Publisher, Audio Literature (December 1999)

"Ariel and Chana Bloch have succeeded in an extraordinarily difficult task. This is the best and most enjoyable translation of The Song of Songs that I know. Their notes, too, offer excellent insights to readers who know Hebrew and, for that matter, to those who do not." --Elaine Pagels

"...an authoritive translation that allows the poetry to sing in English as it does in Hebrew. Whether The Song of Songs qualifies as the world's first great love poem is a matter for debate...but even where its priority is in question, this new translation leaves little room for doubt as to its greatness and its passion." --Booklist

The Song of Songs, often referred to as the Song of Solomon, is one of the great love poems of all time. For over 2,000 years its passionate depiction of love as a cosmic force has been a source of inspiration for poets and lovers. In this lyrical new translation, an eminent scholar of ancient Semitic languages and a distinguished poet and translator restore the sensuousness of the original with scrupulous faithfulness to the Hebrew text and a new sense of the beauty and spirit of the poem.

About the Translators: Ariel Bloch is Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Chana Bloch is a poet, translator, scholar, and literary critic. She is Professor of English and Director of the creative writing program at Mills College.