Song of Songs 6

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RBT Paraphrase

1 Where has the beloved one of yourself walked, the Beautiful One within women? To where has the beloved one of yourself faced? And we will seek after him close beside/equally with yourself!
2 The beloved one of myself has climbed down to the garden of himself, to the beds of the Spice within the gardens, and to pick up the lilies.
3 I am for the beloved of myself, and my beloved is for myself, the Shepherd within the Lilies.

4 A beautiful one, your eternal self, my companion, as Pleasing One ("Tirzah")Lovely as Foundation of Peace ("Jerusalem"), A dread as a bannered army!

5 Turn round the dual eyes of yourself from opposite to myself, which they, themselves have stormed myself The hair of yourself is as an arrangement the Fierce Ones¹who have sat up from out of the Uncovered Witness ("the Gilead")!6 The teeth of yourself are as an arrangement the Ewes who have climbed up from out of the Bathing Place of whom everyone are those who duplicate,and there is not a child-bereaved one within themselves!7 Half of the Pomegranate is the tender side of yourself, separated against the tightly bound one of yourself!8 Sixty of themselves queens, and eighty secondary wives, and the young maidens there is not a number.
9 Herself is one, a dove of myself, a perfect one of myself, Herself is one to the mother of herself, A choice one to her who brought forth herself, The daughters saw herself and they are making her straight, Queens and secondary wives, and they are shining herself!

10

The One Who Looks Down

Who is this one? The One Who Looks Down just like the daybreak! A beautiful one like the Full Moon! A chosen one like the Hot One A dread as a bannered army!

Like Lightning from East to.....

11 Toward a garden of walnuts I climbed down, to see within the fresh green of the Valley, to see if she has sprouted, the Vine, if the Pomegranates have flashed forth.²

And then Adam knew the woman of himself...

12 I did not know the Soul/Breath of myself! She has placed me in the chariots of the willing People of myself!

RBT Hebrew Literal

1 ah please! he has walked beloved one of yourself the Beautiful one within women ah please! he faced beloved one of yourself and we are searching after him in company/equally with you
2 beloved of myself has climbed down to his garden to the beds the Spice to pasture/shepherd within enclosures to pick up/collect lilies
3 myself to the beloved of myself and the beloved of myself to myself the Shepherd
4 beautiful one את-self eternal my companion like Pleasing ("Tirzah") lovely like Foundation of Peace a terror/dread as army-standards
5 turn around the dual eyes of yourself from opposite myself whom themselves they have stormed myself hair of yourself as an arrangement the Fierce Ones who have sat up from out of The Uncovered Witness
6 your teeth as an arrangement the Ewes who have climbed up from out of the Bathing Place of whom everyone those who double/duplicate and a child-bereaved one there is not within themselves
7 half/millstone the Pomegranate your tender side separated against your bound fast one
8 sixty themselves queens and eighty secondary wives/concubines and young maiden there is not a number/he who counts
9 one herself my dove my perfect one/I have finished one herself to mother chosen one herself to her who brought forth her they saw her daughters/built-ones and they are making her straight queens and secondary wives/concubines and they are shining her
10 who this one she who looks out just like the daybreak beautiful one like the Full Moon chosen one like the Hot One a terror/dread like a bannered army
11 a god/dont/toward garden of walnuts I climbed down to see within the fresh green the Valley to see if she has sprouted the Vine if they have flashed the Pomegranates
12 not I have perceived the breath/soul of myself she has placed me chariots my Gathered/with me noble/generous

AI Commentary

This chapter extends the mystical journey by intensifying the imagery of pursuit and union with the beloved—a central motif in the text. The language shifts between inquiry and affirmation, creating a dynamic tension between search and discovery.

Pursuit and Proximity

The opening interrogatives—“Where has the beloved one of yourself walked?” and “To where has the beloved one of yourself faced?”—establish a quest for intimacy. Here, the beloved is not a distant ideal but is sought “close beside/equally with yourself,” emphasizing that the path to divine love is both an external and internal quest. This dual orientation suggests that the beloved, as an expression of the self’s inner divine spark, can be encountered in the ordinary as well as the transcendent.

Garden as a Site of Sacred Harvest

The imagery of the beloved descending “to the garden of himself” reinforces the garden as a sanctified space of renewal and abundance. In picking “up the lilies” and moving among the “beds of the Spice within the gardens,” the text evokes a sense of fertility and sensory delight. Lilies and spice have long been associated with purity, beauty, and the transformative power of nature. This act of harvesting may symbolize the gathering of inner virtues or sacred qualities that contribute to the wholeness of the self.

Divine Companionship and Feminine Imagery

The self-identification “I am for the beloved of myself, and my beloved is for myself” establishes a mutual, sacred partnership that transcends duality. The subsequent invocation of “the Shepherd within the Lilies” introduces a pastoral, nurturing figure—a guide who tends to the spiritual garden. Such imagery resonates with ancient archetypes where the shepherd is both protector and leader, reinforcing the idea of a nurturing yet active engagement with one’s inner life.

Symbolism of Beauty, Choice, and Abundance

The chapter continues with a cascade of symbolic epithets: “a beautiful one, your eternal self, my companion, as Pleasing One (‘Tirzah’) Lovely as Foundation of Peace (‘Jerusalem’).” These references merge the personal with the cosmic, drawing on cultural and historical connotations. Tirzah and Jerusalem are laden with connotations of beauty, chosen status, and spiritual centrality. Moreover, the enumerative imagery of “Sixty of themselves queens, and eighty secondary wives, and the young maidens” suggests not only abundance but also a complex hierarchy or spectrum of divine aspects, where each element reflects facets of the self in its various relational roles.

The Gaze and the Descent

The introduction of “The One Who Looks Down”—described in terms reminiscent of both daybreak and the full moon—provides a juxtaposition of light and shadow. This figure’s gaze, descending “like Lightning from East,” seems to capture the sudden, illuminating insight that accompanies the pursuit of the divine. The descent toward “a garden of walnuts” further enriches the imagery, introducing the motif of fruitfulness and the latent potential for growth. This movement from ascent to descent mirrors the cyclical nature of spiritual realization, where moments of insight are interwoven with the tangible experience of nature.

The Enigmatic Encounter

The final lines—“And then Adam knew the woman of himself... I did not know the Soul/Breath of myself!”—present a paradox of recognition and obliviousness. The mention of Adam invokes primordial narratives, suggesting that the journey toward self-realization is both a rediscovery of an ancient truth and a new, personal encounter. The imagery of being placed “in the chariots of the willing People of myself” may indicate that the self, in its fullness, is carried forward by a collective or communal force—a shared destiny of spiritual awakening.

Conclusion

In sum, this chapter is a rich, allegorical tapestry that interweaves themes of pursuit, union, and self-discovery. Through its layered imagery—from the sacred garden to the celestial descent—it articulates a vision of divine love as an intrinsic, multifaceted journey. The text invites its reader to consider that every step in the search for the beloved is simultaneously an act of self-realization, where the intimate and the universal are inexorably intertwined.