Mosakoli 1
1 Maloba ya Moteyi, mwana mobali ya Davidi, mokonzi na Yelusalemi.
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Pamba na pamba, elobi Moteyi; pamba na pamba, nyonso ezali kaka pamba.
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 Moto azwaka litomba nini penza na misala nyonso oyo amonelaka pasi na se ya moyi?
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 Eleko moko eleki, mpe eleko mosusu eyei, kasi mabele etikalaka kaka seko na seko.
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 Moyi ebimaka mpe elalaka, bongo ezongaka na lombangu na esika oyo ebimelaka.
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 Mopepe ekeyi na ngambo ya sude, ebaluki na ngambo ya nor, ebaluki-baluki mpe ekeyi lisusu, ezongelaka kaka banzela wana.
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 Mayi nyonso ekendaka na ebale monene, kasi ebale monene etondaka te; mpe mayi yango ezongaka lisusu epai ewutaka.
All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 Makambo nyonso elembisaka, moto oyo akoki kobeta na yango tembe azali te; nzokande, miso etondaka te na kotala, mpe matoyi etondaka te na koyoka.
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 Oyo ezalaki ekozala lisusu, oyo esalemaki ekosalema lisusu: likambo ya sika ezalaka te na se ya moyi.
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Boni, ezali penza na likambo moko oyo moto akoki koloba na tina yango: « Tala, oyo penza ezali likambo ya sika? » Te, esila komizalela kala, kala penza liboso ya eleko na biso.
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 Ndenge bato bayebaka lisusu bato ya kala te, ndenge wana mpe bato oyo bakoya sima bakotikala koyeba bango te na bato oyo bakolanda.
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 Ngai, Moteyi, nazalaki mokonzi ya Isalaele, na Yelusalemi.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Namipesaki mpo na koyekola mpe kososola na nzela ya bwanya, makambo nyonso oyo esalemaka na se ya moyi. Nzokande, ezali na yango kaka mosala ya mpunda oyo Nzambe apesa na bana ya bato mpo ete bamonela yango pasi!
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 Namona misala nyonso oyo esalemaka na se ya moyi; nyonso wana ezali kaka pamba, ezali lokola moto azali kolanda mopepe.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 Bakoki te kosembola eloko oyo etengama, bakoki mpe te kotanga eloko oyo ezali te.
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 Namilobelaki: « Tala, nakolisi mpe nabakisi bwanya mingi koleka moto nyonso oyo azalaki liboso na ngai, na Yelusalemi. » Motema na ngai etondaki penza na bwanya mpe na boyebi ebele.
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 Namipesaki makasi mpo na koyekola bwanya mpe, lisusu, makambo ya bozoba mpe ya liboma; kasi nasosolaki ete yango mpe ezali kaka lokola moto azali kolanda mopepe.
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 Pamba te kozala na bwanya mingi ememelaka moto pasi, mpe kozala na mayele mingi etungisaka motema.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
