بَرَكَتْ عَلَى جَنْبِ الرِّدَاعِ كَأَنَّمَا بَرَكَتْ عَلَى قَصَبٍ أَجَشَّ مُهَضَّمِ
She knelt by the side of al-Ridāʿ as though settling on creaking, hollow reeds whose joints were compressed.
Barakat denotes a camel kneeling; al-Ridāʿ locates the scene. The reeds are hollow, rough-sounding and compressed at their joints. The comparison is auditory as well as visual: the creak evokes the weight of the animal as she settles.
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ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: She-Camel, Conduct, Generosity and Martial Boasting (verses 31–42)
بَرَكَتْ عَلَى جَنْبِ الرِّدَاعِ كَأَنَّمَا بَرَكَتْ عَلَى قَصَبٍ أَجَشَّ مُهَضَّمِ
She knelt by the side of al-Ridāʿ as though settling on creaking, hollow reeds whose joints were compressed.
Barakat denotes a camel kneeling; al-Ridāʿ locates the scene. The reeds are hollow, rough-sounding and compressed at their joints. The comparison is auditory as well as visual: the creak evokes the weight of the animal as she settles.