Hawo 8
1 Ɖe nànɔ nam abe nɔviŋutsu si no danye ƒe no la ene! Ekema ne medo go wò le kpɔdome la, magbugbɔ nu na wò, eye ame aɖeke mado vlom o.
How I wish you were like a brother to me, one who nursed at my mother's breasts! Then if I met you on the street I could kiss you and no one would tell me off.
2 Makplɔ wò adzoe, ayi ɖe danye, ame si fia num la ƒe aƒe me. Mana wain si me wode atike ʋeʋĩi kple atɔtɔŋutitsi la wò nàno.
Then I could take you home to my mother's house, where she used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate.
3 Eƒe miabɔ le nye ta te, eye wòtsɔ eƒe ɖusibɔ kpla kɔ nam.
He supports my head with his left hand, and holds me close with his right.
4 Yerusalem vinyɔnuwo, meta mi: migaʋuʋu alo mianyɔ lɔlɔ̃ o, va se ɖe esi eya ŋutɔ nalɔ̃ hafi.
Women of Jerusalem, swear to me that you won't disturb our love until the right time.
5 Ame kae nye esi gbɔna tso gbegbe, eye wòziɔ ɖe eƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔ ŋu? Menyɔ wò le apluti te; afi mae dawò fɔ wò fu le, afi mae ame si le ku lém la dzi wò ɖo.
Who is this coming in from the wilderness holding her love close to her? Woman: I woke you up under the apple tree where your mother conceived you, and where she gave birth to you.
6 Lém ɖe wò dzi kple wò abɔ ŋuti abe nutrenu ene. Elabena lɔlɔ̃ sesẽ wu ku, eye ŋuʋaʋã gbea tanana abe yɔdo ene. Ebina abe dzo ene, eye wòflana abe Yehowa ƒe dzo ene. (Sheol h7585)
Stamp my name as a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is strong as death, passion as unyielding as the grave—its arrows flash like fire, a blazing flame of the Lord. (Sheol h7585)
7 Tsi geɖe mate ŋu atsi lɔlɔ̃ ƒe dzo o, eye tɔsisi aɖeke mate ŋu akplɔe dzoe o. Ne ame aɖe atsɔ eƒe aƒemekesinɔnuwo katã ana ɖe lɔlɔ̃ ta la, anye alɔmeɖenu wòawɔ.
Floods of water cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot submerge it. If a man offered everything he owned in order to buy love he would be completely rejected.
8 Nɔvinyɔnu ɖetugbivi aɖe le mía si mekpɔ te no haɖe o. Nu ka míawɔ na mía nɔvinyɔnu la gbe si gbe woava bia eta?
We have a younger sister whose breasts are still small. What shall we do for our sister when someone asks to marry her?
9 Nenye glie wònye la, míatsɔ klosalo atu xɔ tsrala ɖe edzi. Nenye agboe wònye la, míatsɔ sedaʋuƒowo aklã ɖe eŋuti godoo.
If she is a wall, we will build a silver tower on it. But if she is a door, we will bar the way with cedar planks.
10 Menye gli, eye nye nowo le abe xɔ tsralawo ene. Ale mele eƒe ŋkume abe ame si tsɔ dzidzeme vɛ la ene.
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So when he looks at me he's happy!
11 Waingble le Solomo si le Baal Hamon; eye wòtsɔ agble la de asi na agbledzikpɔlawo, be wo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe nana klosalo kilogram wuiɖekɛ kple afã ɖe waintsetseawo ta.
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon which he leased to tenant farmers. Each of them paid him one thousand silver coins for the fruit it produced.
12 Nye ŋutɔ nye waingble le asinye be matsɔ ana; O Solomo, klosalo kilogram wuiɖekɛ kple afã la nye tɔwò, eye kilogram eve kple afã nye agbledzikpɔlawo tɔ.
But I own my vineyard, it is mine alone. One thousand silver coins are for you, Solomon, and two hundred for those who look after it.
13 Wò ame si le abɔwo me, eye xɔlɔ̃wo ƒo xlã wò, na mase wò gbe!
My darling, sitting there in the gardens with companions listening to you—please talk to me!
14 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ, si va, eye nànɔ abe sãde alo zivi si le gbe ʋeʋĩwo ƒe towo dzi la ene.
Come quickly, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountains of spices.
