Towers Of Ivory

Ὁ τράχηλός σου ὡς πύργος ἐλεφάντινος. Πύργοι δὲ ἐκλήθησαν, οἱ τὰ ἀρεστὰ τῷ νυμφίῳ ποιοῦντες, σκοπευτήριον ἔχοντες τὴν θεωρητικὴν ψυχὴν, ἐκ μετεώρου σκοπεύουσαν ἅπαντα· ἐλεφάντινον δὲ, διὰ τὸ λαμπρὸν καὶ λεῖον· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ κακίας τραχὺ ἐν τῷ τῆς νύμφης τραχήλῳ· οὐκέτι δὲ περὶ τῶν νεκρῶν εἶπεν, οἱ νεμόμενοι ἐν κρίνοις· ὑπεράνω γὰρ ἐγεγόνεισαν κρίνων τῶν ἐν μέσῳ ἀκανθῶν· βούλεται δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ φιλομαθεῖς ὄντας πολλῶν ἔχειν τὴν ψυχὴν θυγατέρα σοφῶν καὶ ἐν εἰσαγωγαῖς γενέσθαι μαθημάτων πολλῶν, ἃς ἐκάλεσε πύλας· τοσοῦτον, φησὶν, γνώσεως τοῖς ἐν σοὶ διδασκάλοις περίεστι χάρις, ὡς μὴ μόνον τοὺς παρὰ σοὶ ἀπολαύειν αὐτῶν τῆς παιδεύσεως, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν καὶ πόῤῥωθεν τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπολαύειν ὠφελείας. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τo Ἀσμα Των Ἀσμάτων, Κεφάλαιον Ζ' Source: Migne PG 17.281c

Your neck is like a tower of ivory. 1 They are called towers who offer their thanks to the groom by having the contemplative soul as a mirror, from on high observing all things. And of ivory on account of splendor and joy, for nothing on account of evil is rough in the neck of the bride. He speaks not about the dead, who are pastured among the lilies, for higher these are than the lilies in the midst of thorns. He wishes us to be studious in many things, to have the daughter's soul of wisdom, and to be versed in the rudiments of many disciplines, which he names the gates. For by being such towers, he says, in you shall be your thanks to your teachers of knowledge, not only benefiting those near you with the teaching, but even profiting those apart and remote. Origen, Commentary On The Song Of Songs, Chapter 7 1 Song 7.4