Six original verses with close translation, lexicon, grammar, rhetoric, and interpretive reasoning Read the bilingual lesson for Imruʾ al-Qays: Dialogue in ʿUnayzah’s Litter, Boasting, and an Oath (Verses 13–18) and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. From Dārat Juljul to a narrated dialogue
The previous verses recalled Dārat Juljul, the slaughter of a riding animal, and a shared meal. The poet now turns one remembered occasion into a scene with dialogue: he enters ʿUnayzah’s enclosed camel litter, the conveyance tilts, and they exchange words.
Wa-yawma identifies a memorable day, while fa-qālat, taqūlu, and fa-qultu introduce different turns in the conversation. The scene is followed by the speaker’s boast about earlier romantic experiences and an account of another occasion when the beloved resisted him.
These passages belong to the nasīb, the love-prelude of the classical Arabic qaṣīdah, where remembered encounters and separation create the poem’s emotional setting.
2. Verse 13: entering ʿUnayzah’s enclosed litter
وَيَوْمَ دَخَلْتُ الْخِدْرَ خِدْرَ عُنَيْزَةَ
فَقَالَتْ لَكَ الْوَيْلَاتُ إِنَّكَ مُرْجِلِي
And on the day when I entered the enclosed litter of ʿUnayzah, she said: “Woe to you! You are going to leave me on foot.”
Al-khidr denotes an enclosed or curtained space; here it is the woman’s screened litter or its inner compartment. Khidra ʿUnayzah specifies the same place by identifying its occupant. Directly reported speech turns the recollection into a dramatic exchange.
Murjilī reflects her fear that his added weight will burden her mount and force her to walk. The complaint connects directly with the next verse, in which the litter is said to tilt.
3. Khidr, ʿUnayzah, and the scene’s setting
Khidr primarily evokes screening and enclosure. In this verse it identifies a protected inner space used during travel. Treating it only as a room in a permanent house would obscure the next verse, with its ghabīṭ and the movement of a camel.
ʿUnayzah is the name or appellation of the woman in the scene; the classical commentary reports differing identifications. What matters for reading the poem is that the speaker evokes a particular remembered encounter.
ExpressionUse in this verse
Al-khidrA screened space or the interior of the litter
ʿUnayzahName or appellation of a particular woman
DakhaltuThe poet’s first-person report of entry
4. Syntax of wa-yawma dakhaltu al-khidra
In wa-yawma, the conjunction links this episode to the preceding reminiscence, while yawma functions as a temporal adverbial. Dakhaltu is a perfect verb with the first-person subject suffix -tu.
Al-khidra is accusative after dakhaltu. The following phrase, khidra ʿUnayzah, identifies the same enclosure and can be parsed as an appositional substitution. ʿUnayzah completes the construct and, as a diptote proper name, bears fatḥah in the genitive position.
Taken together, the verse identifies the occasion of entry and immediately follows it with the woman’s reaction, introduced by fa-qālat.
5. Lak al-waylāt: a complaint framed as an exclamation
Lak al-waylāt takes the form of an imprecation, but in conversation it conveys alarm, irritation, or strong protest. Its literal sense is “may misfortunes be yours”; such expressions need not always function as a deliberate curse.
In innaka murjilī, inna marks emphasis, -ka is its subject pronoun, and murjilī conveys its predicate. Murjil is associated with the causative verb arjala, “to make someone walk,” while the final suffix points to the speaker.
The short utterance combines action, emotion, and cause: the added passenger may overwhelm the mount and make travel difficult for her.
6. Verse 14: the litter tilts and she protests
تَقُولُ وَقَدْ مَالَ الْغَبِيطُ بِنَا مَعًا
عَقَرْتَ بَعِيرِي يَا امْرَأَ الْقَيْسِ فَانْزِلِ
She said, while the camel litter had tilted beneath the two of us: “You have all but ruined my camel, O Imruʾ al-Qays; get down!”
Al-ghabīṭ is a camel-borne litter or howdah associated with women’s travel. Māla describes its tilt, and binā maʿan emphasizes that both are aboard. Her complaint is therefore prompted not merely by his presence but by the resulting burden on the animal.
