University of Oregon Duke University Press The Letter or the Spirit: The Song of Songs, Allegoresis, and the Book of Poetry Author(s): Zhang Longxi Source: Comparative Literature, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Summer, 1987), pp. 193-217 Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of the University of Oregon Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1770241 Accessed: 06-10-2015 06:26 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. University of Oregon and Duke University Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Comparative Literature. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 130.166.3.5 on Tue, 06 Oct 2015 06:26:44 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions SUMMER1987 Volume 39, Number 3 ZHANG LONGXI The Letter or the Spirit: The Song of Songs Allegoresis, and the Book of Poetry Do not interpretationsbelong to God? Gen.40:8 HEN I FIRST read the Song of Solomon in the quaint and W melodious English of the King James Version, I was filled with surprise at the beauty of its rich imagery and astonishingly sensuous language, and even more so at its inclusion in the austere and august Holy Scriptures.