Song of Solomon (AKA Song of Songs)
is a very passionate, very overtly sexual love poem. Biblical scholars like to pretend it's about love of God or some such bullshit, but to anyone who's ever actually had sex, it's obvious what it's about.

Not much wanking material though, unless "Your navel is like a round goblet Which never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat Fenced about with lilies" does it for you, or "This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples"
(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 14:21, 2 replies)

No that's good thanks, that does it for me
I'm all for navels and heaps of wheat. I've come over all funny, I'm off for a lie down.
( Infidel , shit and wrong, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 14:48, closed)

To be honest
I'd love any woman whose belly button was always full of wine.
(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 14:52, closed)

Oh yes.
I've never been keen on the sticky out kind of navel and this convinces me that my preferences are correct.
( Infidel , shit and wrong, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 15:00, closed)

Can you explain...

...My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

No criticism implied or intended, just can't quite work it out.

Really liked it, btw.
(zebideedoodah likes florence but prefers venice, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 2:42, closed)

Your guess is as good as anyone's
I've no idea how it translates from the Hebrew, and I'm no bible scholar. For what it's worth, my opinion is that this bowel movement has nothing to do with the modern English euphamism, and that 'the hand on the whole of the door' is more likely to be a literal description than a metaphorical one. So I reckon the line means somthing simple like "my heart stirred when he entered my room".

I'm glad you liked it. I'm not particularly fussed about the religious implications or the translation history, but think it's one of the best love poems in the English language. You should listen to Bob Dylan's song the Changing of the Guards, which is a clever re-working of the imagery from the Song of Solomon.
(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 9:53, closed)