The use of erotica can be seen very clearly in the “Song of Solomon”. First of all, one must keep in mind that it comes from the bible so one will not here vulgar things or even words that you know are directly talking about sex. However, if you read closely, you can here the implicit remarks that these young lovers seems to be making, not only about each others body, but also about what each would like to do with the other. The first time that the male of the genre talks about his lover he describes her physical attributes.
The most obvious is the description of her breast in which he says, “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins”(7:3). When you here this statement one can only think that he is referring to her large perky (since she says young) perfectly round breast. When he talks about his lovers thighs, he not only praises them, he describes what the very most upper part of his lovers thighs look like: “the joints of thy thighs are like jewels”(7:1). One can only ask the question of how would this person know about someone’s most upper part of their thigh, the part that is right next to the genitalia?
This leaves much to the imagination. He also talks about her navel saying, “thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor”(7:2). When trying to interpret this quote, one must first keep in mind the fact that this is taking place during biblical times. During these times it was not proper for people to see, what was then looked at as X-rated parts of one another. Of course the exception to this rule would be if two people were married (or having an affair). So one can ask the question of how would this person know about the size and shape of another person’s navel, which is hidden underneath everyday clothes?
It seems not only does he know about its size and shape but also how it tastes. Again, the imagination of the reader is allowed to search the options. Not only is there sexual talk about physical appearances, but there is also talk about what will happen when the two of them are together alone. She is at one point looking for him and when she finds him she says that she held him and had him follow her and would not let go, “… until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me”(3:4).
Put in modern day terms, she seduced him in her mothers bedroom, but it isn’t until the next line that you know that the two have had sex: “… by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please”(3:5). At this point one can safely conclude that the two did have sexual relations, and that he is now peacefully sleeping. Of course what exactly happened in the room is not going to be said since this is coming from out the bible, but the reader knows that the two have had sex since she stated clearly that she would not let him leave.
Another point in which she talks about doing sexual things with her lover (although not as graphic) is when she talks about going into some garden where all kinds of fruits are blossoming. She says, “whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves”(7:12). Here you can see her again seducing him and promising him sex if he would follow her. In the New Living Translation, the story seems to stay the same, only it is easier to interpret and know where the sexual content lie. For instance, when he talks about his lover’s navel, the audience had to wonder what he was really trying to say.
However, in this translation, the audience gets a clear picture of what he means: “Your navel is as delicious as a goblet filled with wine” (7:2). With this statement you know for sure that he knows what his lovers navel tastes like. Also when she talks about going into a garden where things are blossoming. The reader is only making a conclusion, but it is turned into a fact in this translation when she says, “whether the blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates are in flower. And their I will give you love”(7:12). Now the audience knows for sure that she is promising her lover sex if he would follow her into a garden (how erotic).
