Song of Songs is renowned for its sensual — and sometimes explicitly sexual — language, its lyricism, its surreal images, and its seemingly incongruous metaphors, which often merge images of the human body with nature imagery. For example, the bride describes her beloved as "an apple tree among the trees of the forest" and like a gazelle or a young stag. She describes herself as a "rose of Sharon, a lily growing in the valley" (Sharon refers to a fertile plain along the coast of ancient Palestine; it is also the name of a flowering bush). The bridegroom depicts his lover as a rare "lily among thorns." He praises the beauty of his beloved, who, he contends, rivals the beauty of nature. Her teeth are like a flock of ewes "newly shorn"; her breasts are like "twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies." She is an orchard "full of choice fruits" that he longs to enter. And her fragrance is like that of precious spices, including saffron, cinnamon, frankincense, and myrrh. The smell of such spices permeates Song of Solomon.
Song of Songs is also known for its ambiguous language, which has earned it a reputation as one of the most problematic biblical texts. Originally written in Hebrew, it presents a continuing challenge for biblical scholars seeking to translate the ancient text for modern readers. For example, one of its most controversial passages in many translations concerns a statement by the Shulamite woman, who describes herself as "black, but comely" (beautiful). Black scholars point out that instead of the subordinate conjunction "but," the original Hebrew text uses the coordinate conjunction "and," which profoundly changes the meaning of the phrase. "I am black, but beautiful" essentially means "Even though I am black, still I am beautiful," which implies that the speaker is defending her "inferior" racial status. Conversely, "I am black and beautiful" is an assertive statement that reflects positive human traits and values.
