LessonsʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Travel, Camel Gait and Ostrich Imagery (verses 20–30)Quiz

هِرٌّ جَنِيبٌ كُلَّمَا عَطَفْتُ لَهُ غَضْبَى اتَّقَاهَا بِالْيَدَيْنِ وَبِالْفَمِ
It is like a strange cat: whenever I turn the irritable animal toward it, the cat wards off the attack with its paws and mouth.

Hirr janīb gives the image of an unfamiliar cat. Kullamā ʿaṭaftu makes the turning recurrent, while ghaḍbā conveys anger or agitation. The cat resists with paws and mouth.

Ittaqāhā bi-l-yadayn wa-bi-l-fam specifies the instruments of defence. In the broader description the comparison gives the moving she-camel tension and resistance, not simply speed.

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Verse 30: Cat, anger, and defence

ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: Travel, Camel Gait and Ostrich Imagery (verses 20–30)

هِرٌّ جَنِيبٌ كُلَّمَا عَطَفْتُ لَهُ غَضْبَى اتَّقَاهَا بِالْيَدَيْنِ وَبِالْفَمِ
It is like a strange cat: whenever I turn the irritable animal toward it, the cat wards off the attack with its paws and mouth.

Hirr janīb gives the image of an unfamiliar cat. Kullamā ʿaṭaftu makes the turning recurrent, while ghaḍbā conveys anger or agitation. The cat resists with paws and mouth.

Ittaqāhā bi-l-yadayn wa-bi-l-fam specifies the instruments of defence. In the broader description the comparison gives the moving she-camel tension and resistance, not simply speed.