A Literary and Structural Analysis of The Song of Songs
A Literary and Structural Analysis of The Song of Songs
by J. Cheryl Exum
(Union TheologicaJ Seminary, 600 West 122 Street, New York)
"All the world is not worth the day that the Song of Songs was
given to Israel; all the Kethubhim are holy but the Song of Songs is the
holy of holies."1 With this exclamation, Rabbi Akiba justified the in-
clusion of the Song of Songs in the canon. The same enthusiasm might
equally be employed with respect to the study of the Song on literary
grounds. D. Buzy has called the Song "un chef-d'oeuvre de po£sie pure",
and observes that words used in the Song are chosen for their musical
quality and suggestiveness2. Although most commentators make ob-
servations regarding the structure or arrangement of the Song, they
have given insufficient attention to the stylistic and rhetorical devices
of the poet which comprise and elucidate the overall structure. In
language reminiscent of the Song of Songs, D. F. Rauber raises the
point that literary and rhetorical analysis of texts is a frequently
ignored aspect of biblical criticism.
The OT is not in point of fact treated very seriously äs literature. In the scho-
larship one is bombarded with the views of the theologians, the psychologists, the
experts in comparative religion, the mythologists, the historians, the textual critics,
the masters of the Oriental languages, but very rarely is the voice of the literary critic
heard in the land. This is unfortunate, for I believe that the literary viewpoint äs
expressed in detailed analysis has important contributions to make to our total under-
standing of the biblical text and setting3.
It is significant to note that Rauber's field of specialization is
literary criticism. Equally significant is the fact that, in this writer's
opinion, one of the most useful treatments of rhetoric and style in the
Song of Songs is by a professor of English and Comparative Literature,
A. Cook's The Root of the Thing: a Study of Job and the Song of Songs.
However, biblical scholarship is not silent on literary issues äs
J. Muilenburg indicates in his discussion of "Form Criticism and
Beyond"4. The present study owes much to Muilenburg's observations
on style and rhetorical criticism6. It proposes to examine in detail the
poetic form of the Song and to pay particular attention to its literary
and stylistic aspects. A formal analysis being our specific purpose,
1
Mishna Yadaim 3 5.
2
D. Buzy, Un chef-d'ceuvre de poesie pure: le Cantique des Cantiques, in: Memorial
Lagrange, 1940, 147—162.
8
D. F. Rauber, Literary Values in the Bible: the Book of Ruth, JBL 89 (1970), 27.
4
J. Muilenburg, Form Criticism and Beyond, JBL 88 (1969), l—18.
5
Especially ibid. and: A Study in Hebrew Rhetoric: Repetition and Style, Supplements
to Vetus Testamentum, I 1953.
Tnia
ÔÐÑ "pn-aa
BSSURS l ? l1??1 5«
n» n»
Their first question is, "What is your beloved more than another
beloved that you so adjure us ?" WSDtfn refers to the woman's words
in v. 8. Their second question inquires where the lover has gone, "that
we may seek with you". tfj?3 also points back to the woman's words in
v. 8, "if you find (KS ) . . .", and re-introduces the seeking-finding
motif explicit in v. â f. Thus, the responses of the daughters of Jerusa-
lem have their point of reference in the woman's request of v. 8.
Just s the word "beloved" has a key place in the questions of the
daughters, so also the woman gives it emphasis by beginning her an-
swers to the two questions with the word "»ÔÇ. The word "»ÔÐ has
a prominent role in the poem. The account begins with what we shall
see later s a major motif, *m Vlp, "the voice (sound) of my be-
loved" (5 2). The first part of the account, 5 2-4, ends with "ÇÐ
stretched out his hand . . .". Both the second and third parts begin with
a reference to opening to ÔÐ (5ä. â), and the third part has "but
¹Ð had turned and gone" (5 â). In v. 8 ÔÐ is mentioned to the
daughters of Jerusalem, who then employ it s the subject of their
questions. Not only does the woman begin her description of v. 10-10
with 'ÔÐ but she also completes it with the words, "this is HTT and
this is my companion, daughters of Jerusalem". Here again ma
tfT&n» points back to v. 8.
The motif of the garden is introduced in the response of 6 2 f. The
verses form an intricate chiastic pattern: garden, shepherd-gardens ;
lilies, shepherd-lilies.
tmn romy1? tuV rr *m
9**?* ä^þ
^ -»ôéôé -
The poem ends with the refrain of mutual possession, "I am my be-
loved's and my beloved is mine", and adds "the one feeding among the
lilies". Feuillet argues that 7Ð7º ought to have the sense of "faire paltre"
and that sheep should be understood s the object just s it is so under-
stood in 1 7 f.18. However, a double-entendre may be seen in the State-
ment, the woman being symbolized by garden and lilies19.
