كَأَنَّ غُضُونَهُنَّ مُتُونُ غُدْرٍ تُصَفِّقُهَا الرِّيَاحُ إِذَا جَرَيْنَا
The armour’s folds resemble the surfaces of pools stirred into ripples by moving winds.
Kaʾanna explicitly introduces a simile. The subject compared is ghuḍūnuhunna—the armour’s folds—and the comparison is with mutūnu ghudr—the surfaces of pools.
Tuṣaffiquhā al-riyāḥ evokes the surface movement caused by wind. The poet transforms rigid metallic equipment into a lively water image, making texture visible through motion.
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ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm: Challenge to Banū Bakr, Armour, Horses, and Protection (verses 75–91)
كَأَنَّ غُضُونَهُنَّ مُتُونُ غُدْرٍ تُصَفِّقُهَا الرِّيَاحُ إِذَا جَرَيْنَا
The armour’s folds resemble the surfaces of pools stirred into ripples by moving winds.
Kaʾanna explicitly introduces a simile. The subject compared is ghuḍūnuhunna—the armour’s folds—and the comparison is with mutūnu ghudr—the surfaces of pools.
Tuṣaffiquhā al-riyāḥ evokes the surface movement caused by wind. The poet transforms rigid metallic equipment into a lively water image, making texture visible through motion.