مَا زِلْتُ أَرْمِيهِمْ بِثُغْرَةِ نَحْرِهِ وَلَبَانِهِ حَتَّى تَسَرْبَلَ بِالدَّمِ
I kept driving the front of the horse’s throat and chest against them until it appeared clothed in blood.
Mā ziltu conveys sustained action and ḥattā introduces the outcome. Tasarbala bi-l-dam makes blood into a garment: an image of extensive wounding, not literal clothing. The wounded horse exposes the cost of the heroic performance.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Love, Ingratitude, the Wounded Horse and Final Boast (verses 57–75)
مَا زِلْتُ أَرْمِيهِمْ بِثُغْرَةِ نَحْرِهِ وَلَبَانِهِ حَتَّى تَسَرْبَلَ بِالدَّمِ
I kept driving the front of the horse’s throat and chest against them until it appeared clothed in blood.
Mā ziltu conveys sustained action and ḥattā introduces the outcome. Tasarbala bi-l-dam makes blood into a garment: an image of extensive wounding, not literal clothing. The wounded horse exposes the cost of the heroic performance.