Three features of spring in Canaan are listed to give extra emphasis to his call for the young woman to join him outside.

The flowers appear on the earth: wild flowers carpet the land in the early spring. The word appear is actually a passive form of the verb “see,” so “can be seen.” The phrase on the earth may also be translated “throughout the land,” or more simply as “everywhere.” Good News Translation “in the countryside” is also acceptable. We can translate the Hebrew rather literally, “Flowers are seen in all the land,” or use a simpler expression, “Flowers are everywhere!”

The time of singing has come: what kind of singing and who does the singing are not clear. The phrase is a part of the fuller description of the joy of spring. Our first thought may be that birds are singing, as the next line refers to the cooing of the turtledove. This is the opinion of Revised English Bible: “the season of birdsong is come.” Singing derives from a Hebrew verb that is often used of singing praises to God; but as Isa 25.5 shows, it can also apply to any kind of singing. In translating this verb we can add the adverb “joyously” if it will help bring out what is clear in the context. Bible en français courant renders the verse quite poetically: “It’s the time when everything sings!”

There has been a suggestion that the verb rendered singing is instead a verb derived from a root indicating some kind of pruning activity, the trimming of trees and shrubs, as in Isa 18.5. The suggestion is followed by New American Bible with its “pruning the vines.” The same idea is taken up in New Jerusalem Bible. However, most commentators realize the problem in this interpretation, for pruning takes place before the winter rather than after it. Retaining the word “singing” seems best. Good News Translation suggests “This is the time for singing.”

And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land: this line copies the passive verb form of the first line in Hebrew, “flowers are seen,” and repeats the important word “land.” (Revised Standard Version has rendered it earth at that point.) Note, however, that we see a movement from general to particular as we move from the second line of the verse to this one; who is singing becomes clearer. This same general-to-particular development, which is a common feature of Hebrew parallelism, can be seen in the addition of “our”: “in our land.”

The turtledove is a small bird of the pigeon family; its appearance in Israel is one of the signs of spring. It represents what is soft and lovely, something gentle. As mentioned in 2.8 voice can mean “sound”; it refers to the bird’s call. The turtledove may not be known to the translator. In this case a general name for a bird that is known for its gentle cooing or singing can substitute here, or we can use a general expression, “the bird coos” or “birds sing all over our land.”

In our land may show the extent of the bird’s call, namely “throughout our land.” It can also merely refer to the fact that the turtledoves have arrived in the land in the course of their migration. In that case it has more of a time reference—it is the time when the turtledoves usually visit. Good News Translation suggests “in the fields,” but these doves are found around houses and in towns as well as in the fields, so it is not a suitable translation.

We can tell from the context that, like most young lovers, the young man is overwhelmed with the joy of spring. We may turn the passive into an active, “You can hear the call of the turtledove all through the [or, our] land.”

Again, the translator should aim for poetic form, at the very least showing the wonder and excitement the young lovers feel. One example may be:

• Flowers carpet the earth!
It’s a time for singing!
The joyful call of turtledoves
Spreads through our land.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .