Behold you are fair; dove’s eyes; our couch is shaded
Again the Bridegroom’s speech is directed to her, and he says: Behold, you are fair, my neighbor; behold, you are fair; your eyes are doves. She says to the Bridegroom: Behold, you are fair, my brother, and graceful. Our couch is shaded; the beams of our houses are cedar, our paneling cypress. We must consider how both Bridegroom and Bride are called fair. The Bridegroom is fair according to divinity; the Bride fair according to way of life and virtues. Her eyes are called doves’ because the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and those who see spiritually look with dove-like eyes. The shaded couch: a soul strewn with flowers of virtues receives Christ. Cedar and cypress: incorruptible woods, because faith and hope and love do not rot.
Latin
Rursum sponsi ad eam sermo dirigitur et dicit: Ecce es speciosa, proxima mea; ecce es speciosa; oculi tui columbae. Illa dicit ad sponsum: Ecce es speciosus, fratruelis meus, et decorus. Lectulus noster floridus; tigna domorum nostrarum cedrina, laquearia nostra cypressina. Considerandum quomodo et sponsus et sponsa speciosa esse dicantur. Sponsus speciosus est secundum divinitatem; sponsa speciosa secundum conversationem et virtutes. Oculi eius columbae dicuntur, quia Spiritus sanctus in specie columbae descendit, et qui spiritaliter vident, columbinis oculis intuentur. Lectulus floridus: anima floribus virtutum strata Christum suscipit. Cedrina et cypressina: incorruptibilia ligna, quia fides et spes et caritas non putrescunt.
About this text
Origen’s Homilia II on the Song of Songs (Jerome’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–13.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII (GCS 33, 1925), Jerome’s Latin of Homilia II. Lawson ACW 26 was not used as wording. This page is Homilia II §§1–13 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII = GCS 33 (1925) (Latin · Homilia II §§1–13)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.