| SHE
2:1
|
(Still
looking at him she speaks to herself)
“Oh
dear, I'm but a common flower of the countryside, so ordinary.
|
| HE
2:2
|
(They
are still apart on opposite sides of the stage, simply speaking
their thoughts. He continues)
“She
stands out like a flower among thorns. She is exceptional,
she is wonderful, my darling one, standing out from all the other
girls I know.
|
| SHE
2:3-13
|
(They
remain apart, revealing their thoughts from afar)
He
so stands out from the rest, like an apple tree in a forest glade,
does he stand out. I see myself sitting beside him, and his presence
and his words are so sweet.
Out
here in the countryside, it's like he's brought me into his banqueting
hall and between the trees is hung a banner declaring his love
for me. Oh, I feel weak at the thought of it. Oh feed me, refresh
me, I am in need!
I
imagine that here on the soft grass we sit together, and I lie
back, and so he puts an arm under my head for me to rest upon,
and his other arm comes around me in an embrace.
Oh,
don't be silly, don't rush love until it is ready, don't spoil
anything with haste!
(The
background scene changes to a house in the country, on a hillside.
She continues speaking)
“Listen,
I hear singing. It is him! Look, I see him bounding
down the hill side – he's like a young stag, so strong, so sure,
and yet so gentle.
Look,
he comes to the house and peers in, he is looking for me!
(The
backdrop changes to outside the house as she goes on)
He
called me to rise and go out with him. Look, he says, the
winter is passed and the beauty of Spring is here. It's
too good to stay indoors. Come out my love, come with me.
|
| HE
2:14-15
|
(‘outside'
he speaks)
“I
came to find her. Her gentle timidity that reminds me of
that of the dove, makes me think of her in her home on the hillside,
as a dove hidden away in the hillside rocks. Oh my love,
come out, show me your face, let me hear your voice, let me enjoy
your beauty and your gentleness.
Nothing
must be allowed to spoil you my love. In the vineyards come the
foxes that dig holes and ruin the plants, they spoil the beauty
there. Your beauty must not be spoiled by anything. You
must be cherished.
|
| SHE
2:16-17
|
(She
responds)
“He
is mine! I am his! Oh the wonder of it. It's
as if he's browsed among all the other girls that could have been
his, but he has chosen me!
Oh
my love, while we have the time to be together, stay and be strong
but gentle with me.
(The
lights dim, the background fades)
|
| SHE
3:1-11
|
(As
the lights come back up, the backdrop changes to inside the house
and outside it is starting to get light. The girl is left alone
on the stage)
“Through
the night, alone on my bed, I longed for him but he did not come.
It's morning, I'll get up and go out and see if I can find him.
(She
crosses the stage and returns to her original spot and as she
does so the backdrop changes to the street of the city.)
I
didn't find him. In the still almost empty streets I came
across the night watchmen doing their rounds and asked them if
they had seen him, but no.
But
then, just as I had given up, I came round a corner and there
he was! I clung to him and then brought him back home with me.
Be
careful though, slow down, do not rush love, don't spoil anything
with haste!
(the
lights fade and as they come back up, the backdrop changes to
a road just outside the city. She speaks again)
Who
is this coming? It is him. It is Solomon, not the
carefree shepherd boy but the young warrior king, accompanied
by his strong body guard.
He
comes in the royal carriage made from fine timber with silver
and gold and fine materials. Come all you people, come and
see his splendour – see the crown he wears, the crown he wore
on our wedding day.
(The
lights fade, the scene fades)
|
|
HE
4:1-15 |
(As
the lights come back up, the backdrop is of the royal apartments.
The couple are together in the middle of the stage and he is on
one knee before her, holding her hand. She is in royal robes,
but veiled, as if hidden from prying eyes. He speaks)
“My
darling, how beautiful you are, how fortunate I am. Behind the
bride's veil, your dovelike, gentle and tender eyes capture me.
Your long dark hair over your shoulders is like a stream of my
black goats coming down over the hillside path, so beautiful.
The
whiteness of your teeth as you smile at me, is like the whiteness
of my newly shorn and washed flocks. The red of your mouth stands
out like a red ribbon and makes my heart beat fiercely. The curve
of your head behind your veil is as smooth and soft as a fresh
pomegranate. What more may I compare you to. I do it so that when
I again see these things I will be reminded of your wonderful
beauty.
