أولى وأولى له حُسنى وسيئة

أولى وأولى له حُسنى وسيئة

تباليَ الهيق والمكلؤ ذي الزغَبِ

تباليَ الهيق والمكلؤ ذي الزغَبِ

Kindness and harm are his due—his due indeed—

He is most caring of me in good and bad,

Like the dealings of the male ostrich and its downy ward.

Disregarding blame of the defamer and slanderer.

لما تفلق عنه قيض بيضته

لما تفلق عنه قيض بيضته

آوَاه في ضِبْنِ مَضْبوءٍ به نَصَبِ

آوَاه في ضِبْنِ مَضْبوءٍ به نَصَبِ

When the shell of his egg split away from him,

When his egg cracked open for him,

He sheltered him at his side, huddled close and wearied by him.

He made his nest in a hidden, protected hollow.

وإن تعرض معتس الذئاب له

وإن تعرض معتس الذئاب له

أوفى بأولق ذي الزِّيَّونة الحرِبِ

أوفى بأولق ذي الزِّيَّونة الحرِبِ

And if a prowling wolf confronted him,

And if the daring wolves threaten him,

He rose in a frenzy, proudly displaying himself, furious.

He defends with the fiercest valor.

حتى إذا علم التدراج واتخذت

حتى إذا علم التدراج واتخذت

رجلاه كالدرع آثار على الكثبِ

رجلاه كالدرع آثار على الكثبِ

Until, when he had learned to step along, and

Until when he learned to flutter his wings and took

His two feet made mail-like tracks upon the dunes,

His feet like shields leaving prints upon the sand.

وخاله ضد من قد كان يكلؤه

وخاله ضد من قد كان يكلؤه

بالأمس أن الهوى داع إلى الشجب

بالأمس أن الهوى داع إلى الشجب

The one who had guarded him deemed him a rival—

And his comrade who once sheltered him

Yesterday his guardian—for desire summons ruin.

Yesterday, desire called to the thickets.

ولي مباعدة منه ومزرية

ولي مباعدة منه ومزرية

من غير مزرى به والحين ذو سببِ

من غير مزرى به والحين ذو سببِ

He received estrangement and contempt from him,

I have from him remoteness and estrangement

With nothing in him deserving scorn; and doom has a cause.

Without cause from him, and now it has reason.