18
A. Feuillet, La formule d'appartenance mutuelle (II, 16) et les interpr^tations
divergentes du Cantique des Cantiques, RB 68 (1961), 7—9.
19
The woman is clearly the garden in 4io— 5l, the verses preceding this poem. She
says that she is a Uly, 2l. Cf. also the discussion of 6 18 and 6 2, infra.
Some of the words which are used in the account of 5 2 ff. recur in
a different image in the description of the lover, 5 10-16. Both the ac-
count of 5 2 ff. and the description in 5 loff. begin with mention of the
and msip of the lover. In 5 2 the lover says that his wn and
are wet with dew; in 511 his ttrtn and nisij? are described. T,
which we saw in v. 4 and 5 also occurs in 5 u. The lover's hands are an
object of attraction for the woman in 5 4, so that it is natural for her to
mention them again and describe them in 5 u. In v. 5 the woman
describes her hands s º10 IDttt and her fingers *O37 Ti ; in v. 13 she
says the lover's lips are lilies IM *tt niDW20. This image is de-
scriptive of something pleasurable. ITO is used of both the woman
and the man, probably in reference to the sex organs.
Within the section describing the man, TB is used of both his head
and legs (511.15) — gold from top to bottom. In fact, the woman uses
three terms for gold to describe her lover: TD (v. 11.15), DHD (v. 11),
and 3ÐÔ (v. 14). Buzy says, "Dans la pensoe de l'opouse, le bien-aimi
est d'une essence plus rare que le m&al le plus procieux."21 ruinyD
DVan describes the lover's cheeks in 513 and his garden (symbolic for
the woman) in 6 2. A similar Situation may be seen in regard to the
D-WM of 613 and 6 2 and 6 322. What his cheeks and lips are to her,
she herseif is to him. More specifically, it may be that DWH Ã)úÇÂ
and DW1P are references to the woman's cheeks and lips23.
In summary, we have in 5 2—6 3 a complex literary unit which
begins with an episode employing imagery of sexual intercourse. The
ordered divisions, "I was sleeping" (62), "I arose" (65), "I opened"
(5 â), grow shorter s the climax both of the story and of coition
approaches. The form of the story reflects the physicsd act it describes.
When the climax is reached, the pattern is broken. The seeking-finding
motif is introduced. The woman seeks her lover, but she is found by the
watchmen of the city. She enlists the aid of the daughters of Jerusa-
lem. They question her, and she responds with a lengthy description
of her lover from head to foot and an equally short answer telling where
he has gone.
Formal Analysis of 2 7—3 ä
The poem in 2 7—3 5 may be seen s an inclusion framed by the
refrain, "I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by gazelles and hinds
20
"OS? also appears in 5 â, but with a different meaning. However, it does produce an
auditory balance to *12S7, 5sc. Krinetzki 181, suggests a pun in which the man's
movement in withdrawing is like that of the myrrh on the woman's fingers — flowing
21
and silent. Buzy, Un chef-d'ceuvre de poesie pure, 158.
22
It may be coincidence that in the case of TD, DUD JTOV19 and D'UVNP, the term
first occurs in the first half of the line and is repeated in the second half of a line.
28
So Budde in: Die F nf Megillot, 1898, 30; cf. Krinetzki 138.
of the field, that you do not arouse or awaken love until it please."24
Between the refrains, there is a chiasmus dealing with the lover's move-
ments and call to the woman to join him (2 SC-IT), and a seeking-fmd-
ing section (3 1-4). That these two sections belong together is indicated
by the inclusion and confirmed by the parallels between the poem
2 7 — 3 5 and the poem 5 2— 6 3. Before tnrning to these parallels, we
shall examine the form and content of 2 7 — 3 5.
The chiasmus in 2 8-17 is formed by the longer refrains : A (2 8c-9b)
and A' (2 i7c-f) which compare (ÐÆÐ) the lover ("»ÔÐ) to a gazelle or
young stag (trV'Kn ºÌ1? W OS1?) upon the mountains (áçðð V»,
nw nn V»), and B and B', •jy'OVl W TOH -]1? ^p, "arise, my com-
panion, my fair one and come" (v. 10. 13). These long refrains provide
the overall structure, within which there are numerous intricate styl-
istic devices, including a minor chiasmus.
