< Hawo 2 >
1 Nyee nye Saron seƒoƒo kple dzogbenya le balimewo.
I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.—
2 Abe ale si dzogbenya le ŋuwo domee ene la, nenemae nye nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ le ɖetugbiwo dome.
Like the lily among the thorns, so is my beloved among the young maidens.—
3 Abe ale si apluti nɔna le avemetiwo dome ene la, nenemae nye nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ le ɖekakpuiwo dome. Melɔ̃a anyinɔnɔ ɖe eƒe vɔvɔli te, eye eƒe kutsetse vivia nunye ŋutɔ.
Like the apple-tree among the trees of the forest, so is my friend among the young men: under his shadow do I ardently wish to sit, and his fruit is sweet to my palate.
4 Ekplɔm yi ɖe afi si woɖo kplɔ̃ ɖo, eye lɔlɔ̃ nye aflaga si wòtsɔ tsyɔ dzinye.
He brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love.
5 Etsɔ waintsetsebolo do ŋusẽm kple aplu fa dzi nam, elabena lɔlɔ̃ na meku ƒenyi.
Strengthen me with flagons of wine, refresh me with apples; for sick of love am I.
6 Etsɔ eƒe miabɔ de nye ta te, eye wòtsɔ eƒe ɖusibɔ kpla kɔ nam.
Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right might embrace me.
7 Yerusalem nyɔnuviwo, meta sãde kple zinɔ le gbe me be, “Migaʋuʋu lɔlɔ̃ alo anyɔe o, va se ɖe esime eya ŋutɔ lɔ̃ hafi.”
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye awaken not, nor excite my love, till it please [to come of itself].—
8 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ, ɖo to afii! Kpɔ ɖa, nye lɔlɔ̃tɔe nye ekem gbɔna, le kpo tim flɔ towo, eye wòle kpo dzom le togbɛwo tame.
The voice of my friend! behold, there he cometh, leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills.
9 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ le abe sãde alo zivi ene. Kpɔ ɖa, eyae nye ekem le tsitre ɖe míaƒe kpɔ godo, le nu kpɔm to fesre nu, eye wòdo ŋku ɖa to fesrenuvɔ me.
My friend is like a roebuck or the fawn of the hinds: behold, there he standeth behind our wall, looking in at the windows, seeing through the lattice.
10 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ ƒo nu kplim be, “Nye dzi lɔlɔ̃a, tsi tsitre, eye nye tugbefia, va dze yonyeme.
My friend commenced, and said unto me, Rise thee up, my beloved, my fair one, and come along.
11 Kpɔ ɖa, vuvɔŋɔli nu va yi, tsidzadza ke, eye enu va yi.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone its way.
12 Seƒoƒo ke ɖe anyigba dzi, hadzidzi ƒe ɣeyiɣi ɖo, eye wose akpakpawo ƒe xɔxlɔ̃ le míaƒe anyigba dzi.
The flowers are seen in the land; the time of the [birds'] singing is come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
13 Gbotiwo de asi tsetse me xoxo, eye wainkawo ƒe seƒoƒo le ya ɖem nyuie. Tso va, nye dzi lɔlɔ̃a; nye tugbefia, va dze yonyeme.”
The fig-tree perfumeth its green figs, and the vines with young grapes give forth a [pleasant] smell. Arise thee, my beloved, my fair one, and come along.
14 Nye ahɔnɛ le agakpewo tome, le towo ƒe bebeƒewo, do wò mo ɖa, eye na mase wò gbe, elabena wò gbe vivina, eye wò mo nya kpɔna.
O my dove, who art in the clefts of the rock, in the recesses of the cliffs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet, and thy countenance is comely.—
15 Milé abeiwo nam, abeivi siwo le wainkawo gblẽm, eye wole míaƒe wainka siwo ƒo se la gblẽm.
Seize for us the foxes, the little foxes, that injure the vineyards; for our vineyards have young grapes.
16 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ nye tɔnye, eye nye hã menye etɔ, eya ame si le tsa ɖim le dzogbenyawo dome.
My friend is mine, and I am his—that feedeth among the lilies.
17 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ, trɔ gbɔ hafi ŋu nake, viviti nasi dzo, eye nànɔ abe sãde alo zivi le togbɛ tsakliwo dzi ene.
Until the day become cool, and the shadows flee away, turn about, my friend, and be thou like the roebuck or the fawn of the hinds upon the mountains of separation.