“It lies in the words of an ancient Persian love poem, absorbed long ago into the Judaeo-Christian tradition and known as the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon, the most flagrantly erotic text in all of the Old Testament.28 It takes the form of a poetic dialogue between two lovers, the Bride and the Groom, who express their feelings for one another in imagery of a rich and fecund natural world. The Groom compares his beloved to a garden: ‘A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits . . .’ (4:12–13). For her part, the Bride describes the Groom as ‘white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven . . . His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem’ (5:10–16). Finally, the Groom describes the fruition of their desires: ‘How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! delights! This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof; now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples; and the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak’ (7:6–9). Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane (p. 86). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition. Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane (p. 86). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition. Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane (p. 86). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition. ”
