Love Wey Strong Like Death

Di rain don stop. Di hills don green suddenly. Doves dey call from di trees. And across di hillside, dey jump like young deer, somebody dey run go one house, dey call one name.

Between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, one book dey wey no resemble any other book for di Bible. Dem dey call am di Song of Songs, wey mean di greatest song, and im first line connect am to Solomon. Na collection of love poems between one young woman and di man wey she love, bride and her groom. Dem dey talk to each other, and sometimes friends dey join. No battle dey, no king command, no miracle. Na just love, inside di gardens, vineyards and hills of Israel of old. Di Bible carry am because di love between husband and wife na one of God good gifts. Plenty readers, Jewish and Christian, don also hear inside am picture of God own faithful love for im people.

Di young woman dey house when she hear am. Di voice of di one wey I love! See, e dey come, e dey jump for di mountains, e dey skip for di hills. E be like gazelle, she talk, like young deer. Now e dey stand just outside di wall of di house, e dey look inside through di window, e dey peep through di lattice. She fit see im eyes, wey dey shine with happiness. And e call her: Rise up, my love, my fine one, and come with me. E get reason. Come outside, look around you. Something wonderful don happen.

Because see, di cold season don pass, di rain don stop and e don go; flowers don show for di earth; di time for birds to sing don come, and di voice of di turtledove dey sound for our land. Di turtle wey di old Bible mention na di turtledove, wey dey coo for di branches. For di land of Israel, di winter rain dey stop around March and April, and almost overnight di hillsides go full with red anemone flowers and other wild flowers. Di young man continue. Di fig tree dey ripen im first green figs. Di vines dey flower, and dem dey bring sweet smell. Then e talk am again, because e no fit wait: Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come with me. Spring don come, and love don come too. Everything dey new.

Near di end of di Song, di young woman talk some of di strongest words about love wey anybody don ever write. Set me like seal for your heart, like seal for your arm. Keep me close, she talk, like di seal wey you dey wear, di one wey show who you be. Because love strong like death. Im jealousy strong like di grave. Im flash na flash of fire, di very flame of Di Lord. Then she talk something wey sound like sea wey dey hit rocks: Plenty water no fit quench love, and flood no fit drown am. And if man try buy love with everything wey dey im house, people go laugh am. Real love, nobody fit buy am. Na gift. And once person really give am, e no dey give up.

Wetin be seal? For di old world, important people dey carry seal, one small stone wey dem carve, or ring, wey get dem own mark. If dem press am for soft clay or wax, e go stamp di document say na dem own, like signature. People dey wear dem seal for rope round dem neck or as ring for dem hand. For Genesis, Judah carry im seal and im cord with am. To ask make dem set you like seal for somebody heart na to ask make you belong to am, close close and forever.

You go find dese poems for di Song of Songs, chapter two, verse eight reach thirteen, and chapter eight, verse six and seven. Love song about spring time, and love wey plenty water no fit quench. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e dey look to love somebody with faithfulness, even when e hard?