The Vegan Song of Songs. Dr. Chapman Chen & Sister Sy

The Song of Songs speaks in the language of the body, but it is not lustful—it is liturgical. It does not degrade flesh; it glorifies it. The lover’s gaze honours the beloved not as an object to consume, but as a garden to revere—“a garden locked… a fountain sealed… a well of living water” (4:12–15). This is not possession, but invitation. Not violence, but reverence.

The beloved is praised not in terms of conquest, but through metaphors of fruit, fragrance, and fauna—pomegranates, saffron, apples, lilies, and most tenderly:

“Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle” (7:3).

This simile is striking—not only for its sensual beauty, but for its gentleness. The comparison is not to a butchered carcass or trophy prey, but to living creatures, soft and untamed. Fawns—symbols of innocence, playfulness, and vulnerability. In this love, there is no violence. No taking. Only beholding.

The vocabulary of desire in this sacred poem is vegan and peace-infused: wheat, vines, mandrakes, apples, grapes, wine. The language of intimacy is rooted in living abundance, not sacrifice or domination. There is no blood here—only ripeness, fragrance, flowing water, and reciprocal longing.

“Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits…” (4:16)This is not conquest. It is communion. A joyful surrender—not of power, but of presence.

Later, in chapter 7, the beloved's body is again described in botanical and agrarian imagery:

“Your belly is a heap of wheat… your breasts like clusters of the vine… your kisses like the best wine” (7:2–9).

The entire vision of love is tender, vivid, fertile—drawn from a world unbroken, where nature is not devoured, but celebrated. No butchered lambs, no scorched altars—just the living fragrance of Eden remembered, and re-enacted between lovers who desire without harming.

Finally, the invitation:

“Come, my beloved… let us go early to the vineyards... There I will give you my love” (7:11–12).Here, love is not consummated in the shadow, but in the open fields—with birds, vines, and fruit-bearing trees as witnesses.

This is sacred eros without cruelty. This is the desire of a world where fawns remain untouched, gardens remain sealed until willingly opened, and love flows like living water, not spilled blood.

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/the-vegan-song-of-songs-dr-chapman-chen-sister-sy