A Study On The Spatial Image Of Garden In The Song Of Songs

The Song of Songs is a very important and unique book in the Hebrew Scriptures.Although the allegorical interpretation had occupied nearly two thousand years in its history of interpretation with an overwhelming tendency,the Song is still known as "a lock with a lost key." This paper tries to open the Song by means of close reading and literary image research: the paper takes the spatial image of "Garden" in the Song as the starting point;based on its natural space,"Garden" points to the Shulammite’s body and sex between the man and the woman in the text space,as well as the emotional space with multiple emotional tensions.At the same time,through the analysis of literary and cultural factors,we can further understand the similarities and differences between the Song and the Ancient Near Eastern love poems,and we can also explore the relationship between the Song and its ideological origin--Hebrew Scriptures.This paper is divided into three parts: introduction,text and conclusion.The introduction part introduces the Song and its spatial image Garden,sorts out the relevant research situation at home and abroad,points out the significance of the topic selection of the paper,in order to pave the way for the research foundation of the paper.The text is divided into three chapters:The first chapter,"the construction of the spatial image of ‘Garden’ in the Song",mainly analyzes the tension of erotic view presented in the Song through the three Spaces(Natural Space,Text Space and Emotional Space)of the image of "Garden" in the Song.Natural Spatial analysis helps to understand the unique significance of "Garden" made up of numerous plants,trees and streams in the ANE.That is,it was one of the most beautiful things that the ANE could imagine.On the basis of the meaning of Natural Space,"Garden" in the text points to the aesthetic meaning of the charm of the woman’s body and sexual pleasure.In the Song,the beautiful natural space and the aesthetic space in the text create an emotional world of enthusiasm,frankness but reserve,freedom but loyalty.The second chapter,"the ‘Garden’ of the Song and the Ancient Near Eastern love poems",mainly analyzes the inheritance and rebellion of the literary expression and emotional expression of the “Garden”in the Song to the ANE love poems.Song 4:12-5:1 inherits to some extent the way of "Garden" expressing love and sex in the ANE love poems.But compared with the ANE love poems,the "Garden" of the Song ismore subtle and elegant in its sexual expression.The love essence of the "Garden" of the Song is more simple and transcendental than the procreation worship of the Mesopotamian Sacred Marriage poems.Even compared with the Egyptian love poems more similar to the Song,the space image "Garden" of the book also shows the social morality of marriage and the emotional integration and soul interaction carried by the rich dialogue.There is no doubt that ANE love poems helped to form Hebrews’ love song,but the Song is more beautiful in their language and passion for love.The third chapter,“the ‘Garden’ of the Song and the Hebrew Scriptures”,mainly discusses the formation of the unique emotional thoughts in the image of "Garden" in the Song in the root of the Hebrew religious culture.Compared with the ANE love poems,the transcendence of love in the Song echoes the beauty of the first couple’s love fusion,the joy of body fusion and the state of equal and free love in Eden.At the same time,influenced by Torah,wisdom literature and prophetic literature in the Hebrew Scriptures,the Song shows the characteristics of marriage different from the ANE love poems.In addition,the monotheistic background of the Yahweh laid down in Torah led the Hebrews to have great respect for the body and sexuality,which led to the restrained and implicit expression of the Song.The analysis of the relationship between the Song and Hebrew Scriptures makes our understanding of the unique love view of the book more profound.The conclusion summarizes the importance of the study of the spatial image of "Garden" to the understanding of the text of the Song and the understanding of the relationship between the Song and the literary and cultural factors at that time.The "Garden" inherits to some extent the literary expression techniques of the ANE love poems,expresses the Hebrew people’s affirmation of the ethics of men and women,love and sex,and the body,as well as the Hebrew monotheistic belief’s expectation of a harmonious and perfect relationship between human and nature,human and human,and human and God.