I. The King's first attempt to win the Virgin's love, 1:1-2:7.
1. She converses with the ladies of the court, 1:1-8.
2. The King's first attempt fails to win her, 1:9-2:7.
II. The King's second effort to win her love, 2:8-5:8.
1. The virgin recalls her former happiness when with her lover at home, 2:8-17.
2. In a dream she goes in search of him, 3:1-5.
3. The King shows her his glory and greatness, 3:6-11.
4. She again rejects his love in spite of his praise of her beauty, 4:1-7.
5. She longs for her absent lover, 4:8-5:1.
6. She dreams of seeking in vain for him, 5:2-8.
III. The King's third attempt to win her, 5:9-8:4.
1. The ladies of the court cannot understand her faithfulness to her old lover, 5:9-6:3.
2. The King's third effort to win her is met with the declaration of her purpose to remain true to her absent lover, 6:4-8:4.
VI. The Triumph of the Maiden, 8:5-14.
She returns to her home among the hills of the north and is reunited with her shepherd lover.
For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the passages by which the woman's beauty is described. (2) Passages that suggest the relation of the saved soul to Christ. (3) Passages that suggest the glory of the church. (4) Some of the passages by which the love of the woman and of the king is expressed. (5) The basis of human love. 2:2-3. (6) The strength of human lover, 8:6-7. (7) The interpretation of human love in terms of divine love.