Song of Who?
"Love is Strong as Death" is inscribed on the Carrie Tower, a memorial clock at Brown University.
What does that mean to me as I read it while walking across the busy college green of an ivy league university? Not knowing its origins, it is little more than a sentimental riff realized by a moneyed person.
Growing up, I was not indoctrinated--as a believer--in any singular biblical canon or organized religious faith. So, thanks to my friend Faith, I quickly learned during my first visit to Brown that "Love is Strong as Death" is taken from the Song of Solomon.
I can now make the bold presumption that the people whose money erected the tower were most likely of Judeo-Christian faith. (this is not necessarily true of the brick-layers or stone carvers or students who pass the tower today, although it most likely is).
Who was this Solomon/Suleyman? Did he author the Song of Songs? His name means "peace" - did his assigned name influence how he lived and loved and expressed power? Is it possible to discuss the literary or historical possibilities of Solomon without becoming entrenched in politically correct debate of contemporary realities realities realities in the Middle East or of hetero-normative marriage?
I don't know if I agree that Love is Strong as Death. I suppose both can be corporeal or emotional states as well as political conditions. I wonder how Carrie Brown would have addressed this song?
What if Love were a culture of the shared journey before Death?