The poem begins with the man at a distance (Kl ÐÃÔÔÉÐ, í. B)
and brings him outside the woman's window (T W ÐÔ~7ÂÐ, v. 9). The
use of participles heightens the picture of the activity of the lover25.
His movement to reach her is like that of a gazelle (« s) or young stag
(Ï^ÊÐ 1DB), the animals used in the adjuration of 2 7 and 3 5.
V. 10-14 report the words of the lover. He begins his reason for the
woman to join him with run, v. 11 (cf. v. 8 and 9). Blossoms are seen
in the land and the turtledove is heard in our land, v. 12. V. 14 contains
a chiasmus :
a let me see
b let me hear "]Vip
b' for *]Vij? is sweet
a' and "pm is fair.
The woman began her account with a reference to the voice of her lover
(ÇÐ Vip, v. s), and the lover here speaks of her voice. Just s in B,
v. 12, blossoms are seen (1ʺ1) in the land and the voice of the turtle-
dove is heard (SJ tW), so also in B' he asks her to let him see (ÔʺÐ)
her and hear (TSP tfH) her voice.
According to some commentators, v. 15 may be a fragment of
a popul r song, which the woman sings to her lover in response to his
request to hear her voice26. On the other hand, could it be the words
of the daughters of Jerusalem ? In 5 9 and 6 1 the responses of the
24
Krinetzki 126, observes that 210-13 is an inclusion but misses the larger inclusion
2 7—3 5. Thus his second group of songs begins with 2 8.
25
See Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley, Hebrew Grammar, § 116.
26
E. g., S. M. Lehrman, The Song of Songs, The Five Megilloth, ed. A. Cohen, 1946, 9;
Pouget and Guitton 177; Murphy, Structure of the Canticle of Canticles, 386 n. 15;
Bettan 20; Gordis, The Song of Songs, 53; Schmidt 249.
that perhaps ¹3¼, if intended s "when he spoke", might have the same double
meaning s the Greek üìéëâÀí (cf. English "intercourse"). Cf. T. Wahl, The Books
of Judith and Esther. Old Testament Reading Guide 25, 1971, 48.
85
Murphy, The Structure of the Canticle of Canticles, 387.
86
Ang&iieux, Structure du Cantique des Cantiques, 121 f.
Poem 5 2—6 3
I. The call to the woman
¹ÔÔ Vif? (v. 2)
the man is outside: knocking
he calls to the woman: "open"
epithets: my sister, my companion, my dove, my perfect one
reason for call: it is wet and night (nV»V)
he wants to come in
her response: I shall arise (w&p, v. 5)
the lover has gone (ºÌ p rt, v. â)
II. The seeking and finding (v. â ff.)
I sought him but I did not find him
the watchmen f ound me
ADJURATION leading to finding-by-praise of lover
(5 8. 9. ie 61)
refrain of mutual possession, "»V ôôç 'ÔÐ1? çê, 6 3.
Poem 2 r—3 ä
I. The call to the woman
ÔÐ Vtp (V. 8)
the man is outside: coming, standing at one of the Windows
he calls to the woman: "arise" (TOp, v. 10. IB)
epithets: my companion, my fair one, my dove (v. 10.13f.)
reason for call: it is springtime
he wants her to come outside
winter has gone ("US); rain has passed away (*ã?ú\ ç^Ð, í. 11)
refrain of mutual possession, iV ••an ^ '»ôç, 2 éâ
II. The seeking and finding (3 iff.)
takes place nightly (mV^s, v. i)
I shall arise (ÐàÀñê, í. 2)
I sought him but I did not find him
the watchmen found me
finding of the lover leading to ADJURATION (v. 4f.).
the parallel to 2 7—3 5. Like 5 2-8, 21-5 begins and ends with "»a«.
The refrain "»Àê ßàÐÊ nVin in 5 8, which we noted above s not
having a parallel in 2 7—3 5, has its duplicate in 2 5. According to 2 8,
¼Ð1? pro Õк Tom vnnn i1?»; 5 ie reads ÃÃÔÏÐÏ itai 07^00 ¼Ð.
The woman calls herseif a mew in 21, which provides a clue to
the symbolism of gathering Ï¿Ðí and feeding among them in 6 2f.
