وَخَلَا الذُّبَابُ بِهَا
Flies find the meadow to themselves.
Khalā indicates being free or alone in a place. Laysa bi-bāriḥin then conveys remaining there without departing.
غَرِدًا كَفِعْلِ الشَّارِبِ الْمُتَرَنِّمِ
Melodious, like a drinker singing in pleasure.
The simile transforms an ordinary insect’s buzz into a human song. A very small creature becomes the auditory centre of an elaborate landscape.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Fragrance, Rain-fed Meadow and Sensory Similes (verses 12–19)
وَخَلَا الذُّبَابُ بِهَا
Flies find the meadow to themselves.
Khalā indicates being free or alone in a place. Laysa bi-bāriḥin then conveys remaining there without departing.
غَرِدًا كَفِعْلِ الشَّارِبِ الْمُتَرَنِّمِ
Melodious, like a drinker singing in pleasure.
The simile transforms an ordinary insect’s buzz into a human song. A very small creature becomes the auditory centre of an elaborate landscape.