1 The most beautiful of songs, by Solomon.
The First Song
The Woman
2 Your lips cover me with kisses;
your love is better than wine.
3 There is a fragrance about you;
the sound of your name recalls it.
No woman could keep from loving you.
4 Take me with you, and we'll run away;
be my king and take me to your room.
We will be happy together,
drink deep, and lose ourselves in love.
No wonder all women love you!
5 Women of Jerusalem, I am dark but beautiful,
dark as the desert tents of Kedar,
but beautiful as the draperies in Solomon's palace.
6 Don't look down on me because of my color,
because the sun has tanned me.
My brothers were angry with me
and made me work in the vineyard.
I had no time to care for myself.
7 Tell me, my love,
Where will you lead your flock to graze?
Where will they rest from the noonday sun?
Why should I need to look for you
among the flocks of the other shepherds?
The Man
8 Don't you know the place, loveliest of women?
Go and follow the flock;
find pasture for your goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
9 You, my love, excite men
as a mare excites the stallions of Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Your hair is beautiful upon your cheeks
and falls along your neck like jewels.
11 But we will make for you a chain of gold
with ornaments of silver.
The Woman
12 My king was lying on his couch,
and my perfume filled the air with fragrance.
13 My lover has the scent of myrrh
as he lies upon my breasts.
14 My lover is like the wild flowers
that bloom in the vineyards at Engedi.
The Man
15 How beautiful you are, my love;
how your eyes shine with love!
The Woman
16 How handsome you are, my dearest;
how you delight me!
The green grass will be our bed;
17 the cedars will be the beams of our house,
and the cypress trees the ceiling.
Lumbo gwe kutanga
1 Lumbo gwe Njimbo, guli gwa Solomoni.
2 Ungati ungandiputa ukandiputilila ne nlomo uwo!
Ludo gugo gozipa kupinda nkumbi we zhambi,
3 zwizholo zwizo zonuhwilila kunozipa seni,
zina lilo lofanana ne mafuta anofafayidziwa mu mbili,
ndizo baanadi bekuda zwingapa!
4 Undikwebele kukuli, titjimbidze tatizha.
Mambo nga bandikwebele mu ng'umbana dzabo dze tjemukati.
Towopembela tikushathila kwazo,
towokudza ludo gugo kupinda nkumbi we zhambi,
ndizo kufanila kube bekuda zwingapa.
5 Ndi ntematema ngono ndi mbuya,
imwi bakololokadzi be Jerusalema,
ndi ntematema se dzitante dze Kedari ,
se zwisitilo zwa Solomoni.
6 Musindilinge ngobe ndili ntematema,
nekuti zhuba landibabula.
Hazwadzi dzangu dzakandigwadzilamoyo,
dzakandiyita ntjengeti we mizhambi,
koga yangu mizhambi andizoitjengeta.
7 Undibudze iwe tjido tje moyo wangu,
kuti unofudza pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzidzo ngayi,
kuti masikati unodzinyalulusa ngayi,
ini ndakafanila kunga nkadzi unodzungayila
pakati kwe ngubi dze bakwinya babo kene?
8 Ha usingazibe, iwe wakanaka kupinda bakadzi bose
tobela mikwala ye pkhwizi ne mbudzi,
ufudze mbudzana dzidzo pejo ne mishasha ye balisi.
9 Ndokufanidzanya iwe tjibhayamoyo tjangu,
ne mbizi hadzi ye koloyi dze ngwa dza Faro.
10 Matama awo akanakisiwa nge zwinonakisa
ntshibha uwo wakanakisiwa
ne ntambo yakalunjigwa ndalama.
11 Towokuthamila mang'ina e golide
akalunjiligwa siliva.
12 Mambo bakati baligele batjaja,
tjizholo tjangu tjikadusa nnuhwo unozipa.
13 Kundili tjibhayamoyo tjangu i hwomwana ye mira,
igele pakati kwe mazhamu angu.
14 Kundili tjibhayamoyo tjangu tjonga lutabi gwe maluba e henna
mu minda ye mizhambi ye Enigedi.
15 Tjidzobona koga, wakanaka tjibhayamoyo tjangu!
Tshobona, wakanaka seni!
Mesho awo anonga e njiba.
16 Tjidzobona, wakanaka kusina themba tjibhayamoyo tjangu,
bulalo gwedu goguta, gubuya kwazo.
17 Thungo dze ng'umba ndedze nsida
makoko ayo nde e nsipuri.