ʿAqarta baʿīrī should not be interpreted here as the literal slaughter expressed earlier in ʿaqartu maṭiyyatī. Here the wording is a forceful complaint about overburdening or impairing the camel.
7. Ghabīṭ, māla, and binā maʿan
Al-ghabīṭ names a specific item of travel equipment, combining sheltered seating with transport. Māla is a third-person masculine singular perfect verb; al-ghabīṭu is its subject. The clause therefore means “the litter tilted,” not “the poet bent down.”
Binā contains a preposition and the pronoun “us”; maʿan reinforces their joint presence. Wa-qad māla gives the physical circumstance accompanying the reported words.
WordSyntactic or semantic role
Al-ghabīṭuSubject of māla
MālaPerfect verb: tilted
Binā maʿanWith the two of us together
8. ʿAqarta and fa-nzil: the role of context
In the preceding episode the poet said ʿaqartu maṭiyyatī, followed by the women sharing the animal’s meat. There ʿaqr means actually slaughtering the animal. In the present verse, ʿaqarta baʿīrī appears with the image of the tilted litter; it is a forceful complaint about damaging the camel through strain.
Yā imraʾa al-Qays is a direct address to the poet. Fa-nzil is the masculine singular imperative of nazala, yanzilu, commanding him to get down from the mount.
A word’s interpretation depends not only on its dictionary range but also on the neighboring lines and their causal relationship. This is what distinguishes the two uses of the same root.
9. Taqūlu, fa-qālat, fa-qultu: dialogue as a poetic technique
In verse 13, fa-qālat reports a quick response in the past. Verse 14 uses the imperfect taqūlu, making a remembered conversation feel present and unfolding. Verse 15 follows with fa-qultu, introducing the poet’s reply.
FormNarrative function
Fa-qālatHer immediate response; feminine singular perfect
TaqūluPresents speech vividly; feminine singular imperfect
Fa-qultuThe poet replies; first-person perfect
The change of tense and speaker makes the episode dramatic rather than merely reported. This is a literary effect, not a claim that the historical time of the event has changed.
10. Verse 15: the poet’s reply and the loosened rein
فَقُلْتُ لَهَا سِيرِي وَأَرْخِي زِمَامَهُ
وَلَا تُبْعِدِينِي مِنْ جَنَاكِ الْمُعَلَّلِ
I said to her: “Keep going and loosen its rein; do not keep me away from the sweetness of your repeatedly bestowed affection.”
Sīrī and arkhī are both feminine singular imperatives. The poet urges her to continue the ride and slacken the reins, then joins the practical request to his desire for closeness.
In janāki al-muʿallal, janā originally denotes fruit that has been gathered. The image treats the beloved’s affection and delight as a kind of fruit, establishing the metaphor that shapes the second half-line.
11. Morphology of sīrī and arkhī
Sīrī is the feminine singular imperative of sāra, yasīru, “to travel or proceed”; it preserves the feminine-address suffix. Arkhī is the feminine singular imperative of Form IV arkhā, yurkhī, “to slacken or release.”
In zimāmahu, zimām means rein, and -hu refers to the mount on which the two are riding. Thus, the first two commands concern the practical management of the ride, whereas the rest of the verse shifts toward emotional intimacy.
FormUnderlying verbAddressee
SīrīSāra, yasīruFeminine singular
ArkhīArkhā, yurkhīFeminine singular
12. Janāki al-muʿallal: fruit as a metaphor
Janā literally denotes picked fruit. In janāki, the fruit is figuratively attributed to the beloved. The context does not describe literal fruit; it evokes the sweetness of her affection or closeness.
Al-muʿallal is explained in classical usage through the notion of repeated or successive giving; the related verb ʿallalahu can describe repeated provision of drink. The epithet intensifies the wish for renewed enjoyment.
The first hemistich concerns the rein of travel, the second the fruit of affection. The combination gives the verse both physical movement and emotional desire.
13. Wa-lā tubʿidīnī: prohibition and object pronoun
In wa-lā tubʿidīnī, lā is prohibitive: “do not keep me away.” The verb comes from Form IV abʿada, yubʿidu and addresses a single woman; the final -ī refers to the poet as object.