Certainly 2 3 answers the question, "What is your beloved more than
another beloved ?" (6 9). As an answer to this question, 2 8 has a form
reminiscent of the answer of 5 éï-éâ. Just s 5 éï-éâ begins and ends
with a reference to "my beloved", 2s-5b begins and ends with a
reference to apple(s/tree), a metaphor suggestive of the lover. The
section 2 i-â also shares a major motif with 2 7—3 5, that of bringing-
to-the-house/chamber (3 4). In the case of 2 4, it is "the house of wine".
On the basis of parallels to 5 2—6 3 and 2 7—3 5, 2 i-â may be
viewed s an introduction to 2 7—3 5. However, we do not believe it
to be an integral part of 2 7 ff., since 2 i-â serves s the conclusion to
another poem which begins in 1237. We suggest that 2 i-â serves a
transitional function. It links the first poem of the Song, of which it is
a part, to the inclusion 2 7—3 5.
Turning to the poem 5 2—6 3, we find a Situation similar to that
which occurs when we add 2 i-â to 2 7—3 5. The poem ends in 6 2f.
with the Information that the lover has gone down to his garden.
5 2 is preceded by an account in 410—51 which deals extensively with
the motif of the garden. Thus 410—6 8 might be viewed s an inclusion,
beginning and ending with the lover in his garden. The formal Situation
in 5 2 ff. is precisely opposite of that of 2 7—3 5. In the latter, we have
an inclusion, but lose it if we add the introduction, 2 i-â. In the former,
we gain an inclusion if we attach 410—5188.
Like the poem which follows it, 410—51 is a representation of
coition told through the indirection of language. The excellent fruits,
milk, and honey that the lover enjoys are figurative of erotic pleasures.
The garden story in 4 loff. makes clear the symbolic reference to the
lover going down to his garden in 6 2f. "Spices" (DW) is a key term
in this section, occurring in 4io. u. ie 5i. The word occurs in the
phrase "garden-bed of spices" in 513 and 6 2. The word "garden" (p)
appears five times in this section; elsewhere it is used in the associate
in the inclusion, 62, and in 611. Elsewhere in the Song cr W and
Ï'Á occur only in 818 and u, summary verses which reiterate major
emphases of the Song. Thus 8 i3f. which ends the Song with the mention
of gardens and spices might bring to the hearer's mind the account
s?
See the discussion of l 2—2 â inf ra.
88
It is questionable whether this arrangement is intentional, but we do know that the
poet's style is extremely intricate.
Poem 6 4—8 s
c' You are beautiful s Tirzah, my companion, fair s Jerusalem.
Description of hak, teeth, temple (6 4 ff.)
b' A description of the sixty queens and others who praise the
woman (6 8f.)
a' Who is this ... ? (610)
f' Return, return, Shulammite; return, return, that we may look
upon you (7 i)
e' A refrain of beauty: how beautiful are your feet in sandals,
daughter of nobility (7 2)
d' Mention of lilies; breasts compared to two stags, twins of a
gazelle; neck compared to tower (7 3 ff.)
7 7—8 3 parallels 112 ff. How you are beautiful and how you are
fair, love with delights.
From the diagram it will be seen that the first three strophes of
3â—5i form two chiasm with the first three strophes of 64—SB.
The last strophes of both poems are respectively parallel to the
beginning and conclusion of the introductory poem of the Song of
Songs.
In summary, if our analysis of the poems 3 â—5 i and 6 i—8 3 is
correct, the poems take their internal form from four strophes intro-
duced by refrains of beauty and the question, "Who is this . . . ?"
Both poems appear to exhibit a progression of intimacy66. The poem
3 â—5i begins with a description of the litter of Solomon (3e-n).
The description is followed by the praising of the woman's eyes, hair,
teeth, lips, temple, neck, and breasts (4 i-â); next comes the Statement
that she has ravished her lover's heart (4 7-9); and finally, a veiled
account of coition (4 10—5 i). Similarly, the poem 6 4—8 3 begins v/ith
a description of the woman's hair, teeth, and temple (64-7), which is
followed by an account of the queens and concubines who praise her,
a garden story, and the call to return (6 8—7 i). Next comes a more
intimate description of the woman's charms (72-e), and the whole is
concluded by an invitation to love-making couched in the form of a call
to enjoy the vineyard (7 7—8 3). Coexisting with this internal similarity
is a chiastic external design in which the key elements of the first three
M
This is not to say that there are not multiple-entendres throughout.
