OET interlinear SNG 1:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שְׁחוֹרָ֤ה אֲנִי֙

black I

Solomon assumes that his readers will understand that here, I am black means “my skin is black” or “my skin is very dark.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could include this information. Alternate translation: [My skin is black] or [My skin is very dark]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וְֽ⁠נָאוָ֔ה

and,lovely

Here the word but is introducing a contrast between what was expected and what follows. In the author’s culture, it was not considered attractive for a woman to have skin darkened by the sun. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: [yet lovely] or [but still lovely]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

בְּנ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

daughters_of Yərūshālam/(Jerusalem)

The woman is using the possessive form to poetically describe where the young women (daughters of Jerusalem) live. The phrase refers to the young women from Jerusalem; probably the same women as the “marriageable women” in [1:3](../01/03.md) and “they” in [1:4](../01/04.md)). If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could indicate the association between them in a way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [daughters from Jerusalem] or [young women from Jerusalem]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כְּ⁠אָהֳלֵ֣י קֵדָ֔ר כִּ⁠ירִיע֖וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה

like,tents_of Qēdār like,curtains_of Shəlomoh

The Kedar people group used black goat skins to make their tents. The woman is comparing her skin to these tents. The phrase the curtains of Solomon refers to the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace. The point of the first comparison is that the woman’s skin was black. The second indicates that the woman was also lovely. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent comparisons from your culture, or you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [like the dark tents of the Kedar people, like the curtains of Solomon’s palace] or [as dark as the tents of Kedar, as beautiful as the curtains in Solomon’s palace]