This is a fragment of the song that The Twelve sing to Jesse James: a fragment barely sensed by him the first time that we meet him, then filled out later in the story when he meets the Twelve directly:
Who is this, whose eyes are the Morning Sun
His face as irresistible as the dawn?
Who is it that comes among us
Like the balsam that flows upon the slopes of Gilead?
He is chief amongst the ten thousand
They kneel and wait upon his command
He has no equal in the lands of Canaan
The house of our mothers, the lands of our desire.
He is tall like the cedars of Lebanon
His fruits are sweet to our taste
His heart is a temple
The clouds wreathe his head
His brow is sovereign amongst the heavens
The grasses of the field bend gladly beneath his feet.
There is a lot of Song of Songs in this piece, so much so that it is difficult to work out exactly where that work ends and my own work begins.
Here are some quotes from Songs that demonstrate my more obvious debts to that work:
"His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars" [Songs 5:15]
"I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste" [Songs 2:3]
"Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke" [Songs 3:6]
"Who is she who looks forth as the morning... clear as the sun" [Songs 6:10]
"My beloved is handsome and strong. The best among ten thousand" [Songs 5:10]
I completed the Song of the She-Wolves long before I made a serious effort to finish From the Chronicles of Lupa.
Curiously the full song includes a final verse that I could not fit into the scheme of either book:
What man could hope to stand against him?
Who would rebel against the edict of his hand?
He scatters the wicked before him
The ungodly cower before him and repent.
Perhaps this prediction of Jesse's eventual power is so stark that it may have derailed the character: either by his clutching after this promised power, or (more likely) being so dismayed by it that he would avoid the exercise of it, compromising his ability to fight the battle that he must eventually wage.
It's worth noting that the tone and subject matter of this final verse do not correspond to Song of Songs, but are more reminiscent of the Psalms as they move thorough their declamatory modes.
Thanks for reading! If you would like a copy of any of my works, or have any other queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch here.
P. Julian
27 June 2018
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