rior in respect to the Comeliness and Elegance of it's Form: thus Lycophron calls Hellen, Aλež. V. 102. (See Potter's Notes.) και των ανυμφον ΠΟΡΤΙΝ So V. 857. Εν οισι ΠΟΡΤΙΣ ορχατον τάξει θεα Ovid also distinguishes her by this Appellation, Epift. ad Parid. Nor let it be thought that this Name was given only to Women of bad Fame; and that for this Reason Io was fuppofed by the Poets to be metamorphofed into a Cow. For Sophocles defcribes tuais alpa, a beautiful, delicate Virgin, ως ΠΟΡΤΙΣ ερημα· Trach. V. 532, 539. And Euripides calls Polyxena MoExoz, Hecuba, V. 526. So Pindar, Pyth. Od. IV. v. 253. Μια ΒΟΥΣ Κρηθεί τε ματηρ. And Horace in like Manner calls a young Woman JUVENCA, Lib. II. V. 10. Thy Cheeks are comely with Rows of Jewels, thy Neck with Chains of Gold. Rather, I נאוו לחייך בתורים צוארך בחרוזים : think THY CHEEKS ARE COMELY WITH ORNAMENTS, THY NECK WITH NECKLACES. CHAP. II. V.7.-that ye ftir not up, nor awake my Love, yn DNI 17'yn Ox : being here emphatical wants not the Pronoun האהבה. [ את האהבה I would therefore render V. 8. The Voice of my beloved! 17] This Place would be more intelligible, were we to fupply, as in the old Verfion" It is "the Voice." כי הנה The Afyndeton, as it is in the [הסתו עבר - הגשם חלף הלך V. 11. For lo, the Winter is past, the Rain is over, and gone. :15 Bwana Text, would I think be more poetical· THE RAIN IS OVER, IT IS GONE. So Ch. V. 6. [היום ונסו הצללים שיפוח V. 17. Until the Day break, and the Shadows flee away: mo bbyn 101 'n] Rather-UNTIL THE DAY BE SPENT &C. literally, be out of Breath: that this is the Senfe is very clear from the next Claufe, for in the Abfence of the Sun there is no Shadow; and, as this Hemiftic ought to make Part of the foregoing Verfe, it is farther evident, that it is in the Day Time, not in the Night, that the beloved there mentioned feedeth among the Lillies. The fame holds in refpect to Ch. IV. 5, 6. -turn my beloved, and be thou like a Roe, 717 75 707 20]. That is, Come to me with the Swiftness of a Roe from thy lurking Places; V. 14. CHAP. III. V. 4. It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him &c. " The old Verfion [כמעט שעברתי מהם - עד שמצאתי וגו feems preferable here --- WHEN I HAD PASSED A LITTLE FROM THEM, THEN I FOUND HIM &c. V.10.-the Midst thereof being paved with Love; 78 187 1210] Rather - BEING WARMED WITH LOVE: for fignifies to heat or bake with Coals, 1 Kings XIX. 6. and a live Coal, Ifa. VI. 6. CHAP. IV. thy Temples are like a Piece of Pomegranate within thy THY CHEEKS Rather [כפלח הרמון רקתך מבעד לצמתך : V.3. Locks. are LIKE A PIECE OF POMEGRANATE ABOUT THY LOCKS. The Word p occurs nowhere else, except Judg. IV. 21, 22, 26. in which Places it fignifies that Part of the Temple that borders upon the Cheek: but here it can, I imagine, fignify nothing befides the Cheek : for it cannot be pretended that red Temples are a Beauty. The Cheeks are compared to a Piece of this Fruit, because the Pomegranate, when whole, is of a dull Colour; but, when cut up, of a lively beautiful Vermilion. Modefty and Ingenuousness are called by this Name in Arabic, viz. *. V. 9. thou haft ravished my Heart with one of thine Eyes, "na לבבתני -which Reading feems pre ; באחת The Mafiora reads (באחד מעיניך - ferable, and ought to be rendered either AT ONCE, as Prov. XXVIII. THOU HAST RAVISHED V. 15. A Fountain of Gardens, a Well of living Waters, and Streams from Lebanon.] In our prefent Verfion this Verfe is unconnected with the Context, and hard to be understood. In the old Verfion it is all expreffed by the Vocative Cafe: but I think it would be better to fupply, Thou art &c. CHAP. V. V. 5. I rofe up to open to my beloved, and my Hands dropped with Myrrh, and my Fingers with fweet-fmelling Myrrh,, upon the Handles of the Lock. - וידי נטפו מור ואצבעתי מור קמתי אני לפתח לדודי [עבר כפות המנעול : Swan may] This feems to allude to a Custom, which pre- At lachrymans exclufus amator limina fæpe V. 11. His Head is as the most fine Gold, his Locks are bushy, and black as a Raven. ראשו כתם פז - קוצותיו תלתלים שחרות כערב: Though the Ancients prized the golden or flaxen Locks, (which they called χρυσης whence voxoμos) this cannot