فَمَا لِي أَرَانِي وَابْنَ عَمِّي مَالِكًا
مَتَى أَدْنُ مِنْهُ يَنْأَ عَنِّي وَيَبْعُدِ
Meaning: I find myself with my cousin Mālik in such a relationship that whenever I draw near to him, he turns away from me and moves farther off.
Adnu conveys drawing near, while yanʾa means withdrawing to a distance. The opposing verbs make the emotional conflict visible through physical movement. Matā introduces a conditional, repeatable occurrence: the poet depicts this as Mālik’s recurring response, not a single accidental separation.