12 While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.
*He*
15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
*She*
16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters are pine.
-Song of Solomon 1:12-17
The courtship continues in the last stanzas of the first chapter. The woman puts on perfume to attract the man and goes to his house, expecting to rouse him from his rest by way of pleasant smells. As she approaches him, she is shocked to find that *his* scent is attracting her! She then takes a moment, looking at his restful figure and studying his hair - he's blonde with light curls. She lingers in the moment long enough to think of henna flowers.
As she studies his features, the man turns and speaks to her, praising her beauty. Still being playful, he says her eyes are doves. As she looks at him from the corner of the room, he can feel her gaze like doves had nested there and made their presence known. The way someone can tell they are being watched, there is a tangible attraction in the air, and without her saying a word he tells her that the feeling is mutual.
She replies that he is beautiful, but not by way of his appearance - *that* attraction is still a secret to her. She is too bashful to speak on his henna-like hair or the musky scent he is giving off. Instead, she turns attention to the environment. The man is well to do, a good candidate for provider, having dyed fabric for his furniture and solid materials for his house. Though they are not married and nor are they cohabiting, she speaks of the place as "our house" as a way of suggesting marriage. It is a flirtatious, blushing confession that she wants to stay here.
Solomon writes this as part of how things should be. I disagree with the scholars who claim it was written early on in his reign. Oh no, this is too wistful and reflective of a text. Surrounded by his harem of pagan, immoral wives and concubines (most of whom he married for political alliances), he sits there wondering to himself about how a godly romance SHOULD go. And here, for the beginning of love between men and women, he concludes that it would normally start with playfulness, curiosity, and wonder at the possibilities. If he were alive today, he would see a young woman giggling to herself while writing her name with her boyfriend's last name in her journal, and he would exclaim "exactly!" He would see a young man listening to a song and thinking about his sweetheart, looking longingly at the sunset and proclaim "yes!" For an innocent marriage must start with these innocent, heartwarming moments.
