يا حَبَّذا أَمينَةٌ وَكَلبُها

تُحِبُّهُ جِدّاً كَما يُحِبُّها

How delightful are Amina and her dog!

She loves him dearly, just as he loves her.

أَمينَتي تَحبو إِلى الحَولَينِ

وَكَلبُها يُناهِزُ الشَهرَينِ

My Amina is crawling toward the age of two,

while her dog is nearing two months.

لَكِنَّها بَيضاءُ مِثلُ العاجِ

وَعَبدُها أَسوَدُ كَالدَياجي

But she is white as ivory,

and her servant black as the darkest nights.

يَلزَمُها نَهارَها وَتَلزَمُه

وَمِثلَما يُكرِمُها لا تُكرِمُهُ

He stays by her all day, and she stays by him;

yet she does not honor him as he honors her.

فَعِندَها مِن شِدَّةِ الإِشفاقِ

أَن تَأخُذَ الصَغيرَ بِالخِناقِ

To her, the height of tenderness

is taking the little one by the throat.

في كُلِّ ساعَةٍ لَهُ صِياحُ

وَقَلَّما يَنعَمُ أَو يَرتاحُ

Every hour he cries out,

and seldom knows comfort or rest.

وَهَذِهِ حادِثَةٌ لَها مَعَه

تُنبيكَ كَيفَ اِستَأثَرَت بِالمَنفَعَه

Here is an incident between the two

that shows how she claimed the whole advantage for herself.

جاءَت بِهِ إِلَيَّ ذاتَ مَرَّه

تَحمِلُهُ وَهيَ بِهِ كَالبَرَّه

One day she brought him to me,

carrying him and looking kindness itself toward him.

فَقُلتُ أَهلا بِالعَروسِ وَاِبنِها

ماذا يَكونُ يا تُرى مِن شَأنِها

I said, “Welcome to the bride and her son!

What, I wonder, might her business be?”

قالَت غُلامي يا أَبي جَوعانُ

وَما لَهُ كَما لَنا لِسانُ

She said, “Father, my boy is hungry,

and he has no tongue, as we do.

فَمُرهُموا يَأتوا بِخُبزٍ وَلَبَن

وَيُحضِروا آنِيَةً ذاتَ ثَمَن

So order them to bring him bread and milk,

and to fetch a costly bowl.”

فَقُمتُ كَالعادَةِ بِالمَطلوبِ

وَجِئتُها أَنظُرُ مِن قَريبِ

As usual, the requested things were brought,

and I came close to watch her.

فَعَجَنَت في اللَبَنِ اللُبابا

كَما تَرانا نُطعِمُ الكِلابا

She kneaded the soft bread into the milk,

as you see us feed the dogs.

ثُمَّ أَرادَت أَن تَذوقَ قَبلَهُ

فَاِستَطعَمَت بِنتُ الكِرامِ أَكلَهُ

Then she wanted to taste it before he did,

and the daughter of noble folk relished his food.

هُناكَ أَلقَت بِالصَغيرِ لِلوَرا

وَاِندَفَعَت تَبكي بُكاءً مُفتَرى

Thereupon she tossed the little one behind her

and burst into fabricated tears.

تَقولُ بابا أَنا دَحّا وَهوَ كُخّ

مَعناهُ بابا لِيَ وَحدي ما طُبِخ

She cried, “Bābā, anā daḥḥā, wa-huwa kukhh!”

Meaning: “Baba, what was cooked is mine alone.”

فَقُل لِمَن يَجهَل خَطبَ الآنِيَه

قَد فُطِرَ الطِفلُ عَلى الأَنانِيَه

So tell whoever does not understand the matter of selfishness:

the child is born with selfishness.