Le Cantique des Cantiques - La sagesse de l'amour

Few books have been as widely read, translated and discussed as the Song of Songs. The tale of Creation for some, a song celebrating the soul’s union with God for others, an erotic poem for others still... each individual reading of the Song is an individual reflection, and rather than contradict, these readings complete each other. Jean-Yves Leloup here offers a new translation of the Song of Songs, balancing the precision of Jerusalem Bible and the TOB translations, and the splendour of André Chouraqui’s work, before providing his interpretation. In the same way as love and the Song itself, reading proves multi-faceted: both manifest and spiritual, in turn drawing on Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, but also philosophers, mystics and poets, comparing different translations. Over the course of its pages there unfolds a text providing an initiation into the wisdom of love. However, the Song of Songs does not reveal what love is: love is lived out to open us up to “the secret of secrets”, the presence of the divine within the self.

Translation: Song I - Song II - Song III - Song IV - Song V – Song VI - Song VII - Song VIII. Interpretations: The Wisdom of Love - A “carnal” reading of the Song of songs - Song I - Song II - Song III - Song IV - Song V – Song VI - Song VII - Song VIII.