Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're looking
into some excerpts from Lost Love and Marriage.
And our mission really is to sort of unpack the
themes running through them, searching, finding
love, and, well, celebrating it. Right. And we've
got these two... quite different sections to
work with. Exactly. One feels very personal,
this nighttime search for someone, and the other
is, you know, much more public, a big royal wedding
procession. So quite a contrast. Definitely.
It's that jump from the private internal feeling
to this very external communal event that's interesting.
Okay, so let's dive into that first part then,
the personal search. Right. The speaker seems
really agitated, searching at night for him whom
my soul loves. And that phrase repeats, doesn't
it? I saw him, but I did not find him. It does.
That repetition really hammers home the intensity
of the feeling, the longing. It's not casual.
No, not at all. And then there's this decision
right. I will rise now and go about the city,
searching the streets, the squares. It's active.
Very determined. Not just waiting around, but
actively going out to find this person. There's
a real drive there. And then the encounter with
the watchman, it feels a bit vulnerable, asking
them... Him whom my soul loves, have you seen
Him? Yeah, like putting that deep feeling out
there, asking for help in the darkness, it's
quite poignant. And what happens next is so quick.
Right. Hardly had I left them. When I found Him
whom my soul loves, it's almost immediate. Like
the act of asking, of searching so intently,
just... Boom, leaves to the result. Exactly.
It's like maybe vocalizing the need or just that
final push of effort tipped the scales. And the
response is just pure possession, isn't it? I
held him and would not let him go. Total relief
and, yeah, possessiveness. Yeah. They're wanting
to pay him back somewhere safe, secure the mother's
house, the chamber of her who conceived me. That
feels significant, that specific location, like
bringing the found love into the family fold,
maybe. Could be. Seving that foundational security
or perhaps, yeah, a blessing or acceptance from
the origin of the mother figure. Which then leads
into this slightly mysterious bit, the adoration
to the daughters of Jerusalem. Ah, yes. Do not
awaken or stir up love until it is ready, using
the gazelles and dust as imagery. So what's that
really saying, like a warning? Maybe less a warning
and more advice. A plea perhaps? Yeah. Like,
look, love is powerful, it's wonderful, but it's
also delicate. Like those animals, you can't
force it. Let it happen in its own time. Don't
rush it. Precisely. Let it wake up when it's
ready. It has its own rhythm. Okay. So holding
that thought, then we get this massive shift
in scene and tone. Oh yeah, total change. Suddenly
we're outside in the desert and something grand
is approaching. Solomon's wedding procession.
Coming up from the desert, like columns of smoke,
that's some entrance. And it's very dramatic.
Yeah. Perfumed with myrrh, frankincense, all
the expensive scents it's designed to impress,
sensory overload almost. Definitely. And the
focus goes to Solomon's litter, his carriage.
It's not just him, it's this whole protective
detail. 60 men. 60 valiant men, skilled with
swords, ready for nighttime terrors. It speaks
to the value of who's inside, the need for protection.
This is royalty. And the description of the litter
itself would from Lebanon. Silver columns, gold
roof, purple seat. Uh -huh. All the best materials.
Meticulously crafted. The inside lovingly fitted.
It's pure opulence. A statement of status and
wealth. It's a public spectacle. And then there's
another address to the daughters of Jerusalem.
Right. But this time it's an invitation. Come
out. And look upon King Solomon. Witness him
wearing his crown, the one his mother gave him
for his wedding day, the day of the joy of his
heart. So from the private warning about not
rushing love, now it's a public call to come
and celebrate this love, this union, this joy.
It's the culmination presented for everyone to
see. This isn't a hidden feeling anymore. It's
being proclaimed. Exactly. It's the public affirmation
of the private bond. a community celebration.
So looking back, we've journeyed from that intense,
quite lonely search in the dark. Mm -hmm, that
deep personal quest. All the way to this dazzling
public display of union and royal celebration.
It really covers two fundamental aspects of love,
doesn't it? Yeah. The inner world of longing
and finding, and the outer world of commitment
and, well, showing up together. But private heart
and the public statement, it's quite a powerful
pairing. It really is, which kind of leaves you
with something to think about. Go on. Well, just
consider how these ancient ways of talking about
love, the desperate search, the joy of finding,
the big public celebration, how do they echo
or maybe even contrast with how you experience
or think about love and commitment today? Are
these fundamental human things still expressed
in similar or maybe totally different ways now?