إِذْ تَسْتَبِيكَ
When she captivates you.
Idh locates a scene in time. Tastabīka is an imperfect verb with an implied feminine subject (“she”); the final -ka is the second-person object suffix.
The poet speaks of the beloved and then introduces “you,” drawing the listener into the experience. The preposition in bi-dhī ghurūbin indicates the means by which the attraction takes place: the beauty of the teeth.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Fragrance, Rain-fed Meadow and Sensory Similes (verses 12–19)
إِذْ تَسْتَبِيكَ
When she captivates you.
Idh locates a scene in time. Tastabīka is an imperfect verb with an implied feminine subject (“she”); the final -ka is the second-person object suffix.
The poet speaks of the beloved and then introduces “you,” drawing the listener into the experience. The preposition in bi-dhī ghurūbin indicates the means by which the attraction takes place: the beauty of the teeth.