While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance. My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. (Song of Songs 1:12-14)

The Beloved responds to the Lover.

The word translated as perfume is actually the proper name for spikenard or nard. In the gospels of Mark and John a woman, perhaps Mary Magdalene, anoints Jesus with this perfume.

Myrrh is another perfume, often used in burial. According to Matthew it was a gift from the East at the birth of Jesus.

Rather than henna, many translations refer to camphor blossoms, but we are very uncertain of the specific flora referenced in scripture.

Whatever the source, the Lover and Beloved encounter one another aromatically, sensually, erotically.

The Lover and Beloved attend to one another with all their senses, fully engaged in the moment and one another.