"Ð?4?£
ôðð "|V n *awn nami
Ô*»ñ *ñôô
The woman teils her lover that sweeter is p» ·ñôô and that they
shall extol pa ·ñôô. Twice she states that he is loved (7DTO).
in 2b is taken up in 8a to describe the scent of his oils
*7 Cook 136f.
88
Ibid. 116.
nasn
In 2 1 she states, "I am the lotus of the plain, the lily (rww) of the
valleys." In the next line, the man again Interrupts by using her image
(JWltf) to build a comparison. The same phenomenon appears in
2 2f. s in 1 15ff.: the woman reproduces the form of the man's Speech
and continues her account.
mian t2 :p;?D R
oian pa ÷ôéô |D nsrn -wa maro
The woman begins her comparison with mon and near the end repeats,
crmon, so that we have "lily" v. i and 2, and "apple(s/tree)", v. 8
and 5. The result is that "lily" governs v. if. internally by occurring
in the second and third of the four stichoi, and "apple(s/tree)" governs
v. 3-5 externally, by occurring at the beginning and end of the com-
parison (excluding the refrain "for I am overcome with love").
4 10 reads:
·ñô? u -n ÃËï íéðê ·ñí? ºÏ·»-;»
ÃúÉ
The story of the garden (4 10 — 5 i) is comparable to that of the vine-
yard in l 5f. Both garden and vineyard are used symbolically for the
woman, and in 8 i2f. the vineyard and garden are juxtaposed. The
wine in 5 i and 2 4 is suggestive of the delights of love. The poet is
aware of the fragrance of nature and odors of beauty : ºÌ appears in
4 13 and 1 14 ; Ôº3 in 4 13. 14 and 1 12 ; and ºï in 4 14 and 1 13. The fruit
(ÔÐÂ) of the lover is sweet, 2 3, and the woman is excellent fruit
(DHi no), 4 13. 16.
Whereas 4 10 — 5 i begins in the same way s 1 2 ff., 7 7 — 8 3 ends in
the same way s l 2 — 2 6. Its beginning bears a striking similarity to
l ie. 7 7 reads, tm»M Ð3ÐÊ n Stt-TOl JW-ji ; lie has ÇÐ HD1· çÀÐ
Ï*1»! çê. This statement in l ie is preceded by the image of
the lover s a cluster (VDtfK) of henna (1DD) in the vineyards (WM)
of Engedi, v. 14. He spent the night (pV») between the woman's breasts
(•»Ttf), v. 13. In 7 8 and 9 the woman's breasts (7ÐÑ) are described s
64
Cook 143 f.
clusters (mVD&K). She calls her lover to spend the night (nr1?!) in
the henna (ϹÂÌ) and to go early to the vineyards (ïçôêË),
V. 12f.
The woman's nard gives forth its fragrance (lim )ni), l 12,
and mandrakes give forth fragrance (rFV M), 7 u. In 7 9 the man
hopes the m of his inamorata's breath will be like apples (rrmonD) ;
she used apple(s/tree) s a suggestive reference to him in 2 3 and 5.
7 10 compares the woman's palate ftDn) to good wine, and her lover's
fruit is sweet to her palate (*DJlV), 2 8. The comparison to good wine
suggests the comparison of love-caresses to wine, 1 2 and 4. In 8 2f.
the woman will bring her lover to her mother's house where she will
give him her wine of love ; in 2 4 it is the lover who gives the woman
wine of love in the house of wine66. Both 8 3 and 2 â conclude their
poems with the refrain, "His left hand is under my head and his right
hand embraces me", npann wri wiM çðç V?XW.
8 6, employs the root used in 4 12, "a fountain locked, a spring sealed"
(Dinn).
The poem 8 4-14 contains a praise of love which consists of two
short lines and two long ones.
VlKlZD TOp Ð3ÐÊ JY1 D
rrmnVff wt $tzn
1
» ê ? jmmi rurwrrnK ðáË I^DT ß
lern]."69 Since the daughters do have a role in the Song, and since it
may be that they have a part in each poem70, it is possible that the
daughters of Jerusalem are the Speakers of v. 8f.
V. n-13 clinch the inclusion with chapter 1. The key terms in
8iif. are "vineyard" (ϺÏ) and "keepers" (tmttt). This is the case
with 16. In l â the woman is made keeper of the vineyards, but "WD
•»V» she does not keep. In 8 nf., Solomon has a vineyard which he lets
out to keepers, but *b0 "W3 is '•»V (literally, "before me"). "Solomon"
occurs in 811 and 12 and in 15. 818 says, "the companions
are waiting for your voice". l 7 speaks of the companions
of the man.
