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Poetry
Chaikhana
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About HadewijchTimeline (13th Century) |
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English version by Original Language |
The Queen of Sheba
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The Queen of Sheba
Came to Solomon; That was in order to gain wisdom. When she had found him, indeed, His wonders streamed upon her so suddenly That she melted in contemplation. She gave him all, And the gift robbed her Of everything she had within -- In both heart and mind, Nothing remained: Everything was engulfed in love.
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Building on the Biblical Song of Songs, this sacred (yet undeniably erotic) poem uses the figures of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon to represent the classic spiritual lover and Beloved. The journeying Queen of Sheba coming to King Solomon is the searching soul approaching God the Beloved.
Keeping this in mind, reread this poem again. Hadewijch is saying that in yielding to God the soul becomes nothing, yet is overwhelmed with love and wonders. This is the great spiritual formula: loss of self/ego leads to the Divine Self; death leads to new Life.
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Ivan
M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright ©
2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or
publishers.