وَإِذَا ظُلِمْتُ فَإِنَّ ظُلْمِي بَاسِلٌ مُرٌّ مَذَاقَتُهُ كَطَعْمِ الْعَلْقَمِ
But if I am wronged, my retaliation is harsh, with a taste as bitter as colocynth.
Bāsil means formidable or severe, and al-ʿalqam is a markedly bitter plant or fruit (colocynth). Murrun madhāqatuhu makes retaliation something tasted. The sensory comparison expresses severity through bitterness; it is a claim within a boast poem, not legal or moral instruction.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: She-Camel, Conduct, Generosity and Martial Boasting (verses 31–42)
وَإِذَا ظُلِمْتُ فَإِنَّ ظُلْمِي بَاسِلٌ مُرٌّ مَذَاقَتُهُ كَطَعْمِ الْعَلْقَمِ
But if I am wronged, my retaliation is harsh, with a taste as bitter as colocynth.
Bāsil means formidable or severe, and al-ʿalqam is a markedly bitter plant or fruit (colocynth). Murrun madhāqatuhu makes retaliation something tasted. The sensory comparison expresses severity through bitterness; it is a claim within a boast poem, not legal or moral instruction.