The Man
1 What a magnificent young woman you are!
How beautiful are your feet in sandals.
The curve of your thighs
is like the work of an artist.
2 A bowl is there,
that never runs out of spiced wine.
A sheaf of wheat is there,
surrounded by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like twin deer,
like two gazelles.
4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory.
Your eyes are like the pools in the city of Heshbon,
near the gate of that great city.
Your nose is as lovely as the tower of Lebanon
that stands guard at Damascus.
5 Your head is held high like Mount Carmel.
Your braided hair shines like the finest satin;
its beauty could hold a king captive.
6 How pretty you are, how beautiful;
how complete the delights of your love.
7 You are as graceful as a palm tree,
and your breasts are clusters of dates.
8 I will climb the palm tree
and pick its fruit.
To me your breasts are like bunches of grapes,
your breath like the fragrance of apples,
9 and your mouth like the finest wine.
The Woman
Then let the wine flow straight to my lover,
flowing over his lips and teeth.
10 I belong to my lover, and he desires me.
11 Come, darling, let's go out to the countryside
and spend the night in the villages.
12 We will get up early and look at the vines
to see whether they've started to grow,
whether the blossoms are opening
and the pomegranate trees are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13 You can smell the scent of mandrakes,
and all the pleasant fruits are near our door.
Darling, I have kept for you
the old delights and the new.
Kewo ko:
1 N na mansariŋ musoo,
i siŋo ñiiñaata i la samatoo kono ñaameŋ.
I wutoo be muruŋ-murundiŋ ne ko bulutotaa,
bulukalaŋ dookuulaa betoo ye meŋ dadaa.
2 I batakuŋo be muruŋ-murundiŋ ne ko mindaŋ ñiimaa,
meŋ nene maŋ foo wayini* betoo la.
I konobatoo be le ko siimaŋ kese jurumoo,
firi ñiimaalu ye a muru.
3 I sunju fuloo ka muluŋ ne ko minandiŋ fula.
4 I kaŋo be jaŋayaariŋ ko tatoo,
ì ye meŋ ñarandi samañiŋo la.
I ñaalu ka malamala ko Hesiboni daloolu,
mennu be dundaŋ daa to,
ì ka dundaŋ daa meŋ kili Bati-Rabimu la.
I nunkaloo be looriŋ ne ko Libanooni tatoo,
meŋ ñaa be tilindiŋ Damasiku la.
5 I kuŋo daañaa be ko Karimeli Konkoo,
i kuntiñoo be findiŋ, a be malamalariŋ,
a la ñiiñaa si hani mansa faŋo bondi noo a noo to le.
6 N kanuntewo,
i ñiiñaata ñaameŋ,
i timinaŋo diyaata,
i la kuwo ye n jusoo laa le.
7 I be lookuuriŋ ne ko tamaree suŋo,
i sunjoolu be ko a ñatoolu.
8 N ko m faŋ ye ko,
m be ñiŋ tamaree suŋo sele la le,
ŋa m miniŋ a ñatoolu la.
Allamaa i sunjoolu ye ke ko wayini yiridiŋo,
i niijii foñoo ye seera ko pomoo,
9 i la sumburoo ye ke ko wayini diimaa.
Musoo ko:
Ñiŋ wayinoo ye futa n kanuntewo ma,
a ye bori naŋ a ñiŋo niŋ a daafaroo la.
10 M mu n jusukuŋo taa le ti,
nte le mu a ŋaniyoo ti.
11 N jusukuŋo naa,
ŋà finti, ŋà taa kene koomoo to,
ŋà suutoo laa fudani firoolu kono.
12 Ŋà sori juuna yiri kankaŋo to,
ka a juubee,
fo wayini yiroolu be sorondiŋ ne,
fo a firoolu be yele kaŋ ne,
fo roomaani* yiroolu ye a dati le ka firi.
Jee to, m be n na kanoo dii la i la le.
13 Mandarake firoolu be seera diimaa dii kaŋ,
yiridiŋ diimaalu siifaa bee le be ǹ na bundaa to,
biriŋ a kotoomaa fo a kutamaa,
ŋa mennu maabo i ye, n jusukuŋo.
