1 Tjayendapi tjibhayamoyo tjitjo,
iwe mbuya kupinda bakadzi bose?
Tjatendebukilapi tjibhayamoyo tjitjo,
kuti ndizo tikushakise itjo?
2 Tjibhayamoyo tjangu tjayenda ku nda watjo,
ku minda dze zwipayisi,
kunofudza mbudzi ne pkhwizi ku minda
ne kunotjela maluba.
3 Imi ndi tjibhayamoyo tjitje iye tjibhayamoyo tjangu,
tjofudza mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzidze pakati kwe maluba.
Lumbo gwe bushanu
4 Wakanaka se Tireza, tjido tjangu,
umbuya se Jerusalema,
wakabangalala se ngwa yakashakatila.
5 Usindilinge nge mesho awo, anondidzidzimusa,
mavudzi awo anonga ngubi ye mbudzi,
dzidelukila pasi kwe matuthu e Giliyadi.
6 Meno awo anonga ngubi ye pkhwizi hadzi dzadwa pa ngudziwa,
dzose dzozwala mabili, kusina ne ing'ompela yafigwa ne mwana.
7 Matama awo anonga mbabi dze pomegiranate,
ha ualinga ali mukati kwe lusiri.
8 Kuna makumi matathatu (60) e bafumakadzi
ne makumi ali zhanakadzi (80) e balongwana ne
baanadi basibashoma.
9 Njiba yangu, mbuya wangu, iye koga,
tjido tja mme batjo,
tjisina ne nlandu wose kuna wakatjizwala.
Baanadi bakambona bakan'dana kushatha,
bafumakadzi ne balongwana naibo bo bakan'lumbidza.
10 Ndiyani iwoyu unonga mazhokuyedza,
mbuya se mwedzi, unopenya se zhuba,
wakabangalala se ngwa yakashakatila?
11 Ndakayenda kunda we manongo,
kunobona maluba e nkuku,
kunobona kene mizhambi yakaluma,
ne kuti kene dzipomegiranate dzina maluba.
12 Kwakati nditjakafala, yemula yangu
ikandigadza mu koloyi dze bumambo dze bathu bangu.
13 Shanduka, shanduka, iwe N'shulamu,
shanduka, shanduka ndizo tilinge kukuli.
Ini tigalabgwe N'shulamu,
se nzano pakati kwe ngwa mbili?
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?