The Shulamit

The Shulamite seems trapped between her desire and her reasoning. She warns the ‘Daughters of Jerusalem’ not to awaken love before it is ready, indicating that she believes she has done just that. Yet, the poem is a celebration of this awakening. Importantly, the sexual awakening of the man in the poem is muted and does not seem to be the focus. The awakening signifies both the sexual awakening of the Shulamite as a defined object of desire, and the potential this sexual awakening has to destabilize society. Explain how