Farming, Friends and Smell

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As an avid gardener, I found myself drawn into the words of Deborah Greene in her “Aroma of Righteousness,” and her description of how the Hebrew Bible uses gardening and its smell as a form of the erotic. To some, this may seem strange, but as someone who spends summers revering the dirt permanently under my fingers and having permanent dirt lines outlining my feet from my Chacos (the elite gardening sandal,) I appreciate and can see how this can be powerful as a form of passion and love. Greene speaks on the connection between the garden in the Song of Songs, how it is similar to the bond of the dove and Eve, and how the dove and garden are symbols of the beloved. She connected the garden of Eve and the garden of Songs by its “fragrant” spices and how through the closure of males from the gardens, the arguments spices also bring with it arousal. (120) While I don’t grow cinnamon or balsam in the gardens of Farm House, we do have an array of spices, that bring a range of emotions. While usually, it is not erotic, at least for me, I can see how scents of spices, such as basil or oregano, can invoke feelings of pleasure. 

I think one of the reasons Song of Songs is powerful and well...erotic, is because of his sensory descriptions, particularly those of wine, myrrh, pine, and cedar. I was surprised to see this in the Bible, as it is so suggestive, but I think a sweet romantic poem and one of mutual attraction. Greene mentions that smell does bring people together and create connection, which is a topic that we covered in class as well. Personally, I think the strongest scent is one of nature such as spices or the smells found in gardening, as well as it being the most natural and bringing us to be one with Mother Nature. My favorite scents are definitely from the garden, and some of the strongest connections I have with people have been a result of gardening, or more specifically working in Farm House. While our garden may not be one as beautiful as described in the Bible or as erotic, I would still argue that the scents of spices, vegetables, dirt, and even our sweat are all things that have brought us together as a Farm family. 

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausFebruary 24, 2022 at 7:55 AM

    You're preaching to the choir here. And it seems to me the earthiness of gardening definitely has erotic overtones.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dana WoychowskiMay 13, 2022 at 7:34 PM

    Chacos are the elite gardening sandal, though do not ignore the versatility of Tevas. It is interesting that the Hebrew Bible refers to gardening as erotic, because I think the product of gardening is more erotic than the actual process. I mean that in the pleasure of eating the harvest, but I also mean... eggplants? As someone who gardens alongside you, I can't say my reasons for gardening are erotic, but the smell of nature does excite me in other ways :)

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