them privacy as if they were in an actual house.