Walking in the Forest of the Song of Songs — My Nard Gives Forth Its Fragrance

Song of Songs 1:12

The Song of Songs is slowly coming into view.

Not that I now understand what is written in it.

What has come into view is my own posture toward this book.

I, too, know love.

But I do not know love to its depths.

I look up the words, follow the persons, and confirm the subject.

Even so, there are things I do not understand.

Perhaps I had been trying to fill that not-understanding with explanations.

Rather than saying I will not explain love,

I will not treat love as something I have understood.

With that posture, today I read 1:12.

bimsibbo בִּמְסִבּוֹ at his table

shehammelekh שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ that · the · king

ʿad עַד־ while

reiḥo רֵיחוֹ׃ its fragrance

natan נָתַן gave

nirdi נִרְדִּי my nard

While the king was at his table,

my nard gave forth its fragrance.

〈My own translation from the Hebrew text〉

The word I translated as “his table” is understood both as a banquet and as a place of reclining. What kind of place it is, I read without deciding the details yet.

Here, there is “the king.”

The king also appeared in 1:4.

There it said,

“The king brought me into his room.”

Here,

“While the king was at his table.”

Then comes “my nard.”

nirdi

נִרְדִּי

my nard

At the end of the word is a form meaning “my.”

The one who says “I” is speaking of their own nard.

The words that follow are

reiḥo רֵיחוֹ its fragrance

natan נָתַן gave

gave forth its fragrance.

The verb I translated as “gave forth” basically means “to give.”

Setting the words out just as they are:

“My nard gave its fragrance.”

The subject of the verb is “my nard.”

Not “I gave forth fragrance.”

My nard gave forth its fragrance.

Here I recall the words of verse 3.

There were

“your oils”

and “your name.”

In verse 12,

“my nard.”

From “your” to “my.”

Words connected with fragrance now appear as belonging to “me.”

However, to explain this as “responding to the other’s love” is already a step into interpretation.

This verse records no act of pouring out the nard.

Nor does it record how the king received its fragrance.

What is written is this:

while the king was at his table,

my nard gave forth its fragrance.

“The king” and “my nard.”

How should I receive these two, set within this one short verse?

I want to decide the meaning right away.

But today, I read without deciding.

The king is there.

My nard gives forth its fragrance.

First, I simply stand where I have read these words.

Without treating love as understood.