Under the rule for the five imperfect forms, the original indicative nūn is dropped after the prohibitive particle. The protective nūn (nūn al-wiqāyah) preceding the first-person object suffix remains. Therefore, the visible nūn must not be mistaken for the ordinary indicative ending.
Min janāki specifies what he does not want to be separated from: the beloved’s figurative fruit of affection.
14. Verse 16: a boast about earlier relationships
فَمِثْلِكِ حُبْلَى قَدْ طَرَقْتُ وَمُرْضِعٍ
فَأَلْهَيْتُهَا عَنْ ذِي تَمَائِمَ مُحْوِلِ
Many a woman like you, pregnant or nursing, have I visited by night; I distracted her even from her child, wearing amulets and approximately a year old.
Ḥublā means a pregnant woman; murḍiʿ is a nursing woman. Ṭaraqtu here conveys visiting at night. Addressing his beloved, the poet boasts of earlier romantic encounters in exaggerated, provocative language.
The verse presents the poetic speaker’s self-description. Such claims in classical erotic boasting are literary utterances; they should not automatically be treated as externally verified incidents or as examples of conduct to endorse.
15. Fa-mithliki and ḥublā: an understood rubba
The genitive in fa-mithliki is explained as governed by an understood rubba, conveying “many a woman like you.” The suffix -ki completes the construct and addresses the beloved.
Ḥublā describes pregnancy. It follows the pattern fuʿlā, with final alif maqṣūrah preventing a visibly expressed case ending. Wa-murḍiʿin coordinates another category in the speaker’s sweeping claim.
The two descriptions need not refer to the same individual at once: mentioning pregnant and nursing women broadens the asserted range of his experiences.
16. Murḍiʿ and murḍiʿah: a lexical distinction
Murḍiʿ is an active participle from Form IV arḍaʿa, yurḍiʿu. Applied to a woman, murḍiʿ can describe her standing as a nursing mother, while murḍiʿah may emphasize the actual activity of suckling. Usage and the lexicographers’ explanations determine the nuance.
Together, ḥublā and murḍiʿ evoke women with substantial obligations of their own. The next phrase, fa-alhaytuhā, therefore represents his boast that he drew the woman’s attention away.
The grammatical lesson is that an adjective describing a woman does not always require a visible final tāʾ marbūṭah; some feminine referents take forms without it.
17. Dhī tamāʾima muḥwil: describing the child
In dhī tamāʾima muḥwil, dhī is the genitive form of dhū, “possessing.” Tamāʾim is the plural of tamīmah, referring to amulets worn by children in some older Arab settings. The description reflects a historical custom of the period.
Muḥwil describes a child who has completed, or reached, approximately one year of age. The phrase following ʿan identifies the child from whom the mother’s attention was allegedly drawn away.
WordGrammatical or lexical identity
DhīGenitive of dhū
TamāʾimPlural of tamīmah
MuḥwilEpithet for a child about one year old
18. Verse 17: a divided bodily movement
إِذَا مَا بَكَى مِنْ خَلْفِهَا انْصَرَفَتْ لَهُ
بِشِقٍّ وَتَحْتِي شِقُّهَا لَمْ يُحَوَّلِ
Whenever her child cried behind her, she turned one half of her body toward him, while the other half remained beside me and did not turn away.
Idhā mā bakā presents a recurring situation. In response to the child’s crying, the mother turns part of her body toward him while the rest stays where it is, forming an unusually specific physical image.
The rhetorical effect lies in division and contrast: the child’s need on one side, the speaker’s claimed intimacy on the other. Repeating bi-shiqq and shiqquhā makes the divided posture central to the verse.
19. Idhā mā bakā and inṣarafat: temporal structure
Idhā can introduce a temporal condition or a customary occurrence. In this poetic setting, it evokes a situation that happens repeatedly. The mā following it is understood as reinforcing or pleonastic; treating it automatically as a relative pronoun would distort the construction.
Bakā is a third-person masculine singular perfect: its subject is the child from the preceding verse. Inṣarafat is a third-person feminine singular perfect: its subject is the mother. Agreement allows the reader to track the two participants.
