The Voice of the Turtle

Song of Solomon 2:12-13

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come;
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

The voice of the turtle deepens as the years parade onward, and the passion, the first excitement of new emotions changes to a richer, more comfortable, more nostalgic oneness. If things happen as they should, one lover can finish the other's sentence, and any silence between them is comfortable and expected.

My husband and I are nearing our last few years together, and I am sure that when the inevitable parting comes, the other will be wont to say, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away with me.” The voice of the turtle is the voice of those who have been lucky enough to have held love in their heart for even a moment, or, perhaps, for a full lifetime.