Love Is Better than Wine
1 This is Solomon's
most beautiful song.
She Speaks:
2 Kiss me tenderly!
Your love is better than wine,
3 and you smell so sweet.
All the young women adore you;
the very mention of your name
is like spreading perfume.
* 4 Hurry, my king! Let's hurry.
Take me to your home.
The Young Women Speak:
We are happy for you!
And we praise your love
even more than wine.
She Speaks:
Young women of Jerusalem,
it is only right
that you should adore him.
5 My skin is dark and beautiful,
like a tent in the desert
or like Solomon's curtains.
6 Don't stare at me
just because the sun
has darkened my skin.
My brothers were angry with me;
they made me work in the vineyard,
and so I neglected
my complexion.
7 My darling, I love you!
Where do you feed your sheep
and let them rest at noon?
Don't let the other shepherds
think badly of me.
I'm not one of those women
who shamelessly follow
after shepherds.
He Speaks:
8 My dearest, if you don't know,
just follow the path
of the sheep.
Then feed your young goats
near the shepherds' tents.
9 You move as gracefully
as the pony that leads
the chariot of the king.
10 Earrings add to your beauty,
and you wear a necklace
of precious stones.
11 Let's make you some jewelry
of gold, woven with silver.
She Speaks:
12 My king, while you
were on your couch,
my aroma was a magic charm.
13 My darling, you are perfume
between my breasts;
14 you are flower blossoms
from the gardens of En-Gedi.
He Speaks:
15 My darling, you are lovely,
so very lovely—
your eyes are those of a dove.
She Speaks:
16 My love, you are handsome,
truly handsome—
the fresh green grass
will be our wedding bed
17 in the shade of cedar
and cypress trees.
1 Eimburiro rOmaimburiro ra Salomo.
Eimburiro etenga
Omuvarekwa
2 Indjo u ndji hupite notuhupito twomiṋa vyoye!
Orusuvero rwoye oruwa orumanise pomavinu.
3 Omaze woye omavawa ye nomoro omuwa;
ena roye ri ri otja omaze nga tirirwa;
ovasuko opu va zokukusuvera.
4 Ndji twaerera, tu hene pamwe tjimanga!
Rira ombara yandje nu
u ndji tware ketuwo roye.
Ngatu yoroke, tu nyande pamwe,
tu nwe tjinene oukoto, nu tu kutuke
morusuvero rwoye okukapita omavinu.
Tjiri, ovasuko avehe opuvezo ku ku suvera!
5 Vakazendu va Jerusalem,
owami omuhoni nomuwa,
omuhoni otja ozondanda za Kedar,
nungwari omuwa otja omarapi omatjizikize
mondjuwo youhona ya Salomo.
6 Amu ndji ṋeṋuna
motjimbe tjotjivara tjandje,
eyuva onde ndji nyosa.
Ovaṱena kwandje ve ndji pindikira,
nave ndji pe okuungura
otjikunino tjomivite,
nu hi naa mba munu
oruveze okuritjevera omuini.
7 Arikana, ndji raera, musuverwa wandje,
kutja orupanda rwoye mo karisa pi,
mo kerusuvisa pi mutenya?
Ongwaye tji me sokukupaha
mokati kotupanda twarwe
twovarise ovakweṋu?
Omuvareke
8 Ko nokutjiwa omaryo warwo,
mukazendu omuwa
omumanise movakazendu?
Twende teza ozondambo zorupanda,
karise oungombona woye
popezu nozondanda zovarise.
9 Ami, musuverwa wandje,
me ku sasaneke
norukambe orukazendu
ndwa kutirwa ketemba ra Farao.
10 Ozondjise nḓe rekareka kovitama vyoye,
ozombwa nozomanise,
nu ze varama nosengo
yoye otja omawe omahuze.
11 Eṱe matu ku ungurire
ozomburi ozongoldo
noundjendje ousilveri.
Omuvarekwa
12 Ombara yandje ngunda aya rangavara
metuwo rayo romasuviro,
otjizumba tjandje matji eta
omuṋuko womoro omuwa.
13 Omusuverwa wandje ku ami u ri
otja okayoyo komumbango,
ku ke rekareka morukoro rwandje.
14 Omusuverwa wandje u ri otja epunda
rozongara ozombwa zokuti,
nḓe nyomoka movikunino
vyomivite vya Engedi.
Omuvareke
15 Ae, tjiri, oove omuwa,
musuverwa wandje,
omeho woye maye
keṋakeṋa norusuvero.
Omuvarekwa
16 Ae, oove omuwa omumanise,
musuverwa wandje,
tjiri, mo ndji yorokisa!
Ehozu oruhapo mari rire otjiraro tjetu;
17 Otupapa matu rire oviti
ovityakaṋa vyondjuwo yetu,
nomizema mavi rire ovihokero
vyomakuma wondjuwo.
