كَأَنَّ مَكَاكِيَّ الْجِوَاءِ غُدَيَّةً / صُبِحْنَ سُلَافًا مِنْ رَحِيقٍ مُفَلْفَلِ
The small birds of al-Jiwāʾ at dawn seem as though they had been served potent, aromatic wine.
Makākī are small birds. Sulāf refers to choice wine, and raḥīq mufalfal suggests a sharp or aromatic drink. The image conveys the birds’ animated calls and liveliness figuratively; it does not assert that birds actually drink wine.
Opening interactive controls...
Imruʾ al-Qays: Lightning, Rain, Floods, and the Muʿallaqah’s Finale (Verses 70–81)
كَأَنَّ مَكَاكِيَّ الْجِوَاءِ غُدَيَّةً / صُبِحْنَ سُلَافًا مِنْ رَحِيقٍ مُفَلْفَلِ
The small birds of al-Jiwāʾ at dawn seem as though they had been served potent, aromatic wine.
Makākī are small birds. Sulāf refers to choice wine, and raḥīq mufalfal suggests a sharp or aromatic drink. The image conveys the birds’ animated calls and liveliness figuratively; it does not assert that birds actually drink wine.