The Song of Songs: The World's First Great Love Poem (Modern Library Classics)

The Song of Songs: The World's First Great Love Poem (Modern Library Classics)

“Next to Genesis, no book in the Hebrew Bible has had a stronger influence on Western literature than the Song of Songs.” – The New York Review of Books One of the greatest love poems ever written, The Song of Songs celebrates the sexual awakening of a young woman and her lover and the intoxicating experience of falling in love. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this book of the Old Testament is not only an essential religious and literary text, but also a source of inspiration to modern-day poets and lovers. Enhanced by an Afterword by the esteemed scholar Robert Alter and a new Foreword from the noted translator Stephen Mitchell, this definitive volume showcases Chana Bloch and Ariel Bloch’s sensuous translation which has “a lyrical purity that is delightful” (W. S. Merwin). "[A] masterpiece [has appeared in America], Chana and Ariel Bloch's beautiful translation of the "Song of Songs, with the English and the Hebrew on facing pages, an informative introduction, wonderfully interesting notes, and a thought-provoking afterword by Robert Alter."--Gabriel Josipovici, "Times Literary Supplement International Books of the Year 1995 Kiss me, make me drunk with your kisses! Your sweet loving is better than wine. So begins the Song of Songs, often referred to as the Song of Solomon, one of the greatest love poems of all time. Set in a fragrant world of fertility and abundance, the Song celebrates the sexual awakening of a young woman and her lover, and the intoxicating experience of falling in love. It is no wonder that this book of the Old Testament, composed over two thousand years ago, continues to be a source of inspiration to poets and lovers. In their lyrical new translation, Ariel Bloch and Chana Bloch -- he a distinguished professor of Semitics, she an award-winning poet -- restore the sensuousness of the original in language that is rich, joyous, and passionate. Scrupulously faithful to the Hebrew text, the Blochs strip away the veils of mistranslation that have obscured the power and meaning of the poem. "Quite simply the best version in the English language. Its poetic voice, intimate, dignified, and informed by meticulous scholarship, carries us into the Eden of the original Hebrew text: a world in which the sexual awakening of two unmarried lovers is celebrated with a sensuality and a richness of music that are thrilling beyond words."--Stephen Mitchell "Ariel and Chana Bloch have succeeded in an extraordinarily difficult task. This is the best and most enjoyable translation of the Song of Songs that I know. Their notes, too, offer excellent insights to readers who know Hebrew and, for that matter, to those who do not."--Elaine Pagels "[This] translation is lucid and direct, and has a lyrical purity that is delightful. It seems to me a model of how such work may be done."--W. S. Merwin Chana Bloch is the author of three books of poems and the translator of Yehuda Amichai and Dahlia Ravikovitch. Ariel Bloch is professor emeritus of Near Eastern studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Stephen Mitchell‘s many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, The Book of Job, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, Meetings with the Archangel, The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, and Gilgamesh. Robert Alter is professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of many books, including The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary.