“523. THE PALANQUIN—SOLOMON’S SONG OF SOLOMON 3:6-11”

The Palanquin—Solomon’s Son_3:6-11

The scene next changes to a royal nuptial procession, that of Solomon, which is described in very poetical language by the chorus of “the daughters of Jerusalem.”

The most prominent matter in this is the splendid palanquin of the royal bridegroom. In our translation, the sense is unhappily marred by its being called a “bed.” The following is Stowe’s version of the passage: “Behold the palanquin, the palanquin of Shelomoh! Sixty heroes surround it, of the heroes of Israel. All, with sword in hand, skilful in war; every one girt with a sword on account of the dangers of the night. A royal palanquin did king Shelomoh make for himself, of the wood of Lebanon; its poles of silver, its columns of gold, its hangings of purple, its couch worked with love, by the daughters of Jerusalem.”

We make quite sure that such of our readers as have been at the “Crystal Palace,” will, on reading this, at once call to mind the gorgeous howdahs and palanquins, rich in ivory, gold, and silver, which he saw in the Indian Court, and which had been presented by an Eastern Prince to the Queen. The suggestion of resemblance thus spontaneously presented to the mind will be correct. Something of the kind—something, indeed, closely similar, is no doubt intended—either a howdah, to be borne on the back of a camel instead of an elephant, or a palanquin to be carried on the shoulders of men, or to be borne as a litter between two camels, horses, or mules.

Eastern Howdah

In fact the description and figure which Mandelslo gives of the pompous vehicle of this sort in which he saw an eastern prince conveyed, long ago suggested the same comparison to Harmer. “I will not,” he says, “take upon me positively to affirm that Solomon’s ‘bed’ was precisely the same: but I think I may venture to say, that if its top and bottom had been made of cedar of Lebanon; if this top had afterwards been covered with purple; if the pillars had been of silver; the carpet underneath of ‘cloth of gold’ and the furniture on which this East India viceroy sat had been needlework wrought by the daughters of Jerusalem, and presented as a token of duty and love; no words could have given a more lively description of this vehicle, in short, than this passage of the prophetic poet. All that is wanting is the transferring it from an elephant, which it seems this East Indian used, to a camel, which would better suit, I presume, the state of things in Judea in the days of Solomon. The magnificence of this chariot was a natural subject for poetry, and the more so if such a sort of chariot was then first seen in Jerusalem.” Note: Outlines, p. 127. The last suggestion is not unlikely. It is not very probable that the conveyances of this kind which the Hebrews previously had, were anything better, if so good, as those which we find among the Arabs of the present day, and to which we formerly had occasion to refer. Note: First Series—Tenth Week—Friday. Solomon, who studied magnificence so greatly in his palaces and thrones, would not be likely to neglect it in regard to his public appearances abroad and royal progresses; and by obvious improvements upon the old camel and mule litters, he would produce a conveyance approaching to the Indian howdahs and palanquins. Indeed, it is quite possible that the present palanquin might have been actually formed in imitation of an Indian model. The men who voyaged to Ophir—or, if not, travellers from India by the overland route, for there was an overland route to India in those days—might easily bring reports and descriptions of these splendid and luxurious vehicles; and but that we are told the framework of this palanquin was of “cedar of Lebanon,” we might conceive that king Solomon had, like queen Victoria, obtained from India, or its isles, an actual specimen of the howdah or palanquin. Perhaps, after all, he did; but as it was adapted to an elephant, and he had no such animals, he would not be able to use it, but could cause one to be constructed like it, to be borne by camels or horses, or by men. Solomon had plenty of ivory: but it is not to be supposed that his people had the skill of working it up in such fashion as we have seen in the Crystal Palace; and, in the case supposed, it would, even with the distinct intention of imitating the Indian vehicles, have been necessary to substitute wood, and in this case it was the wood of the cedar of Lebanon.

We are reminded by these particulars of a passage in “Master Robert Fitch’s Voyage; begun in the year of our Lord 1583, and ended 1591”—not the less curious from the intimation, that high regal magnificence consists with much poverty among the people—a fact which, it would seem, wanted not illustration in the time of the prosperous Solomon. Fitch is speaking of the kingdom of Pegu, of whose sovereign he says: “The king keepeth great state… When hee goeth forth to warre, hee goeth very strong. At my being there, hee went to Odia, in the countrie of Siam, with three hundred thousand men and five thousand elephants. Thirtie thousand men were his guard. The people doe eate roots, herbs, leaues, dogs, cats, rats, serpents, and snakes; they refuse almost nothing. When the king rideth abroad, hee rideth with a great guard and many noblemen; oftentimes upon an elephant with a fine castle upon him, very fairely gilded with gold; and sometimes vpon a great frame like a horse-liter, which hath a little house vpon it, couered ouerhead, but open on the sides, which is all gilded with gold, and set with many rubies and saphires, whereof hee hath infinite store in his countrie, and is carried upon sixteene or eighteene men’s shoulders. This coach in their language is called serrion.” Note: Purchas his Pilgrimes, p. 1638.

Egyptian Palanquin

It behooves us to add to this, however, that palanquins borne on the shoulders of men, were in use amongst the ancient Egyptians, as shown by their paintings and sculptures, though we do not find anything of the sort among them borne on the backs of animals. This to them was not necessary, as they had abundant use of wheel carriages. The Egyptian gentry seem to have used these palanquins, much as sedan-chairs were used in this country, for short distances, and for going to parties, not upon journeys as in India. At Beni-Hassan is a representation of a person of distinction, carried in an open palanquin by four bearers, closely followed by an attendant with a sort of umbrella; which he holds, or is in readiness to hold, so as to shield his master from the sun. This appears to be of leather, stretched over a light frame—and ought to set at rest the question respecting the antiquity of umbrellas, which has lately been undergoing discussion in some public papers. The palanquin itself is highly enriched with painting and carving, and may have been of costly material. As, however, it has no canopy or curtain, and wants pillars, it suggests less resemblance to Solomon’s palanquin than those of India.

Autor: JOHN KITTO