< 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.
Oh that some one would make thee as my brother that hath sucked my mother's breasts! should I then find thee without, I would kiss thee; and yet, people would not despise me.
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.
I would lead thee, I would bring thee into my mother's house, thou shouldst teach me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the sweet juice of my pomegranate.
3 Eƒe miabɔ le nye ta te, eye wòtsɔ eƒe ɖusibɔ kpla kɔ nam.
Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right hand might embrace me.
4 Yerusalem vinyɔnuwo, meta mi: migaʋuʋu alo mianyɔ lɔlɔ̃ o, va se ɖe esi eya ŋutɔ nalɔ̃ hafi.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, why will ye awaken, and why will ye excite my love, until it please [to come of itself]?—
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 that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her friend?—Under the apple-tree have I waked thee up; there thy mother brought thee forth; there brought thee forth she that bore thee.
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)
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm; for strong as death is love; violent like the nether world is jealousy; its heat is the heat of fire, a flame of God. (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.
Many waters are not able to quench love, nor can the rivers flood it away: if a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, men would utterly despise him.—
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 little sister, and she hath yet no breasts: what shall we do for our sister on the day when she shall be spoken for?
9 Nenye glie wònye la, míatsɔ klosalo atu xɔ tsrala ɖe edzi. Nenye agboe wònye la, míatsɔ sedaʋuƒowo aklã ɖe eŋuti godoo.
If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.—
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: then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.
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 Ba'al-hamon; he had given up the vineyard unto the keepers; every one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
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.
My vineyard, which was mine, was before me: thine, O Solomon, be the thousand, and let two hundred be for those that keep its fruit.—
13 Wò ame si le abɔwo me, eye xɔlɔ̃wo ƒo xlã wò, na mase wò gbe!
“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions listen for thy voice: oh let me hear it.”
14 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ, si va, eye nànɔ abe sãde alo zivi si le gbe ʋeʋĩwo ƒe towo dzi la ene.
Flee away, my friend, and be thou like the roebuck, or the fawn of the hinds, upon the mountain of spices.

< Hawo 8 >