مِسَحٍّ إِذَا مَا السَّابِحَاتُ عَلَى الْوَنَى
أَثَرْنَ الْغُبَارَ بِالْكَدِيدِ الْمُرَكَّلِ
“He is a relentless runner even when the other fleet horses have grown weary and raise dust over hard, trampled ground.”
Misaḥḥ is a descriptor of sustained, forceful running. Al-sābiḥāt, literally associated with swimming, poetically applies to horses moving with smooth, sweeping strides. ʿAlā al-wanā introduces weakness or slackening after exertion.
The verse makes a comparison: other horses have reached fatigue and dust-churning effort, whereas this horse retains continuous speed and endurance. It is not merely a momentary sprint that the poet celebrates but an ability maintained beyond the tiring point of its companions.