**The Song of Love: A Devotion Unveiled**

The sun rose over the vineyards of Lebanon, casting golden rays upon the lush hills where the young Shulammite woman wandered, her heart aflame with longing. The air was fragrant with the scent of blooming myrrh and the sweet perfume of henna blossoms from the gardens of En Gedi. She lifted her voice in a song of love, her words a melody of devotion to her beloved.

*”Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine.”*

Her dark skin, bronzed by the sun, marked her as one who labored in the vineyards, yet she carried herself with the grace of a queen. Though her brothers had set her to keep the vineyards, her heart was not in the work—it was fixed on her beloved, whose name was like precious ointment poured out.

*”Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you!”*

She longed for him, yearning to be near him, to hear his voice and feel his presence. The daughters of Jerusalem, the noble maidens of the court, saw her devotion and marveled at her passion.

*”Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.”*

But even in her love, she felt unworthy. The sun had darkened her skin, and she compared herself to the fine tents of Kedar, woven dark and sturdy, yet not as fair as the curtains of Solomon.

*”Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect.”*

Yet her beloved saw her beauty, not in the fairness of untouched skin, but in the richness of her spirit. He spoke tenderly to her, his words like balm to her soul.

*”Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock, where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?”*

She was his treasure, his dove among the clefts of the rock, and he sought her with a love that would not be hindered. The daughters of Jerusalem, hearing their exchange, joined in the song, urging her to follow the tracks of the flock, to seek her beloved where he shepherded his lambs.

*”If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.”*

And so, with renewed hope, the Shulammite woman set out, her heart beating in rhythm with the song of love that bound her to her beloved. The vineyards, the gardens, the hills—all bore witness to a love as fierce as death, as unyielding as the grave, a flame that many waters could not quench.

For this was no ordinary love—it was a reflection of the divine, a sacred union foreshadowing the love of Christ for His Church, a love that pursues, adores, and delights in its beloved without end.

And so, under the watchful gaze of the morning sun, their song continued—a melody of devotion, a hymn of love eternal.