The
strength and beauty of your neck with its necklace reminds me
of the beautiful tower of David hung around with ornamental shields.
The
soft curves of your breasts put me in mind of the soft and gentle
fawns I see, half hidden in the woodland.
Now
we have the time together, I can enjoy the double fragrance of
your beauty in its entirety, for in you is perfection, my love.
(The
lights dim and when they come back up, he is holding her at arms
length and she no longer wears a veil)
Leave
your past behind now, my love, let the memories of the hard times
be banished.
You
have won my heart my dearest wife, with one glance of your eyes
you captured me, with your very simplicity I was taken.
How
wonderful your love to me has been, my wife, how much more wonderful
than any pleasures from wine or fragrance from perfume!
The
touch of your lips on mine melts me, your gentle fragrance captivates
me.
Yet
these are early days, my love, for you have been held back for
me, an untouched garden, a fountain spring waiting to burst forth
with ever greater wonders.
Every
aspect of you is like an orchard, holding such delights as to
be almost indescribable. As our love is expressed you are like
a fountain that just pours out more and more love on me. You are
so wonderful.
|
| SHE
4:16 |
(She
responds)
My
dear, if I am a garden let the seasons come and open me that I
may be an even greater pleasure to the one who has my heart.
(The
light fades with the two of them gazing into each other's eyes).
|
| HE
5:1
|
(As
the lights come back up the couple are walking hand in hand across
the stage and he speaks)
I
have received of the garden that you have presented to me so willingly,
my love, and the delight you have given me is beyond description.
|
| FRIENDS
5:1 |
(The
chorus breaks in)
Indeed,
dear ones, enjoy each other.
(The
lights fade)
|
|
SHE
5:2-8
|
(As
the lights come back on the girl is on stage alone, seated on
a tall stool. She reflects back as she looks at the audience.
The backdrop is blank).
You
know, there was a time when it nearly didn't happen. There was
a night in our early days when he came to my home in the middle
of the night. He gently rapped on the shutters and called, my
love, it is I, let me in.
It
was the middle of the night, I was damp with perspiration from
the warmth of the night. I was in my nightdress. I thought, he
can't see me like this, I must get dressed. I heard him trying
to unlatch the shutters.
I
got out of bed and thought, I must put on perfume, he can't see
me like this.
By
the time I was dressed and ready for him, he was gone. My heart
sank. I went outside to look. I called into the darkness but I
was too late.
I
hurried after him into the city, but it was after the curfew.
The watchmen encountered me and thought the worst and beat me.
Oh
my friends, tell him I am sorry, tell him I love him.
|
| FRIENDS
5:9
|
(The
chorus break in)
Really?
Really? Convince us, oh most beautiful of women, that he means
more to you than any other man.
|
| SHE
5:10-16
|
(She
pauses with bowed head, then lifts he face forcefully and continues)
“Very
well then! I cannot get him out of my mind. Every detail of him
is etched in my brain! His face shines with the healthy glow of
the outdoor life. He is more handsome than ten thousand others!
He
looks almost gold reflecting the sun, and yet his hair is black
as a raven. He says my eyes are gentle; well his are more so,
pure and bright as well.
Just
the sight of his face is more beautiful to me than perfume. His
arms and body are strong like polished stone, his legs like marble
columns set in gold. He stands tall and strong, and when he smiles
– well my heart just melts. This, my friends, is him, this is
the one who is both my best friend and my love! Now will you believe?
|
| FRIENDS
6:1
|
(The
chorus replies)
Very
well, so which way did he go when you last saw him? Tell us and
we will look with you.
|
| SHE
6:2,3
|
(She
turns to them)
I
think he's possibly gone to his gardens – possibly he may go looking
to others if he feels I have rejected him – but I am his and he
IS mine, wherever he is, whatever he is doing!
(the
lights dim)
|
|
HE
6:4-9
|
(as
the lights come back up we find the man alone on stage, striding
around.)
“What
shall I say to her? How shall I convince her of my love?
