وَمُدَجَّجٍ كَرِهَ الْكُمَاةُ نِزَالَهُ لَا مُمْعِنٍ هَرَبًا وَلَا مُسْتَسْلِمِ
I faced a heavily armoured warrior whom even brave fighters disliked confronting: neither one who fled nor one who surrendered.
Mudajjaj is fully armed or armoured. The double negation—neither given to flight nor willing to surrender—magnifies the adversary. By portraying the opponent as formidable, the speaker intensifies his own claim to bravery.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Cavalry Witnesses, Courage, Restraint and Duels (verses 43–56)
وَمُدَجَّجٍ كَرِهَ الْكُمَاةُ نِزَالَهُ لَا مُمْعِنٍ هَرَبًا وَلَا مُسْتَسْلِمِ
I faced a heavily armoured warrior whom even brave fighters disliked confronting: neither one who fled nor one who surrendered.
Mudajjaj is fully armed or armoured. The double negation—neither given to flight nor willing to surrender—magnifies the adversary. By portraying the opponent as formidable, the speaker intensifies his own claim to bravery.