The Beloved's Garden

Dilectus meus descendit in hortum suum ad areolam aromatum, ut ibi pascatur in hortis et lilia colligat. Ego dilecto meo, et dilectus meus mihi, qui pascitur inter lilia. Dilectus meus. Vox illorum qui invitant alios ad quaerendum Deum, ut sic dicant: Vos quaeritis quo declinavit dilectus meus, et ecce annuntio vobis quia in Ecclesia sua notus est, et ibi habitat, et hoc dicit, descendit in hortum suum, id est de cognatione angelorum suppliciter se humiliavit, carnem sumendo, usque ad cognitionem hominum; descendit dico ad areolam, id est ad illos qui sunt areola, id est qui sunt bene culta terra, et plantata secundum voluntatem Dei. Areola dico aromatum, id est illi qui proferunt Deo suavem odorem orationum et operum. Descendit, dico, ad hoc ut pascatur et delectetur in hortis, id est in fidelibus Ecclesiae suae. Et lilia colligat, id est assumat et reponat in secreta sua, lilia, id est candidatos in virtutibus, vel colligat et attrahat quosdam in Ecclesia sua quos faciat lilia, id est candidatos omni virtute. Ego dilecto. Et mihi iterum de hoc debes credere quia ego dilecto meo obsequor in quibus possum, et sum bene ei familiaris, et ideo dilectus meus adest mihi, praebens auxilium suum et cognitionem suam, qui pascit et delectatur inter lilia. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes in Cantica canticorum, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 162.1216b-c

My beloved goes down into his garden to the fragrant beds, there he has pasture in the garden, and he gathers lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, who has his pasture among the lilies. 1 'My beloved.' The voice of those who invite others to seek God, so that they say: 'You wonder how my beloved came down, and behold I announce to you that in his Church it is known, and there he dwells, and he says that he goes down into his garden, that is, he humbly lowers himself from the knowledge of angels, taking up the flesh, to the knowledge of men. I say he goes down into the beds, that is to those who are beds, that is, those who are well cultivated earth, and planted according to the will of God. And I say the beds are fragrant, that is, they offer to God the sweet scents of prayers and works. He descends, I say, for this, that he have pasture and delight in the gardens, that is, in the faithful of His Church. And He gathers lilies, that is, he takes them up and places them in his secret places, those lilies who are those who are bright with the virtues, or he gathers some of them and takes some into his Church to make them his own lilies, that is, bright with every virtue. 'I am my beloved's' And again you should believe me in this because I have entreated my beloved in what I can, and I am most familiar with him, and therefore my beloved is near me, giving his help and his knowledge, feeding and delighting among the lilies. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Song Of Songs, Chapter 6 1 Song 6.1