Song of Songs
Not a religious book but rather a collection of secular love poems and wedding songs, Song of Songs portrays the scenes of a typical Oriental wedding feast. The bridegroom is a king, the bride is a queen, and the feast lasts for a period of seven days. The songs celebrate the physical beauty of the royal pair, especially the bride. Nothing in any of these songs concerns the sanctity of marriage or any of the moral and spiritual aspects associated with it. They are about human love, with all of its passion and deep emotion. One of the songs discusses the springtime of love and is full of erotic suggestions that would have offended Occidental readers. It should be remembered, however, that physical love was not regarded as base or obscene to the Oriental mind but rather as an important factor in human life and a proper theme to be celebrated in poetry. It is extremely unlikely that these poems would ever have been included in the Old Testament had it not been for the allegorical interpretation that was placed on them.
