Doves’ Eyes

So he says to her –

How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.  Song of Songs 1:15

Really? Your eyes are doves? Not heard that one before.

How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.  Song of Songs 4:1

And there we have it again. Her eyes are like doves.

Later on, she returns the favour –

His eyes are like doves
by the water streams,
washed in milk,
mounted like jewels.  Song of Songs 5:12

Several times, he refers to her as his dove. This is his pet name for her.

My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding-places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.  Song of Songs 2:14

I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.  Song of Songs 5:2

but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favourite of the one who bore her.  Song of Songs 6:9

Because her voice is sweet and her face is lovely. Because she is flawless. Because she is perfect. Because she is unique. I can see that. A dove is all of those things.

OK, so I get why he might refer to her as his little dove. But the whole dove’s eyes bit – what’s that all about? Actually, I’ve been doing a bit of research and what I have come across is really rather fascinating. Here are five suggestions as to what he might be getting at.

• beauty

Eyes are beautiful. Lovers gaze into each other eyes. And have you noticed a dove’s eyes? At first that may seem weird, but when you know what a dove’s eyes actually look like, you realise that they are indeed very, very beautiful.There is much beauty in a dove’s eyes. Maybe this simile really is as simple as that. Your eyes are as beautiful as a dove’s eyes.

• characteristics

A dove is symbolic. Universally known as a symbol of peace. But also there’s a sense of gentleness about a dove too. There’s a simplicity, a humility, purity. Maybe these characteristics can be seen in the eye of the dove. Because eyes are like windows to the soul. Maybe these are what the lover could see in his beloved’s eyes.

• messenger

A dove has traditionally been used as a messenger. Like a carrier pigeon, but a bit more classy. Noah used a dove to know when and where to find dry land. And eyes speak. They carry messages. You can see the truth when you look in someone’s eyes.

• focus

And now for a bit of biology. We’re talking fixed field focus. Apparently, the eye of the dove has the capacity to focus on only one thing at a time. And that thing is often its mate. Once the dove sees something or someone it desires, it gives it its exclusive, undivided attention. It cannot be distracted or diverted. When we first fall in love, we cannot take our eyes off the one we love. When we say ‘I only have eyes for you’, we really mean it.

• the Holy Spirit

When Jesus was baptised, the spirit came down upon him as a dove. A dove is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. To have dove’s eyes is to have spiritual eyes. This book of love songs can be seen as symbolic of the relationship between God and each one of us. God looks on us with dove’s eyes – focused, undistracted. He gives us His full attention. And when we do the same – when we turn our attention to Him – He is delighted. There’s even a worship song about it – Doves Eyes by Misty Edwards.

Well, there’s some food for thought. Guessing you’ll never look at a dove in the same way again. Hopefully this will cause us to consider how we look at the one we love and how focused our attention is on them. But also to consider our relationship with God. How we can ‘turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face’.