وَرِثْتُ مُهَلْهِلًا وَالْخَيْرَ مِنْهُ زُهَيْرًا نِعْمَ ذُخْرُ الذَّاخِرِينَا[
I inherited the prestige of Muhalhil and the noble Zuhayr—a fine treasure for those who preserve honour.
Key vocabulary:[ Named ancestors substantiate the boast; niʿma is a verb of praise and dhukhr a treasured reserve.
The verse advances the speaker’s claim of autonomy, his reply to an opponent, or his ancestral prestige.
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ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm: Defying Royal Authority, the Spear Metaphor, and Ancestral Honour (verses 52–63)
وَرِثْتُ مُهَلْهِلًا وَالْخَيْرَ مِنْهُ زُهَيْرًا نِعْمَ ذُخْرُ الذَّاخِرِينَا[
I inherited the prestige of Muhalhil and the noble Zuhayr—a fine treasure for those who preserve honour.
Key vocabulary:[ Named ancestors substantiate the boast; niʿma is a verb of praise and dhukhr a treasured reserve.
The verse advances the speaker’s claim of autonomy, his reply to an opponent, or his ancestral prestige.