The Song of Songs

by Ariel Bloch (Translator), Stephen Mitchell (Foreword), Robert Alter (Afterword)

"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).

Genres: Poetry, Religion, Christianity, Erotica, Classics, Jewish

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2006

About the author

Ariel Bloch is professor emeritus of Near Eastern studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Reviews

[Jacob Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good translation.the introduction, afterword, and notes are all very good - though the foreword is lacking. translation well worth reading

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This erotic and passionate love poem was one of the most copied books of the Bible in the Middle Ages, which is interesting considering that monks and nuns were the ones doing the copying at that time. Although unabashedly physically erotic, it is also considered a spiritual allegory for the union of the soul with Christ/God. Why does it have to be one or the other? I love that this magnificent text can encompass both physical and spiritual love and longing.

[Seth Channell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the book because it is a translation of Song of Songs, which is part of the Old Testament canon. However, I have reservations about the translation after learning the translators believe the characters to be engaged in illicit sex. Overall, though I enjoyed reading this along with other Bible translations.

[ari :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My appreciation for the Blochs' translation stems primarily from the commentary—a master work of philology, presenting a number of debates over the meaning of the text quite faithfully. I would have preferred a more literal translation; the Blochs pave over much of the strangeness of the original Hebrew in order to retain its "remarkable compactness", as Alter writes in the afterword. Nevertheless, the bilingual edition (with facing Hebrew and English) remedies quite a bit of that, at least for those with some Hebrew. Highlighting the genuine physical eroticism of the Song seems to me not only correct, but strictly necessary: the text says what it says.

For an alternative perspective, I would recommend Robert Alter's own version, whose translation and commentary is in constant dialogue with this one, as well as medieval commentators and the KJV.

[Ian Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a gorgeous translation. Definitely my favorite so far to just sit down and read, and I appreciate the sparse formatting befitting poetry like this. The introduction and afterword are incredibly interesting and insightful, even if I fundamentally disagree with the authors that the primary reading of the Song is not allegorical. The translation itself really leans into the eroticism of the poetry, and I think this is a good thing. The authors might assume that highlighting the erotic would take away from the allegory, but for myself, especially as someone influenced by medieval mystical interpreters such as St Bernard, I think it enhances it. Medieval mystical interpretions are actually acknowledged somewhat favorably in the introduction, so I still found some significant compatibility despite our different perspectives.

[Salim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introductory material and the translation are very good, and focus on philologic and contextual reading of the text; the afterword is a little problematic, especially with assumptions about poetic reading of phrases connecting the physical form of the narrator and images from nature.

[Jacob Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a fine translation; though I’m not sure how I feel about the hermeneutic outlined by the translators and afterword.

[Jake Litwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good translation. Not so good commentary and interpretation of the text.

[Josh Dockter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun to read their translation.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wonderful.

And the Commentary, Introduction, Forword, and Afterword are brilliant (for readers who actually care about what they read).

[Benjamin Matz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best translation of Song of Songs I have read!

[Stephanie]

love songs + stories

[Mark Matzeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fresh, new translation of the Hebrew by Chana & Ariel Bloch awakens, from the depths of my memory, what it was like to be young and in love and totally consumed by the flames of that passion. The poem, by itself, is a good enough reason to read this book. But the Commentary gives detailed explanation of the translators' choices verse by verse down, sometimes phrase by phrase, breaking open pomegranate husks to reveal sweet seeds within.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of history, I am always looking for the best translations of ancient texts. This, by far, is the best translation of the Song of Solomon I have ever come across. And I have read several.