لَمَّا رَآنِي قَدْ نَزَلْتُ أُرِيدُهُ أَبْدَى نَوَاجِذَهُ لِغَيْرِ تَبَسُّمِ
When he saw me dismount and come for him, he bared his back teeth—but not in a smile.
Nawājidh means the rear teeth. The qualifier li-ghayri tabassum excludes a smile: the exposed teeth express dread, rage or grim effort. One facial detail carries the psychological tension of the encounter.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Cavalry Witnesses, Courage, Restraint and Duels (verses 43–56)
لَمَّا رَآنِي قَدْ نَزَلْتُ أُرِيدُهُ أَبْدَى نَوَاجِذَهُ لِغَيْرِ تَبَسُّمِ
When he saw me dismount and come for him, he bared his back teeth—but not in a smile.
Nawājidh means the rear teeth. The qualifier li-ghayri tabassum excludes a smile: the exposed teeth express dread, rage or grim effort. One facial detail carries the psychological tension of the encounter.