¹¶ Kua tae mai ahau ki taku kari, e toku tuahine, e toku hoa; kua oti taku maira me taku kinaki kakara te kohi, kua kainga e ahau taku honikoma me taku honi; kua inumia e ahau taku waina me taku waiu. E kai, e oku hoa; e inu, ina, kia nui te inu, e taku e aroha nei.

¹I have come in to my garden, my sister-spouse, I have plucked my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, drink, Yea, drink abundantly, O beloved ones!

²¶ I te moe ahau, ko toku ngakau ia i te oho. Ko te reo tenei o taku e aroha nei e patuki ana, e mea ana, Te tatau ki ahau, e toku tuahine, e toku hoa, e taku kukupa, e taku mea pokekore; ki tonu hoki toku mahunga i te tomairangi, oku makawe ano hok i i nga kopata o te po.

²I am sleeping, but my heart waketh: The sound of my beloved knocking! `Open to me, my sister, my friend, My dove, my perfect one, For my head is filled [with] dew, My locks [with] drops of the night.`

³Kua oti toku koti te unu e ahau: me pehea e kakahuria ai ano? Kua oti oku waewae te horoi; kia whakaparua ano koia e ahau?

³I have put off my coat, how do I put it on? I have washed my feet, how do I defile them?

⁴I kuhua mai tona ringa e taku e aroha nei i te kohao o te tatau, a oho ana toku manawa mona.

⁴My beloved sent his hand from the net-work, And my bowels were moved for him.

⁵I ara atu ahau ki te uaki i te tatau ki taku i aroha ai; maturuturu ana te maira i oku ringa, te maira waiwai i oku maihao ki nga puritanga o te tutaki.

⁵I rose to open to my beloved, And my hands dropped myrrh, Yea, my fingers flowing myrrh, On the handles of the lock.

⁶Uakina ana e ahau ki taku i aroha ai; heoi kua maunu atu taku i aroha ai, a kua riro: toku wairua riro pu i tana kupu: i rapu ahau i a ia; heoi kihai i kitea; i karangatia atu ia e ahau, kihai ano ia i whakahoki kupu mai.

⁶I opened to my beloved, But my beloved withdrew — he passed on, My soul went forth when he spake, I sought him, and found him not. I called him, and he answered me not.

⁷I tutaki ki ahau nga kaitiaki e kopikopiko nei i te pa; patua ana ahau e ratou, mamae ana ahau i a ratou; tangohia ana toku hipoki i ahau e nga kaitiaki o nga taiepa.

⁷The watchmen who go round about the city, Found me, smote me, wounded me, Keepers of the walls lifted up my veil from off me.

⁸He ki atu tenei naku ki a koutou, e nga tamahine o Hiruharama, Ki te tutaki koutou ki taku e aroha nei, ki atu ki a ia, e mate ana ahau i te aroha.

⁸I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved — What do ye tell him? that I [am] sick with love!

⁹¶ E te wahine ataahua rawa o nga wahine, he aha te nuinga ake o tau i aroha ai i tetahi atu e arohaina ana? He aha te nuinga ake o tau i aroha ai i tetahi atu e arohaina ana, i pena ai tau ki mai ki a matou?

⁹What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, O fair among women? What [is] thy beloved above [any] beloved, That thus thou hast adjured us?

¹⁰He ma taku i aroha ai, he kiri wherowhero, ko te mea nui rawa o nga mano kotahi tekau.

¹⁰My beloved [is] clear and ruddy, Conspicuous above a myriad!

¹¹Ko tona mahunga kei te tino koura, he mea parakore, ko ona makawe he mawhatu, a mangu tonu, ano he raweni.

¹¹His head [is] pure gold — fine gold, His locks flowing, dark as a raven,

¹²Ko ona kanohi kei o nga kukupa i te taha o nga awa wai, he mea horoi ki te waiu, pai rawa te whakanoho.

¹²His eyes as doves by streams of water, Washing in milk, sitting in fulness.

¹³Ko ona paparinga, ano he tupuranga kinaki kakara, ano he rarangi tarutaru reka; ko ona ngutu, me te mea he rengarenga e whakamaturu iho ana i te wai maira.

¹³His cheeks as a bed of the spice, towers of perfumes, His lips [are] lilies, dropping flowing myrrh,

¹⁴Ko ona ringa, ano he mowhiti koura i whakanohoia he perira ki roto: ko tona tinana, kei te rei pai rawa, he mea whakakikorua ki te hapira.

¹⁴His hands rings of gold, set with beryl, His heart bright ivory, covered with sapphires,

¹⁵Ko ona waewae, rite tonu ki te pou mapere, he mea whakatu ki nga turanga koura pai rawa; ko tona ahua koia ano kei Repanona, me te hita te tino pai rawa.

¹⁵His limbs pillars of marble, Founded on sockets of fine gold, His appearance as Lebanon, choice as the cedars.

¹⁶Ko tona mangai he tino reka: ae ra, he ahuareka katoa ia. Ko taku tenei i aroha ai, ko toku hoa ano tenei, e nga tamahine o Hiruharama.

¹⁶His mouth is sweetness — and all of him desirable, This [is] my beloved, and this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!