Lessonsal-Ḥārith ibn Ḥillizah: Ḥujr, Royal Kinship and the Dhū al-Majāz Covenant (verses 56–67)Quiz

Verses 63–64 contain two linked propositions. Waladnā ʿAmran establishes a family tie with the court; mithluhā tukhriju al-naṣīḥah derives the claim that such ties should lead to sincere counsel.

The relationship is not an end in itself. The poet wants the ruler to hear his tribe as concerned kin rather than rebellious outsiders, in the setting of contested reports.

The distinction between counsel and flattery is significant: the first can include unwelcome truth; the second may simply seek approval.

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al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥillizah: Ḥujr, Royal Kinship and the Dhū al-Majāz Covenant (verses 56–67)

Verses 63–64 contain two linked propositions. Waladnā ʿAmran establishes a family tie with the court; mithluhā tukhriju al-naṣīḥah derives the claim that such ties should lead to sincere counsel.

The relationship is not an end in itself. The poet wants the ruler to hear his tribe as concerned kin rather than rebellious outsiders, in the setting of contested reports.

The distinction between counsel and flattery is significant: the first can include unwelcome truth; the second may simply seek approval.