If Only You and I …
She Speaks:
1 If you were my brother,
I could kiss you
whenever we happen to meet,
and no one would say
I did wrong.
2 I could take you to the home
of my mother,
who taught me all I know.
I would give you delicious wine
and fruit juice as well.
3 Put your left hand under my head
and embrace me
with your right arm.
4 Young women of Jerusalem,
promise me never to awaken love
before it is ready.
Their Friends Speak:
5 Who is this young woman
coming in from the desert
and leaning on the shoulder
of the one she loves?
She Speaks:
I stirred up your passions
under the apple tree
where you were born.
6 Always keep me in your heart
and wear this bracelet
to remember me by.
The passion of love
bursting into flame
is more powerful than death,
stronger than the grave.
7 Love cannot be drowned
by oceans or floods.
It cannot be bought—
any offer would be scorned
no matter how great.
Their Friends Speak:
8 We have a little sister
whose breasts
are not yet formed.
If someone asks to marry her,
what should we do?
9 She isn't a wall
that we can defend
behind a silver shield.
Neither is she a room
that we can protect
behind a wooden door.
She Speaks:
10 I am a wall around a city,
my breasts are towers,
and just looking at me
brings him great pleasure.
11 Solomon has a vineyard
at Baal-Hamon,
which he rents to others
for a thousand pieces
of silver each.
12 My vineyard is mine alone!
Solomon can keep his silver
and the others can keep
their share of the profits.
He Speaks:
13 You are in the garden
with friends all around.
Let me hear your voice!
She Speaks:
14 Hurry to me, my darling!
Run faster than a deer
to mountains of spices.
1 Ae, ots ga ǁnâi ti ǃgâsa i, ti îs di samsa ge daitsa
î ta ǃauga ta ga ǀhao-ū tsi xawe ǁoa tsi,
în ga khoena tā ǃharaxū te.
2 O ta ge ti îs oms ǁga ūsao tsi ǁkhā
tsîts ge ǁkhāǁkhā te ǁkhā
tsî ta ge ǁnāpa ti ǀnamma tsâtsâ kai tsi ǁkhā.
3 ǁÎb di ǁareǀkhāb ǁôab ai ta ge ǂkhapi hâ
tsîb ge ǁîb amǀkhāb ǁôaba ǁnamǂgā te hâ.
4 Jerusalems ǀgôaso, ǂgan so ta ge ra
î so tā ǁaeb aiǃâ sim ǀnamma ǁara.
ǃNaniǁî ǁnaetsanas
Tarekhoedi
5 Tarisa ǁnā ǃgaroǃhūba xu ǃgoaxas,
ǀnamsab âs ai ǃkhōbasen hâsa?
Tarekhoes
Apelhais ǃnaka,
sa îs ge ǁora tsipa
ǁnāpa ta ge ge ǂkhaiǂkhai tsi.
6 ǂGanamxūs khami sa ǂgaob ai ǂgā te re
ǂganamxūs ase ǁôab âts ai;
ǀnammi ǁōb khami a ǀgaisa
tsîb ge ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib khami tauxa.
ǀAes ǁhabub khami ra ǁhabu,
khau ra ǀaes dib khami.
7 ǂGui ǁgamgu ge ǀnamma a ǀari ǁoa
tsî ǃāgu ge a dâuǂam bi ǁoa.
Tsî i ga khoe-e hoaraga ǃkhūsib
oms â-i dib ǀkha ǀnamma ǁama ǂgao
o-i ge khoen xa nî ǃharaxūhe.
Tarekhoes di ǃgâsagu
8 Sige ge ǂkham ǃgâsaros,
noxopa samra ūhâ tamasa ūhâ.
Mâti ge sige ǁnâi nî dī
ǁîs ga dî-amhe tsēs ai?
9 ǁÎs ga ǂnubiǂgoa hâ
o ge ge ǁîs ai ǀhaiǀuri ǂgō-omma ga ǂnubi hâ.
Dao-ams ga hâ
o ge ge sederǃnaogu ǀkha ǁîsa ga ǂganam hâ.
Tarekhoes
10 Tita ge a ǂnubiǂgoa
tsî ra ge ti samra ǂgō-ommi khami ī.
Tsî ta ge ti ǀnamsab mûǁae
ǂkhîba ra hōs ase ī.
Aorekhoeb
11 Salomob ge draibeǃhanaba Baal-Hamons tawa ge ūhâ i
tsî nē ǃhanaba ǁamaǀkhupi-aona ge mā.
Mâ-i hoa-i ge ǁî-i ǂûn ǃaroma
ǀoadisi ǀhaiǀuri marina nî matare.
12 Xawe ti draibeǃhanab, ti aiǃâ hâb ge a ti
tsî ǀguiǀoadisi ǀhaiǀuri marin ge a sa, Salomotse
tsî di ge ǀgamkaidiside ǁnān hîa ǁîn ǂûna ra ūhân di.
13 Sas ǃhanagu ǃnâ ra ǃgûmas,
ti ǀhōsagu ge ra ǃgâ si
xuige ǃhoa-ū te re.
Tarekhoes
14 Ti ǀnamsatse ǃhaese tita ǃoa hā re,
ǀgae-i tamas ka io ǁgûro-i
ǃgâihamxūn ǃhomgu di-i khami.