The identity of the Speaker is problematic in v. nf. Some commen-
tators assign the speech to the man71; others, to the woman72. Since
8 4-14 forms an inclusion with 12—2 â, and since both poems emphasize
dialogue, perhaps 12 ff. will allow us to make a tentative observation
regarding the identity of the Speaker in 8 nf. In 15f. the woman speaks
of being keeper of the vineyards. She then asks a question, v. 7, and is
given a playful answer by the daughters of Jerusalem, v. 8. In 8 8f. the
daughters make a Statement about the woman. The woman gives a
playful response in v. 10, and it would be appropriate if she were to
continue with an account of vineyards and keepers. If this Suggestion
is correct, the woman would have the Statement about the vineyards
in both chapters l and 878; in chapter l, she receives a playful answer,
and in chapter 8, she gives one. In 11-4, preceding the banter, there
is a praise of the lover's caresses (T*n) a^d the Statement that he is
loved, v. 3f. (º¼ÐÊ). In 8ef., preceding the banter, there is a praise
of love (Ð3ÐÊ) in the abstract.
In 8 is, the man addresses the woman s traa iDVpn, "the
one dwelling in the gardens". The garden (v. 13) and vineyard (v. nf.)
motifs are juxtaposed. The man says the companions are listening
"for your voice ftVlp1?) — let me hear it (WWH)". These words
take the hearer back to the entreaty çíø-çê Tsrwn of 2 u. The
request in 2 u is soon followed by the refrain, "Turn, be like, my
beloved, a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains between us"
(or, "split mountains"), 217.
HTT 1^-ÐÆÐ 30
69
Cook 135.
70
1s 2i5(?) 5i(?) 69 and 6l 7i(?).
71
E. g., Jastrow 237; Gordis, The Song of Songs, 76.
72
E. g., Ginsburg 190; Cannon 114; Lehrman 32; Pouget and Guitton 194f.; Bettan
43f.;Segal472.
78
"My vineyard" belongs to the woman in contrast to "my garden" which is the lover's.
• VI. 84-14
74
Not to be understood in the sense of Separation, s Ange*nieux understands it,
Structure du Cantique des Cantiques, 118f.
75
So Delitzsch 56.
?5a j^ meaning of "1J13 is dubious and has given rise to numerous interpretations.
For more specific erotic interpretations, cf. P. Haupt, Biblische Liebeslieder, 1907,
78; Lys, Notes sur le Cantique, 173 f.
Das Hohelied läßt durch seinen komplexen Aufbau und seine bewußte Konstruk-
tion auf eine einheitliche Verfasserschaft schließen. Es besteht aus sechs Liedern: l 2
bis 2 2 7—3 5 3 —6 l 5 2—6 8 6 4—8 3 und 8 4-14. Das 1. Lied führt die Hauptmotive
und Themen des Hohenliedes ein, während das 6. Lied diese Motive zusammenfaßt, da-
mit sie sich dem Hörer besser einprägen. Das 2. und das 4. Lied verlaufen parallel, ge-
nauso das 3. und das 5. Lied. Parallelen zwischen den Liedern können auf der Basis der
Wiederholung von Schlüsselwörtern, bestimmten Wendungen und Motiven sowie the-
matischen und bildlichen Ähnlichkeiten festgestellt werden. Im Hohenlied bilden also
das 1. und das 6. Lied den Rahmen, innerhalb dessen das 2.—5. Lied die Reihenfolge
ABA'B' aufweisen.
La structure complexe du Cantique des Cantiques> et son elaboration consciente
permettent de conclure ä. unc homogenoito dans la rodaction. Le Cantique est forme de
six chants: l 2—2 2?—3s 3 6—5 l 62—63 64—83 et 84-14. Le premier chant in-
troduit les motifs et themes principaux du Cantique, tandis que Ic 6° chant les resume
de fa9on particulierement prägnante pour les auditeurs. Le deroulement des chants 2 et
4 est parallele, de m6me celui des chants 3 et 6. De tels paralleles entre les difforents
chants peuvent etre otablis sur la base de la repetition de mots-cles, de certaines con-
structions, de motifs ou sur la base d'analogie de themes et d'images. La structure du
Cantique est la suivante: les chants l et 6 forment le cadre ä l'intörieur duquel los
chants 2—5 suivent l'ordre ABA'B'.