FIRST DAY. (I) May He Salute Me with Affec tionate Salutations! Though the import of the word neshek undoubtedly is to kiss, yet, in sev eral passages of Scripture, it implies no more than mere salutation or addressing—a compliment paid on view of a person or object. So those who are said, in our translation, to have "kissed the image of Baal," did not kiss that image, strictly speaking, but kissed toward it ; that is to say, they kissed their hands, and referred that ac tion to the image ; or kissed at a distance from it— addressed it respectfully by the salaam of the East. (See ADORATION; Kiss.) This expression of the bride, then, implies simply an apprehension of fear (united with a wish to the contrary), that when the bridegroom sees her lie may think slightly of her person, her qualities, or attractions, and may refrain from paying his addresses to her. In reply, the ladies commend her beauty, and cheer her modest solicitude by praising her attrac tions and her elegances. They do not indeed praise her person, because, according to the cus toms and decencies of the country, the bridegroom cannot yet see that; they only praise her general appearance, and what must first strike a beholder —what are most noticeable at the earliest interview —at a first approach—that is, her polite manners and deportment ; also her perfumes, to the dif fusion of which they compare her renown for beauty. The importance of perfumes in the East is very great ; the lovers of the Arabian poets never omit to notice this attraction of their mis tresses.
"\Vhen the two nymphs arose they diffused fra grance around them, As the zephyr scatters perfume from the Indian flower.
Do not the perfumes of Khozami breathe? Is it the fragrance of Hazer from Mecca, or the odor diffusing from Azza ? She resembled the moon, and she waved like the branches of I\lyrobalan.
She diffused perfume like the ambergris, and looked beautiful like the fawn." Agreeably to this we find in Scripture the re mark that "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart" (Prov. xxvii :9), and Isaiah, describing a female desirous of pleasing her paramour, repre sents her as "increasing her perfumes" (chap.
lvii :9). (See also Esth. ii :I2 ; Ps. xlv:8; Prov. vii :17.) The reader will observe the distance to which these perfumes are understood to extend their fragrance; and, relatively, that to which the bride's beauty was famous.
(2) Love-Favors. It is usual to render this word (dudi) loves—but, by considering (I) that the ladies say they shall commemorate the (dudi) loves of the bride; (2) that (dudi) loves are said to be poured out as from a bottle, or to be sent as presents to persons of integrities (plural) ; (3) that the spouse invites the bride into the country, where lie would give her his (dudi) loves,—it ap pears that love-presents of some kind are the articles meant by the word. Suppose, for in stance, the bride presented the ladies with curi ously-worked handkerchiefs (as is customary in the East), the ladies might look on them, at a distance of time afterwards, with a pleasing rec ollection of the person by whom they were given; as is customary among ourselves. Such tokens are not valued for their intrinsic worth, but for the sake of the giver; and were it not trivial, we might quote a common inscription on this subject as coincident with the spirit of this pas sage, "\Vhen this you see, remember me." What other than a present of love can be potwed out from a bottle—delicious wine, that might rouse the drowsy to discourse? Or why does the Spouse invite his Bride into the country, but in order to present her with its best productions; some of which, he tells her, were stored up, and ex pressly reserved for her reception? Such is the meaning of this word, in this place: favors be stowed as the effect of love—to remunerate love; or designed to conciliate love, to excite regard toward the presenter of the gift. \Ve have used the word favors, since that word implies, occa sionally, personal decorations; as at marriages, ribands, etc., given by the bride to the attend ants, or others, are termed bride-favors, or sim ply favors.