The starting-point for this song was the Biblical "Song of Songs", which is one of the most erotic pieces of literature in the world, comparable with the Kama Sutra or Petronius' "Satyricon" - only most people have no idea that this is what it is. In Jewish circles it has been presented for the last two thousand years as a metaphorical depiction of God's love for Israel, which should have been challenged by anyone who actually read it, but never has been. If it is God's love for Israel, then God is female, which is not a position that Judaism has traditionally taken. In fact, originally, it was a poetical play-script for the Canaanite New Year rituals, and the lovers in question are at once the sun-god and the moon-goddess, whose marriage in the spring engenders the fertility needed for a successful harvest, and the May-King and May-Queen who were chosen to represent them at the ceremonies, and whose marriage would have been consummated very publicly, to arouse every other couple in the village, town or city to go home and do the same, thereby adding human fertility to that of Nature.
All this has taken you by surprise, I am sure! Read it for yourself and you will see - the link (click here) is to the Mechon-Mamre version, which presents the text in both Hebrew and English. For those who can, you should read both; for those who only want the English, click Bible at the top of the page and you can navigate to an English-only version.
The illustration on this page is also a hyperlink, to the second volume of my novel "City of Peace", a life of King David and also a reconstruction of life in Biblical Israel, based on archaeology and comparative mythology, rather than on traditional, faith understandings.
I
sought my love throughout the town
He
was where the king had just put on the crown
He
was with the soldiers, who were now set free
Toasting
and drinking to the victory
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
king is tired, the celebrations done
The
war is over and the peace is won
The
time of kissing has begun
He
said, My heart is ravished but my duty lies
Here
where the men sit with their alibis
Go
tend the widows and the orphans too
Now’s
not the time for me to leave with you
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
king has left, the soldiers gone
The
party’s over and the race is run
The
time of kissing has begun
You
seem so closed, I don’t know why
My
arms that long for you are open wide
Seven
years now I’ve been on my own
Put
down your gun and take me home
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
tales are told, the webs are spun
The
killing’s over and the hating done
The
time of kissing has begun
You’re
like a garden when its gate won’t yield
You’re
like a fountain when it’s spring is sealed
Ah
let the wind blow till the walls come down
Let
the stream flow till I’m left to drown
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
scars are healed, the damage done
The
bars are closed the drinking overdone
The
time of kissing has begun
He
said I’m with you, lead me anywhere
I
love your lips, your breasts, your eyes, your hair
All
men desire but none can govern you
Grant
me the privilege of loving you
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
speaking’s past, let words be dumb
Instead
of speech let action count the sum
The
time of kissing has begun
And
now the honeycomb is sweet to taste
A
single night, don’t let it go to waste
Two
hearts united where the river runs
The
time of kissing has begun
Rise
up my love, he said, and wake
The
night is past, the dawn will shortly break
The
king awaits I must be gone
The
time of kissing is now done
Make
haste my love before we have to part
Set
me like a seal upon your heart
Love
is strong as death and can’t be overcome
The
time of kissing has begun
Rise
up my love, I said, and come
The
king can wait, the king has other sons
The
winter’s past, the snow is gone
The
time of kissing has begun
You can find David Prashker at:
If
you would like to include "The Time of Kissing" in your repertoire,
either for paid public performance or to record for commercial
purposes, or if you would like to re-use the recording attached to this
blog-page for commercial purposes, contact
argaman@theargamanpress.com.
Use of this song, and/or this recording, for
non-commercial purposes, is not simply permitted but invited.
Words and music by David Prashker
Copyright © 2014 David Prashker
All rights reserved
The Argaman Press
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