Thus the recurring crying of the child is paired with the recurring turning of the mother; the verse describes movement, not a static portrait.
20. Bi-shiqq wa-taḥtī shiqquhā: syntactic contrast
In bi-shiqqin, bi- is a preposition and shiqq is its genitive complement, meaning one side or half of the body. Wa-taḥtī shiqquhā forms a nominal construction, with the locative phrase as an advanced predicate and shiqquhā as a delayed subject.
In lam yuḥawwal, lam negates and governs the jussive, while yuḥawwal is a passive imperfect of Form II, meaning that the body’s other part was not moved away. A final vowel may appear in poetic recitation for rhyme, without changing the underlying jussive relation.
The grammatical arrangement heightens the contrast between the two halves: movement toward the child versus remaining near the speaker.
21. Verse 18: resistance and an oath on a dune
وَيَوْمًا عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْكَثِيبِ تَعَذَّرَتْ
عَلَيَّ وَآلَتْ حَلْفَةً لَمْ تَحَلَّلِ
And on another day, upon the crest of a sand dune, she held herself aloof from me and swore a firm oath without qualifying or releasing herself from it.
Al-kathīb is a dune formed by heaped sand; ʿalā ẓahri al-kathīb sets the scene on its upper ridge. Taʿadhdharat ʿalayya here means that she resisted, made herself difficult to approach, or refused the poet’s advances.
Wa-ālat ḥalfatan explicitly describes an oath. Lam taḥallal emphasizes that she did not attach a releasing qualification or exception. The mood differs from the playful dialogue of the preceding scene.
22. Ẓahr al-kathīb: the spatial image
Kathīb means a sand dune. Ẓahr literally means back, but it may also denote the top or outward elevated surface of something. Ẓahr al-kathīb is a construct phrase combining height with a desert landscape.
The preposition ʿalā makes the whole phrase locative. Instead of stating merely that another meeting took place, the poet places it on the crest of a dune, making elevation and the surrounding landscape perceptible.
This is a spatial extension of meaning, not a reference to an actual human back. Similar transferred expressions occur naturally when Arabic describes the parts of landscapes and objects.
23. Taʿadhdharat and ālat: two distinct acts
Taʿadhdharat is the third-person feminine perfect of Form V taʿadhdhara, yataʿadhdharu. The root relates to difficulty or excuse; with ʿalayya, it describes the beloved’s resistance or refusal. It should not be mechanically translated as “she forgave.”
Ālat belongs to the root associated with alā, yaʾlī, “to swear an oath.” Here it means “she swore,” not “she came back.” Ḥalfatan is a noun meaning an oath and reinforces the verbal action.
The two verbs create a clear sequence: first resistance, then an oath confirming the stance. Lexical meaning must be read with the actual construction, not inferred solely from the surface resemblance of words.
24. Ḥalfatan lam taḥallal: emphasis and exception
Ḥalfatan is a noun of swearing that reinforces the sense of ālat. Lam negates a following imperfect and places it in the jussive; taḥallal is related to withdrawing from an oath or introducing a qualifying exception.
Lam taḥallal therefore portrays an uncompromising oath. The verse does not independently establish a legal question about whether a real-life oath was subsequently violated; its purpose is to convey the firmness of the declaration within the scene.
Literarily, this creates an image of resistance after the earlier playful encounter. The beloved’s refusal and oath now stand against the poet’s wishes.
25. Verses 13–18: events, speech, and language
The six verses move through entry into the litter, the woman’s complaint, the poet’s answer, his boast about earlier experiences, the divided movement of a nursing mother, and finally resistance and an oath on a dune. Keeping the sequence in view makes the separate images read as a coherent passage.
VerseMain subjectLanguage focus
13Entry into a khidrApposition; murjilī
14A tilting litterMāla; context of ʿaqarta
15Reins and affectionImperative; prohibition; metaphor
16Romantic boastingUnderstood rubba; murḍiʿ
17Turning to a childIdhā mā; shiqq; lam
18Resistance and an oathTaʿadhdharat; ālat
The next passage begins a-fāṭima mahlan baʿḍa hādhā al-tadallul, where the poet’s address turns toward more direct pleading and complaint.