يَدْعُونَ عَنْتَرَ وَالرِّمَاحُ كَأَنَّهَا أَشْطَانُ بِئْرٍ فِي لَبَانِ الْأَدْهَمِ
They called out “ʿAntar!” while the lances at the dark horse’s chest seemed like long ropes lowered into a well.
The call “ʿAntar!” creates immediate dramatic address. Ashtān biʾr are well ropes; labān al-adham is the chest of the dark horse. The well-rope comparison makes the great number and length of lances visually intelligible.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Love, Ingratitude, the Wounded Horse and Final Boast (verses 57–75)
يَدْعُونَ عَنْتَرَ وَالرِّمَاحُ كَأَنَّهَا أَشْطَانُ بِئْرٍ فِي لَبَانِ الْأَدْهَمِ
They called out “ʿAntar!” while the lances at the dark horse’s chest seemed like long ropes lowered into a well.
The call “ʿAntar!” creates immediate dramatic address. Ashtān biʾr are well ropes; labān al-adham is the chest of the dark horse. The well-rope comparison makes the great number and length of lances visually intelligible.