Their Friends Speak:
1 Most beautiful of women,
tell us where he has gone.
Let us help you find him.
She Speaks:
2 My darling has gone down
to his garden of spices,
where he will feed his sheep
and gather lilies.
3 I am his, and he is mine,
as he feeds his sheep
among the lilies.
He Speaks:
4 My dearest, the cities of Tirzah
and Jerusalem
are not as lovely as you.
Your charms are more powerful
than all of the stars
in the heavens.
5 Turn away your eyes—
they make me melt.
Your hair tosses about
as gracefully as goats
coming down from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are whiter
than sheep freshly washed;
they match perfectly,
not one is missing.
7 Behind your veil are hidden
beautiful rosy cheeks.
8 What if I could have
sixty queens, eighty wives,
and thousands of others!
9 You would be my only choice,
my flawless dove,
the favorite child
of your mother.
The young women, the queens,
and all the others
tell how excited you are
as they sing your praises:
10 “You are as majestic
as the morning sky—
glorious as the moon—
blinding as the sun!
Your charms are more powerful
than all the stars above.”
She Speaks:
11 I went down to see if blossoms
were on the walnut trees,
grapevines, and fruit trees.
12 But in my imagination
I was suddenly riding
on a glorious chariot.
Their Friends Speak:
13 Dance! Dance!
Beautiful woman from Shulam,
let us see you dance!
She Speaks:
Why do you want to see
this woman from Shulam
dancing with the others?
Ovakazendu
1 Omusuverwa woye wa i pi,
omuwa omumanisa mokati kovakazendu avehe?
Omusuverwa woye wa yepere mondjira iṋe,
kokutja eṱe tu ku vatere okumupaha?
Omuvarekwa
2 Omusuverwa wandje wa i kotjikunino tje
ku ku hapa omiti omivawa.
Eye ma risa orupanda rwe,
nu ma pora ozongara zozonyanga.
3 Omusuverwa wandje eye owandje,
nami owami owe;
eye ma risa orupanda rwe
mokati kozongara.
Eimburiro oritjatano
Omuvareke
4 Panga randje,
oove omumanisa otja otjihuro Tirsa,
nu oove omusesemanwa otja Jerusalem,
oove omukumise otja ovihuro ovinene mbi.
5 Yepisa omeho woye ku ami,
owo tjinga amaye ndji purukisa.
Ozondjise zoye maze munika
otja orupanda rwozongombo,
nḓu maze rauka kondundu ya Gilead.
6 Omayo woye omavapa tjimuna
orupanda rwozonḓu ozonḓenḓu,
nḓa zu nokukohwa, nokuhineṋi.
Kapena imwe yazo ndja zenga;
owo ya ṱekisiwa pamwe nawa.
7 Ovitama vyoye kongotwe yewiwiri
roye vi ri otja otupambu twondenya.
8 Ombara ngai kare nozoserekaze
omirongo hamboumwe,
novakazendu ovambanda
omirongo hambondatu,
novakazendu omitanda mbe hi notjivaro!
9 Nungwari ami mba suvera umwe uriri ṱii,
neye omuwa omumanisa otja onguti.
Eye onguri omuatje omukazona erike waina,
omuingona waina.
Ovakazendu avehe ve tara ku ye,
nu ve mu tanga;
ozoserekaze zombara novakazendu
ovambanda ve mu hiva nomatangero.
10 Owaṋi ngwi ngu ma
keṋakeṋa otja omatjiro weyuva,
omumanisa otja omueze,
omuwerawere otja eyuva,
omuhimise otja otjimbumba
tjozonyose mevaverwa?
11 Ami mba ṱurukira motjikunino tjozombanywi,
okukatara imbi mbyaa vi hapa momukutu,
okukatara omivite kutja vya nyomoka,
nomindenya kutja vya twa ko ozosunda.
12 Ami me zezera; Ove we ndji
pa onḓero yorusuvero
otja omuhinge wetemba rovita
tje kara nonḓero yokurwa.
Ovakazendu
13 Punda, punda, mukazona wa Sulam,
eṱe matu ku tarere tji mo pundu.
Omuvarekwa
Mamu vangere tjike okutara
omukazona wa Sulam,
ngu ma pundire pokati
kotuteto tuvari twovapunde?
