Chapter Seven, the penultimate chapter of The Song of Songs, is generally considered the moment in which the two lovers physically consummate their relationship. As with the rest of the poem, it isn't entirely clear whether or not the events therein actually occur. All we really see is Dodi and Rayati making plans together. That, however ambiguous, is actually a major development.

Chapter Seven is the only time in The Song when the two lovers seem to be hatching a plan in the same place at the same time. Throughout the poem they have both dreamed and fantasized, but only while they were away from one another. The lines in this chapter are such that they can only be conversational. After a long period of separation and a drama of errors that nearly kept them apart forever, Dodi and Rayati are ready to run away together.

There's something comfortingly humble about the lovers' escape plan. They simply intend to run away to the country. Rayati has gathered some early fruits of the harvest and left them at the doorway for Dodi. Basically, she put together a package of travel provisions. After all their grand, swooning romanticism and exhausting longing, Dodi and Rayati just want to retire to some small, rural village where nobody knows them.

I've written before about how fatigued the lovers, especially Rayati, sound as the poem progresses. They repeat themselves, they take less time to linger on one another's features and they generally seem less patient. In this fatigue is a sort of maturation. The planning in Chapter Seven isn't some great, romantic adventure.

Rayati once again mentions vineyards, though in a much more measured way. She says they ought to go down to the vineyards to see if they're in bloom, a subtle but important shift in the language. Recall in a previous chapter when she insists “our vineyards are in bloom”. If vineyards are the symbol of happiness and fulfillment in this poem, then Rayati's words in Chapter Seven suggest that she no longer assumes a relationship with Dodi will make her happy. Instead, she'd rather give it a test run. This isn't cynicism so much as it's Rayati approaching her life with a more adult sensibility.

Somewhat more disturbing is the inference in this chapter that Rayati is on the verge of becoming Solomon's concubine. In thinking of Rayati's beautiful hair, Dodi mentions (almost off-hand) that Solomon is “held captive” therein. Where Solomon factors into this story is made more clear in the final chapter. For now, he is simply something from which to run away.