The Song of Songs: The World's First Great Love Poem (Modern Library Classics) - Softcover

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9780812976205: The Song of Songs: The World's First Great Love Poem (Modern Library Classics)

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ISBN 10: 0812976207 ISBN 13: 9780812976205

Publisher: Modern Library, 2006

“Next to Genesis, no book in the Hebrew Bible has had a stronger influence on Western literature than the Song of Songs.”
–The New York Review of Books

One of the greatest love poems ever written, The Song of Songs celebrates the sexual awakening of a young woman and her lover and the intoxicating experience of falling in love. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this book of the Old Testament is not only an essential religious and literary text, but also a source of inspiration to modern-day poets and lovers. Enhanced by an Afterword by the esteemed scholar Robert Alter and a new Foreword from the noted translator Stephen Mitchell, this definitive volume showcases Chana Bloch and Ariel Bloch’s sensuous translation which has “a lyrical purity that is delightful” (W. S. Merwin).

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Review:

Ariel and Chana Bloch's new translation of the Song of Songs--the most sexually explicit and sensually rich book of the Bible--is pure delight from beginning to end. Its introduction is an accessible, sophisticated, entertaining, and comprehensive orientation to the literary and religious history of the Song of Songs. The Blochs say the speakers in this poem "don't suffer love, they savor it." Their translation, overflowing with full--almost to the point of florid--feeling ("Feast, friends, and drink / till you are drunk with love!"), arrives at a time when many Jews and Christians are opening themselves to the religious dimensions of sexuality and human love. Song of Songs has a great deal to teach us; this translation is sure to attract many eager students. --Michael Joseph Gross

From the Author:

Ariel Bloch and I were moved to translate the Song of Songs because we felt that none of the translations into English fully conveyed the richness and sensuousness of the Hebrew. It is a poem that evokes the erotic yearning between two passionate young lovers. The most impressive English translation is the King James Version (1611); this magnificent poem, with its rich textures and resounding cadences, has been justly beloved by generations of readers. Nonetheless, significant advances in biblical scholarship during the past four centuries have shown many of its readings to be in error, including some of the best-known verses, such as "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples" (2:5) or "terrible as an army with banners" (6:10). And its language is often dated, such as "I am sick of love" (2:5) or the unfortunate "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him" (5:4). Finally, the Song in the King James Version is very stately and formal; you would never guess

from reading it that this is a poem about young lovers.

On the other hand, just as earlier interpretations typically erred on the side of prudishness, contemporary translations sometimes verge on crudeness, as in a translation by a distinguished scholar: "Your vulva [is] a rounded crater; / May it never lack punch!" (7:3).

Moreover, our translation corrects the standard misreading of the Song, as exemplified by two key words. In most translations the woman wears a veil, but we show that this reading is not supported by the Hebrew. That incongruous veil, like the fig leaf of Renaissance painting and sculpture, is a sign of the discomfort of the exegetes. When we lift the veil from her face, she is revealed as a passionate young woman, as spirited and assertive as Juliet.

The other key word is commonly translated "love", including in the opening verse "Your love is better than wine", though it refers exclusively to sexual love.

One of the major challenges we faced in translating the Song was to find the proper register in English, neither too formal and stylized nor too breezy and colloquial, language that is fresh and urgent and passionate, and at the same time dignified. Our aim was to convey the heat, the speed, the intensity of the original.

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PublisherModern Library
Publication date2006
ISBN 10 0812976207
ISBN 13 9780812976205
BindingPaperback
Number of pages272
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Next to Genesis, no book in the Hebrew Bible has had a stronger influence on Western literature than the Song of Songs.The New York Review of BooksOne of the greatest love poems ever written, The Song of Songs celebrates the sexual awakening of a young woman and her lover and the intoxicating experience of falling in love. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this book of the Old Testament is not only an essential religious and literary text, but also a source of inspiration to modern-day poets and lovers. Enhanced by an Afterword by the esteemed scholar Robert Alter and a new Foreword from the noted translator Stephen Mitchell, this definitive volume showcases Chana Bloch and Ariel Blochs sensuous translation which has a lyrical purity that is delightful (W. S. Merwin). The lyrical translation (en face) of one of the greatest love poems of all times, the Song of Songs. Sexually frank, sinewy poetry available again in a hardcover gift edition. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780812976205

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