6:1–3 · Convinced that the maiden’s lover is indeed better than others and worthy of such loyal devotion, the harem women accept the maiden’s charge (6:1). They too will join the quest for the absent lover, if she can only provide some clue as to his whereabouts so they might commence searching.The maiden’s enigmatic response (6:2–3) almost defies explanation. Is she speaking literally of his vineyard or of a secluded garden haunt the lover frequented? If she is, she should go there and seek him out instead of combing the city streets and enlisting the help of the harem women. Is she confined to the palace precincts? Elsewhere the garden motif has represented the physical intimacies of lovemaking. But if the maiden is understood as speaking figuratively about herself, the response still c…