1 My derlyng yede doun in to his orcherd, to the gardyn of swete smellynge spices, that he be fed there in orcherdis, and gadere lilyes.
Bede · AD 735 Where has your beloved gone, etc.? The beloved is said to depart and turn away, not because the Lord ever abandons those whom He has already acquired and continues to acquire others, but because by the power of His divine nature He can be present everywhere.
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 For when one neighbor speaks to another about Christ, when one inquires of another how He may be found, what else is being searched out but how He ought to be sought? Although this can also be understood of the Synagogue, so that, once converted, it questions the Church, to which the Church immediately responds.
2 Y to my derlyng; and my derlyng, that is fed among the lilies, be to me.
Bede · AD 735 To be fed in the gardens, etc. He is fed in the gardens, because He delights in the pious labors of the saints; He is fed in the gardens, because they are indeed His members to whom the fruits of righteousness come; and it should be understood not only of carnal but even of spiritual alms, which He predicted He would declare in judgment: "As long as you did it to one of these l…
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 The Beloved descends into his garden to the bed of spices, because in visiting the Church, he comes with greater grace to those whom he knows to send forth from themselves to their neighbors the fragrance of good reputation through holy works and examples of virtues. He feeds in the gardens when he delights in the virtues of many souls.
3 Mi frendesse, thou art fair, swete and schappli as Jerusalem, thou art ferdful as the scheltrun of oostis set in good ordre.
Leander of Seville · AD 601 So long as Christ wishes there to be one church of all nations, whoever is a stranger to the church is not considered a part of the body of Christ, even though he uses the name of Christian.
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 The Beloved descends into his garden to the bed of spices, because in visiting the Church, he comes with greater grace to those whom he knows to send forth from themselves to their neighbors the fragrance of good reputation through holy works and examples of virtues. He feeds in the gardens when he delights in the virtues of many souls.
Bernard of Clairvaux · AD 1153 Moreover, the Bride has spoken more rightly, and not putting forward merit but setting forth the benefit first, and confessing that she has been preceded by the grace of the beloved. Rightly indeed. For "who has first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him?" (Rom 11:35.) Finally, hear John, what he perceived in his Epistle on this matter.
4 Turne awei thin iyen fro me, for tho maden me to fle awei; thin heeris ben as the flockis of geet, that apperiden fro Galaad.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 He who was spoiled by the soldiers, who was wounded by the spear, that he might heal us by the blood of his sacred wounds, will assuredly answer you (for he is meek and lowly of heart, and gentle in aspect): "Arise, O north wind, and come, O south, and blow upon my garden, that my spices may flow out." For from all parts of the world has the perfume of holy religion increased,…
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 It should be noted, indeed, that the Synagogue will one day be converted to the faith through the preaching of the Church, so that, denying itself, it will follow Christ alone, and will love Christ with the same desire with which the Church loves him, whom she loves alone above all others.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 Since there can be no perfect cure without the conservation of the health that has been introduced; and the health that has been introduced cannot be conserved in the conflict of battle except in the battle-line of the Church, which is terrible as an army set in array; and this indeed comes about through the armor of sevenfold grace: hence it is that the Sacraments must be seve…
5 Thi teeth as a flok of scheep, that stieden fro waischyng; alle ben with double lambren, `ether twynnes, and no bareyn is among tho. As the rynde of a pumgranate, so ben thi chekis, without thi priuytees.
Gregory of Nyssa · AD 395 A goat is honored because its thick coat provides an image of beauty for the bride. Another reason for praise is that a goat can pass over rocks with a sure foot, agilely turn on mountain peaks, courageously pass through difficult, rough places, and can go safely on the road of virtue.
Bede · AD 735 Turn your eyes away from me, etc. As if it were openly said, "Indeed, I have given you dovelike eyes, by which you might know the secrets of the Scriptures, by which you might distinguish virtues from vices, by which you might know the paths of righteousness through which you would still come. But beware lest you seek to turn those same eyes to see me as well.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 The mind cannot see it with intellectual eyes, and so they must be turned away. Hence it is said in the Canticle: "Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away." For Christ goes away when the mind attempts to behold this wisdom through intellectual eyes; since it is not the intellect that can go in there, but the heart.
