﴿ وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِىَ لَآ أَرَى ٱلْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَآئِبِينَ ﴾

“And [one day] he looked in vain for [a parti­cular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among the absent?”

(And he sought among the birds) he inspected the birds (and said) when he could not see the hoopoe among them: (How is it that I see not the hoopoe) in his place, (or is he among the absent?)