1. أَخوكَ أَخوكَ مَن يَدنو وَتَرجو

    مَوَدَّتَهُ وَإِن دُعِيَ اِستَجابا

    Your brother, your true brother, is one who draws near and whose

    affection you hope for, and who answers when called.

  2. إِذا حارَبت حاربَ مَن تُعادي

    وَزادَ سِلاحُهُ مِنكَ اِقتِرابا

    When you fight, he fights those you oppose,

    and his weapons come still closer to you.

  3. يواسي في الكَريهةِ كُلَّ يّومٍ

    إِذا ما مُضلِعُ الحَدَثانِ نابا

    He stands by you in adversity every day,

    when a crushing blow of time strikes.

  4. وَكنتُ إِذا قَريني جاذَبَتهُ

    حِبالي ماتَ أَو تَبِعَ الجِذابا

    And I was such that, whenever my rival was tugged by

    my ropes, he died or yielded to their pull.

  5. فَإِن أَهلِك فَذي حَنَقٍ لَظاهُ

    عَلَيّ يَكادُ يَلتَهِبُ التِهابا

    If I perish, there has been many a man whose blaze of rage

    against me nearly burst into flame:

  6. مَخَضتُ بِدَلوِهِ حَتّى تَحَسّى

    ذَنوبَ الشَرِّ مِلأى أَو قِرابا

    I churned the water with his bucket until he sipped

    a bucketful of evil, full or nearly full.

  7. بِمثلي فَاِشهَدِ النَجوى وَعالِن

    بِيَ الأَعداءَ وَالقَومَ الغِضابا

    With one like me, attend secret counsel, and openly confront

    the enemies and the enraged folk, with me as your ally.

  8. فَإِنَّ الموعِدِيَّ يَرَونَ دوني

    أُسودَ خَفِيَّةَ الغُلبَ الرِقابا

    For those who threaten me see, between them and me,

    the thick-necked lions of Khafiyya.

  9. كَأَنَّ عَلى سَواعِدِهِنَّ وَرساً

    عَلالونَ الأَشاجِع أَو خضابا

    As though yellow wars-dye lay upon their forelegs,

    covering their knuckles' color—or some other dye.

  10. كَأَنَّ هَوِيَّها لَمّا اِشمَعَلَّت

    هُوِيُّ الطَيرِ تَبتَدِرُ الأَيابا

    As though their headlong rush, when they sped forward,

    were birds swooping as they raced to water.