¹¶ He puawai ahau no Harono, he rengarenga no nga awaawa.

¹As a lily among the thorns,

²He rengarenga i roto i nga tataramoa, ko taku e aroha nei i waenga i nga tamahine.

²So [is] my friend among the daughters!

³¶ Kei te aporo i roto i nga rakau o te ngahere te rite o taku kaingakau i roto i nga taitamariki. Ahuareka ana taku noho iho i raro i tona taumarumarutanga, a he reka ana hua ki toku ngao.

³As a citron among trees of the forest, So [is] my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit [is] sweet to my palate.

⁴I kawea ahau e ia ki te whare hakari, a ko tona kara i runga i ahau he aroha.

⁴He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me [is] love,

⁵Whakakahangia ake ahau ki te karepe whakamaroke, whakahauorangia ahau ki te aporo; e mate ana hoki ahau i te aroha.

⁵Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I [am] sick with love.

⁶Kei raro i toku mahunga tona maui, e awhi ana tona matau i ahau.

⁶His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

⁷He ki tenei naku ki a koutou, e nga tamahine o Hiruharama, i te aroaro ano o nga anaterope, o nga hata o te parae, kaua e whakaohokia, kaua e whakaarahia taku e aroha nei, a kia pai ra ano ia.

⁷I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please!

⁸¶ Ko te reo ra o taku e aroha nei! Nana, te haere mai nei ia, e tupekepeke ana i runga i nga maunga, e mokowhiti ana i runga i nga pukepuke.

⁸The voice of my beloved! lo, this — he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

⁹Rite tonu taku e aroha nei ki te anaterope, ki te kuao hata ranei: tenei ia te tu mai nei i muri o to matou taiepa, e matakitaki mai ana i nga matapihi, e whakaata mai ana ra roto i te mea ripekapeka.

⁹My beloved [is] like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this — he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice.

¹⁰I korero mai taku e aroha nei, i mea mai ki ahau, E ara, e taku ipo, e taku mea ataahua, ka haere mai.

¹⁰My beloved hath answered and said to me, `Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,

¹¹Nana, kua pahemo te hotoke, kua mutu te ua, kua kore;

¹¹For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away — it hath gone.

¹²Kua puta nga puawai ki te whenua; kua tata te wa e korihi ai nga manu, a e rangona ana te reo o te kukupa ki to tatou whenua;

¹²The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,

¹³Kua kopuku nga hua hou o te piki, kua puaka nga waina, e kakara mai nei. Maranga, e toku hoa, e taku mea ataahua, haere mai hoki.

¹³The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.

¹⁴¶ E taku kukupa i roto i nga kapiti o te kamaka, i te wahi ngaro o te pikitanga, kia kite ahau i tou ahua, kia rongo ahau i tou reo; he reka hoki tou reo, he ataahua tou mata.

¹⁴My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice [is] sweet, and thy appearance comely.

¹⁵Hopukia mai ma taua nga pokiha, nga pokiha ririki e takakino nei i a taua mara waina; kua puawai hoki a taua waina.

¹⁵Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes — destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards.

¹⁶Naku taku kaingakau, nana hoki ahau: kei waenga ia i nga rengarenga e whangai ana i tana kahui.

¹⁶My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his, Who is delighting among the lilies,

¹⁷I te mea kiano i matao te ra, a kiano i rere noa nga atarangi, tahuri mai, e taku e aroha nei, kia rite koe ki te anaterope, ki te kuao hata, i nga maunga o Petere.

¹⁷Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation!