لَهُ أَيْطَلَا ظَبْيٍ وَسَاقَا نَعَامَةٍ
وَإِرْخَاءُ سِرْحَانٍ وَتَقْرِيبُ تَتْفُلِ
“Its flanks resemble a gazelle’s, its legs an ostrich’s; it has the extended stride of a wolf and the close-stepping trot of a young fox.”
The poet combines proportions with different kinds of motion. The gazelle supplies lean flanks, the ostrich long legs, the wolf a stretched stride, and a young fox quick, close-set steps. Each image does a different descriptive job.
Opening interactive controls...
Imruʾ al-Qays: The Horse’s Form, Similes, and Wild Quarry (Verses 59–64)
لَهُ أَيْطَلَا ظَبْيٍ وَسَاقَا نَعَامَةٍ
وَإِرْخَاءُ سِرْحَانٍ وَتَقْرِيبُ تَتْفُلِ
“Its flanks resemble a gazelle’s, its legs an ostrich’s; it has the extended stride of a wolf and the close-stepping trot of a young fox.”
The poet combines proportions with different kinds of motion. The gazelle supplies lean flanks, the ostrich long legs, the wolf a stretched stride, and a young fox quick, close-set steps. Each image does a different descriptive job.