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.
I wish that you were my brother who (nursed at/drank milk from) my mother’s breasts [when you were a baby], [because, if you were my brother], if I saw you when you were outside [the house], I could kiss you, and no one would say that my doing that was wrong.
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.
[No one would object if] I led you to my mother’s house, to where my mother, who taught me [many things], lives. I would like to take you to my mother’s house because I would [like to make love to you] [EUP], [and that would be as delightful as] [MET] juice [squeezed] from pomegranates.
3 Eƒe miabɔ le nye ta te, eye wòtsɔ eƒe ɖusibɔ kpla kɔ nam.
You would put your left arm under my head and with your right arm hold me close.
4 Yerusalem vinyɔnuwo, meta mi: migaʋuʋu alo mianyɔ lɔlɔ̃ o, va se ɖe esi eya ŋutɔ nalɔ̃ hafi.
[I would say to] you women of Jerusalem, “Solemnly promise me that you will not disturb us while we are making love until we are ready to quit.”
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 that [woman] who is coming up from the desert, (leaning on/clinging close to) the man who loves her? I woke you up [when you were] under the apple tree at the place where your mother conceived you, which is the same place 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)
Keep me [close to you], like [SIM] a seal on your heart, [or] like [SIM] a bracelet on your arm. Our love [for each other] is as powerful as death, it is as enduring as the grave. [It is as though] our love [for each other] bursts into flames and burns like a hot fire. (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.
Nothing can extinguish our love [for each other], not [even] a flood. If a man tried to cause a woman to love him by saying he would give her everything that is in his house, she would refuse.
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, and her breasts are still small. So this is [RHQ] what we should do for her on the day that we promise [some young man] that he can 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 [her chest is flat like] [MET] a wall, we will [decorate it by] putting silver [jewels that are like] [MET] towers on it. Or, if she is [flat like] [MET] a door, we will decorate her with bits/pieces of cedar wood.
10 Menye gli, eye nye nowo le abe xɔ tsralawo ene. Ale mele eƒe ŋkume abe ame si tsɔ dzidzeme vɛ la ene.
My [chest was previously flat like] [MET] a wall, [but now] my breasts are [big] like [SIM] towers. So the one who loves me is delighted with me.
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.
[King] Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon, and he rented it to people for them to take care of it. He required each one to pay him 1,000 pieces of silver [each year] for the grapes [that they harvested].
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 my body is like] [MET] my own vineyard, and Solomon, I am giving it to you. [You do not need to pay me] 1,000 pieces of silver [to enjoy my body], but I will give 200 pieces of silver to those who take care of me [MET].
13 Wò ame si le abɔwo me, eye xɔlɔ̃wo ƒo xlã wò, na mase wò gbe!
You are staying in the gardens and my friends are listening to your voice; [so] allow me to hear it, [too.]
14 Nye lɔlɔ̃tɔ, si va, eye nànɔ abe sãde alo zivi si le gbe ʋeʋĩwo ƒe towo dzi la ene.
You who love me, come [to me] quickly; [run to me] [MET, EUP] as fast as [SIM] a gazelle or young deer runs across [MET] hills of spices.