You
are beautiful, my love, more beautiful than the beloved cities
of my land. Don't look at me with reproach, my love, you overwhelm
me and I cannot cope with it.
What
can I say of you? Nothing is sufficient.
You
dark hair falling over your shoulders reminds me of my dark goats
as they pour down the hillside roads. Your pure white teeth remind
me of my freshly washed flocks. As I imagine you on our wedding
day, the roundness of your forehead behind the veil is as smooth
as a perfect pomegranate. No, that is not enough!
I
have women without number than I can choose from, throughout the
world, but you my gentle one are unique. All women extol you.
What more can I say?
|
| FRIENDS
6:10
|
(the
chorus speaks up)
Who
is this who speaks this way of her, this one who comes like the
morning star, clear as the moon, bright as the sun and whose majesty
leads all others in his train?
|
| HE
6:11,12
|
(he
turns to face the audience)
After
I left her I went to inspect my plantations, to see the new growth.
An anger stirred in me and so off I went with my bodyguards in
my chariot, letting off steam in the exhilaration of the race.
|
| FRIENDS
6:13
|
(the
chorus again)
Come
back Solomon's girl, come back to be seen, remind us of your beauty.
|
| HE
6:13
7:1-9
|
(he
turns to the chorus)
Why
should you want to see her – she's mine. She's not a spectacle
for gawping at.
(he
paces the stage again)
“Oh
daughter worthy of a royal family, the beauty of your feet, your
legs, your hips, captivates me. Your shapeliness, your neck, your
eyes, your nose, your head, your hair – oh I could compare every
part of you with the beautiful things I know in my kingdom. You
are utterly beautiful, my love. You stand tall and straight like
a tree waiting to be plucked so that your love bears every good
fruit possible. I long for the touch of your lips on my lips,
so much more wonderful than even the best wine.
|
| SHE
7:9-13
8:1-4
|
(she
enters from behind him, as if having heard his words, and calls
to him).
Then
may my lips be for you alone. I belong to my lover and his desire
is clearly for me.
Come
let us go out to the countryside to share our love, into the beauty
of that creation, where we may best share that love.
(she
takes his hand and the backdrop appears as the grassy woodland
of earlier on)
If
you were my brother then, when we were in public, it would be
perfectly all right for me to kiss you, and no one would comment.
I could take you home and that would be fine. Now it can only
be here on the grass as I dreamt of it before.
He
puts an arm under my head for me to lean on and his other arm
embraces me.
As
I said, my friends, don't rush love, let it take its course and
develop in the right way.
|
| FRIENDS
8:5
|
(the
lights and backdrop fade, and as they come back, the backdrop
is of a sloping road and couple are seen close together as they
walk up the road. The chorus break in)
So,
who is this returning from a desert experience, having found her
lover again?
|
| SHE
8:5-7
|
(she
looks up into his face)
Do
you remember when we were first together. Make me like a seal
over your heart so that nothing and no one else can enter in there.
Because my love is fixed unto death and I will be as jealous for
you as the grave will eventually be for us. Until then our love
burns as an ever consuming fire that cannot be quenched. Even
the waters of mighty rivers cannot quench the fire of this love.
All the money in the world cannot buy or break this love.
(they
pause at the centre of the stage)
|
| FRIENDS
8:8,9
|
(The
chorus break in)
We
have a young sister who is like you but not yet fully grown. How
shall we prepare for the day when she is spoken for, as you are
now? If she is tall and strong we will adorn her with precious
things. If she is open and vulnerable, we will guard her and protect
her.
|
| SHE
8:10-12 |
(she
speaks to the audience)
I
was like a wall as I grew up. I had a quite confidence and strength
and now, for my love, I can bring contentment. My Solomon was
completely self-sufficient – he had more than he needed. I had
just myself, but that was enough to give, so I gave all that I
am.
|
| HE
8:13
|
(he
looks at the audience, smiles at her and says)
Well
my dear, you my regal queen, with all your friends here, who listen
in, what more can you say?
|
| SHE
8:14 |
(she
looks at the audience, she looks at him and smiles coyly)
Come
away, my love, let's leave these people. Come away with me, we've
only just started to learn what this love means.
(they
turn their backs on the audience and, arm in arm, they walk off
stage as the lights dim.) |
|