LessonsImruʾ al-Qays: Dialogue in ʿUnayzah’s Litter, Boasting, and an Oath (Verses 13–18)Quiz

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.

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Wa-lā tubʿidīnī: prohibition and object pronoun

Imruʾ al-Qays: Dialogue in ʿUnayzah’s Litter, Boasting, and an Oath (Verses 13–18)

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.