be the Sense here, as they are faid to be black. This doubtlefs alludes to the Custom that prevailed among them of ufing a Powder of that Colour, or Ornaments of Gold in their Locks; which Philoftratus calls wou noun; and Eunapius ufes almost the fame Words as Solomon, viz. Ai xqual μeravтepal Tε xay ηλιωσαι κατέχοντα So likewife Anacreon, where he gives the Painter Directions how to paint his Mistress, fays, Λιπάρας κόμας ποιησον, And foon after, Γραφε μοι τριχας το πρώτον Epig. XXVIII. V. 12. His Eyes are as the Eyes of Doves by the Rivers of Waters, fet. עיניו כיונים על אפיקי מים - רחצות .wallied with Milk, and fitly Jet Rather - His EYEs are As the Eyes of [בחלב ישבות על מלאת : Our Tranflators make DOVES, which are NEAR STREAMS OF WATER, ARE WASHED WITH MILK, and DWELL IN PLENTY. the whole Verse to have reference to the Eyes: but furely this is a Mistake. The Comparison ceases after the Mention of the Dove's Eyes, which are beautiful; the other three Claufes relate only to that Bird, whofe Eyes may be fuppofed to fparkle more than ufual, when she is near the Water, either to drink or wash herself. The Expreffion, washed with Milk, implies a white Dove; perhaps the more prized on that account; and the Words, dwelling in Plenty, are added to denote her Plumpness, which contributes to her Beauty. V. 13. His Cheeks are as a Bed of Spices, as fweet Flowers: bis Lips like Lillies, dropping fweet-fmelling Myrrh. לחיו כערוגת הבשם Thus I think [מגדלות מרקחים שפתותיו - שושנים נטפות מור עבר : I ought the Hemistics to be divided, and rendered - HIS CHEEKS are AS BEDS OF SPICES; HIS LIPS as PERFUMED WREATHS, as LiLLIES DROPPING SWEET-SMELLING MYRRH. CHAP. VI. V. 4. Thou art beautiful, O my Love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerufalem, terrible as an Army with Banners. יפה את רעיתי כתרצה - נאוה .10 .The latter Claufe both here and V [כירושלם אימה כנדגלות : : does not seem to be of a Piece with the rest of the Verfe, in either av] Qu. [שובי V. 13. Return, return, O Shulamite-ben a CHAP. CHAP. VII. ודלת ראשך V. 5·. and the Hair of thine Head like Purple, 18] This Word occurs only in this Place; and has no Connection with any known Root in Hebrew. I wonder therefore our Translators would give it the Signification of Hair, as no Hairs are ever of that Colour, or can with Propriety be compared to it. This Word muft mean something which is about the Head: and why should it not as well fignify A FILLET, or BANDAGE? Now in Chaldee is Filum tenue, Filamentum, Peniculamentum. Instead of the in 1985 I. would read, and render AND THE BANDAGE OF THINE HEAD IS OF PURPLE which Colour anciently was appropriated to Princes and Magiftrates. In the [מלך אסור ברהטים : .the King is held in the Galleries old Verfion these Words are thus rendered — the King is tied in the Rafters or Galleries, meaning "that he delighteth to come near thee, "and to be in thy Company." But this Senfe (fuch as it is) is quite unconnected with the Context. I would therefore borrow a Signification of n from the Arabic, and render - THE KING IS CAPTIVATED BY THINE ATTIRE; for he is a fort of Apron tied round the Waist. An anonymous ancient Greek Interpreter reads here και η Διακόσμησις σε ως πορφυρα βασιλεως πειδεδεμενη ειλημασι - and thy Drefs is like the Purple of a King tied about with Bandages. See Montfaucon's Hexapla. - fignifies V. 8. and the Smell of thy Nofe like Apples: :D 798 71] Rather, I think LIKE ORANGES, or PEACHES; for either of thefe Fruits, which have a fragrant Smell; whereas in general Apples have fcarcely any Smell, except after they have been kept fome time, and then it is far from being agreeable. V.9. caufing the Lips of thofe that are afleep to speak. " and : ושנים All the ancient Verfions feem to have read here [ ישנים: as occurs nowhere elfe, the Arabic may help us to determine it's Signification; which is To move gently, to creep, to flow foftly. And as the Subject of the Paffage relates to Wine going down the Throat aright, nothing can be more pertinent in this Place than the Arabic Senfe, or than the Lection adopted by all the Verfions. I would therefore render the Text thus MOVING GENTLY THROUGH THE |