Song of Solomon 4:14

The place of his burial was a garden.… What is he going to say who was buried in the garden? "I gather my myrrh, and my spices"; and again, "Myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices." These were the tokens of his burial, and in the Gospels it is said, "The women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared," and "there also came Nicodemus, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes."

When the Word raises his bride to such a point through her ascents, he leads her even further, saying that her garments have the scent of frankincense. Scripture testifies that Christ is clothed with this frankincense. The end of a virtuous life is participation in God, for frankincense manifests the divinity. The soul is not always led by the Word to what is higher by means of honey and milk, but after having been compared with the scent of frankincense, the garden becomes an image of paradise. It is not loosely guarded as with our first parents, but protected from every side by recollection of the bridegroom's command.

Cyprus with nard, nard and saffron. Cyprus in Egypt is an aromatic tree, with leaves like those of the jujube, and a seed whiter than coriander. This is cooked in oil and then pressed; this called Cyprus, a royal ointment is prepared from it. The best is in Egypt, the second in Ascalon of Judea, the third on the island of Cyprus. Some say this is the tree called privet in Italy. We read about manna, which was like white coriander seed; and since the seed of Cyprus is claimed to be of the same quality, rightly by the same as itself, it designates heavenly blessing. This seed is sent into oil and cooked, which is the gift of heavenly grace received by hearts illuminated with the fat of charity, and when the flames of temptations are brought, its power is shown to all more clearly. Nard, however, which holds the type of the Lord's burial, testifies the work of Mary, who anointed Him with this aroma at the impending passion; as He Himself explained, saying: For in pouring this ointment on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial (Matt. XXVI). And the garden, or the fountain of the Lord, buys cyprus, when the Church teaches its children to seek above all the grace of heavenly refreshment, to hold the light and anointing of love in the heart, to not be overcome by the fire of tribulations, but with these very opportunities, to show how much and what kind of divine grace seed they have received. He joins cyprus and nard, when he instructs them with the faith of the Lord's passion more eagerly in time or he teaches them to imitate this to be suffered by themselves, with saffron, having almost a gold-colored flower; he shows them those who shine with greater grace of love; which, as gold to other metals, so it surpasses all virtues. Now, he says, faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love (I Cor. XIII). Against this, Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of his people says: Those brought up in scarlet embrace dung (Lam. IV). Indeed, they embrace dung who are brought up in scarlet, when those, who once seemed to shine brightly with the flowers of most pleasing charity, afterwards begin to immerse themselves in the foul wallows of vices. But also the fact that saffron is said to confer the relief of refreshment to the burning limbs of the languid fits the acts of the highest virtue, which are accustomed to temper minds from the heat…