7 Sixti ben queenys, and eiyti ben secundarie wyues; and of yong damesels is noon noumbre.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 What are the cheeks of the church of which the Scripture elsewhere says, "Your cheeks are as the bark of pomegranates"? They are the cheeks on which modesty is accustomed to shine, beauty to sparkle, on which there is either the flower of youth or the distinguished mark of perfect age.
Bede · AD 735 As the rind of a pomegranate, etc. It was said above that in the cheeks of the Church the insignia of her modesty is figured, in the pomegranate the ministry of the blood of the Lord is depicted.
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 All these things said above about the Church, we have explained as best we could; therefore we now avoid repeating the same things about the Synagogue.
8 Oon is my culuer, my perfit spousesse, oon is to hir modir, and is the chosun of hir modir; the douytris of Syon sien hir, and prechiden hir moost blessid; queenys, and secundarie wyues preisiden hir.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 Scripture recounts that some of the patriarchs had many wives at the same time; others took other wives when previous wives had died. The purpose of this is to indicate figuratively that some can exercise many virtues at the same time; others cannot begin those which follow before they have brought the former virtues to perfection.
Aponius · AD 500 In the present verse, therefore, three orders of merit are indicated to be in the church according to the following enigma. First, clearly, there are teachers, living an immaculate life.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 Solomon represents Christ, except in the women in whom there is no good that can have symbolical meaning. Hence, when it is said in the Canticle: "There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and maidens without number," this does not refer literally to wives: these women are placed here in a mysterious fashion, and they represent perfect and imperfect souls.
9 Who is this, that goith forth, as the moreutid risynge, fair as the moone, chosun as the sunne, ferdful as the scheltrun of oostis set in good ordre?
Cyprian · AD 258 This one church is also intended in the Song of Songs, when the Holy Spirit says, in the person of the Lord: "My dove, my perfect one, is but one; she is the only one of her mother, the choice one of her that bare her." Can one who does not keep this unity of the church believe that he keeps the faith?
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For as regards the fact that to preserve the figure of unity the Lord gave the power to Peter that whatsoever he should loose on earth should be loosed," it is clear that that unity is also described as one dove without fault.
Bernard of Clairvaux · AD 1153 Contemplate what a glory is hers who compares herself to heaven, even to that heaven who is so much more glorious as he is divine. This is no rashness, taking her comparison from whence her origin comes.
10 Y cam doun in to myn orcherd, to se the applis of grete valeis, and to biholde, if vyneris hadden flourid, and if pumgranate trees hadden buriowned.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The church is the sun and the moon and the stars, to which it was said, "Fair as the moon, bright as the sun." By it our Joseph is adored in this world as in Egypt, when he is raised from humble to high estate.
Cassiodorus · AD 585 You are rightly compared with this figure since you raise your precious head over all races, and you transmit the souls of the just like resplendent stars to the kingdom above.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 Again, there is a comparison of times three by three, as of the origin, promotion and fall of the Synagogue; and in the Church, the times of its beginning, expansion, and consummation. Hence, in the Canticle, there are three expressions of wonder: "Who is this," etc. in praise of the Church, and, by contrast, three expressions of sorrow in the Lamentations.
11 Y knew not; my soule disturblide me, for the charis of Amynadab.
Cyril of Jerusalem · AD 386 You wish to know the place? He says in the Canticles, "I came down to the nut garden"; for it was a garden where he was crucified.
Bede · AD 735 I descended into the garden of nuts, etc. For the garden of nuts is the present Church, where we are scarcely able to perceive each other's consciences. Indeed, nuts are all fruits which are covered with a harder shell; conversely, all soft things are generally called evil.
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 What do we understand by nuts, if not all the perfect, who while they retain divine wisdom within their bodies, carry as it were a kernel in a fragile shell?
12 Turne ayen, turne ayen, thou Sunamyte; turne ayen, turne ayen, that we biholde thee. What schalt thou se in the Sunamyte, no but cumpenyes of oostis?
Bede · AD 735 I did not know, my soul was troubled within me, etc. I did not know the gifts of spiritual grace with which you were illuminated by the Lord to bring forth the fruits of faith among all nations.
Robert of Tombelaine · AD 1078 As if she were saying: Seeing so many miracles taking place in the holy Church, why did I not perceive them in so great a time? Why did I remain unbelieving? Why did I persist so long through my unbelief in the darkness of ignorance?