Imruʾ al-Qays: The Hunt’s Outcome, Preparing Meat, and the Return (Verses 65–69)

1. The hunt reaches its outcome

The description of the horse’s body, speed, and the visual richness of the wild cattle now gives way to the outcome of the hunt. First the rider reaches the front of the herd, then the horse runs between animals; the meat is prepared, the company returns, and finally a night scene follows.

These five verses move from rapid action to a quieter conclusion. Yet the horse is still shown standing, saddled and bridled, in the last verse. Its strength emerges from the sequence of events rather than from a bare declaration.

2. Verse 65: reaching the herd’s leaders

فَأَلْحَقْنَا بِالْهَادِيَاتِ وَدُونَهُ جَوَاحِرُهَا فِي صَرَّةٍ لَمْ تُزَيَّلِ
We caught up with the leading animals of the herd on this horse, while the lagging ones remained behind him, amid a commotion in which the group had not yet broken apart.

Al-hādiyāt are the leaders of the herd, and jawāḥiruhā its stragglers. The speed is conveyed by two relative positions: the leaders are reached and the stragglers are left behind.

Timing is important as well: the horse reaches the herd while the group is still largely together rather than after it has dispersed.

3. Leaders and stragglers: contrasted terms

Arabic expressionSense in context
الْهَادِيَاتAnimals leading the herd
جَوَاحِرُهَاAnimals falling behind the herd
دُونَهُBehind or short of the horse in position

These are not merely two equivalent terms. The contrast creates a spatial picture of front and rear in one moving group and clarifies the horse’s place among them.

4. Fa-alḥaqnā: verb and its complements

Fa-alḥaqnā comes from the Form IV verb *alḥaqa*, “to cause to reach or join.” The suffix -nā marks a first-person plural subject. The context is the riders reaching the quarry through the horse’s performance.

Bi-l-hādiyāt identifies the animals being reached. The following clause, wa-dūnahu jawāḥiruhā, supplies a second spatial fact about those left behind. The syntax first presents the achievement and then fixes the relative positions.

5. Ṣarrah and the herd not yet separated

Ṣarrah suggests a loud commotion or the tumult of a group moving together. Here it condenses the sound and collective motion of the herd. Lam tuzayyal indicates that the group has not yet fully separated or scattered.

The line captures a precise instant: the herd is moving noisily, its leaders and stragglers can be distinguished, but the group still retains its collective form. Speed and cohesion coexist in the same scene.

6. Verse 66: repeated pursuit and endurance

فَعَادَى عِدَاءً بَيْنَ ثَوْرٍ وَنَعْجَةٍ دِرَاكًا وَلَمْ يَنْضَحْ بِمَاءٍ فَيُغْسَلِ
Then he ran persistently between a bull and a wild cow, pursuing them in quick succession; he was not so drenched with moisture or sweat as to require washing.

ʿĀdā ʿidāʾan pairs a verb with a cognate verbal noun, intensifying the sense of running. Dirākan conveys pursuit or action in immediate succession.

The closing expression praises stamina: despite the intense movement, the horse is not pictured as exhausted and soaked in sweat.

7. ʿĀdā ʿidāʾan: the cognate accusative

In ʿādā ʿidāʾan, *ʿidāʾan* is a verbal noun in the accusative, placed after its related verb. It serves as a cognate accusative (mafʿūl muṭlaq), reinforcing the occurrence or manner of running.

Compare:
ʿĀdā al-farasu — The horse ran.
ʿĀdā al-farasu ʿidāʾan — The horse ran vigorously.

The repetition is therefore not ornamental alone; it gives the action force in sound and meaning.

8. Bull, cow, and successive pursuit

Thawr denotes the male wild bovine, and naʿjah here its female counterpart. Although *naʿjah* commonly denotes a ewe elsewhere, the hunting context governs the sense in this passage.

Dirākan means in close succession. Moving between the two animals suggests not just speed in a straight line but also agility and responsiveness as the pursuit changes direction.

9. Lam yanḍaḥ bi-māʾ: negation and stamina

In lam yanḍaḥ bi-māʾ, *lam* negates the imperfect verb and gives it a past reference with the jussive form. *Naḍḥ* relates to sprinkling, oozing, or noticeable wetness; here it evokes sweat or moisture after running.

Fa-yughsal expresses the further consequence, that the horse was not in need of washing. This is poetic praise through hyperbole, not a literal biological assertion about how all horses sweat.

10. Verse 67: preparing the hunted meat

فَظَلَّ طُهَاةُ اللَّحْمِ مِنْ بَيْنِ مُنْضِجٍ صَفِيفَ شِوَاءٍ أَوْ قَدِيرٍ مُعَجَّلِ
Then the meat-cooks were occupied, some preparing pieces of meat for roasting, and others cooking it promptly in a pot.

The scene shifts from pursuit to preparation for a meal. Two cooking methods are contrasted: roasting pieces over a fire and cooking meat in a vessel.

Thus the result of the horse’s performance enters the story. The chase has succeeded, and the quarry now provides food for the company.

11. Ṭuhāt: vocabulary and plural form

Ṭuhāt is the plural of *ṭāhin/ṭāhī* (“cook”), from ṭahā yaṭhū, “to cook.” It identifies those engaged in preparing food, not those merely pursuing animals.

Ṭuhātu l-laḥmi is an iḍāfah: “the cooks of the meat.” It serves as the subject of ẓalla, a verb which, in a past narrative, can convey the continuation of an activity or state.

12. Ṣafīf shiwāʾ: meat prepared for roasting

Ṣafīf derives from the idea of arranging items in rows. In this setting it refers to strips or pieces of meat laid out for roasting. Shiwāʾ means roasting or roast meat.

The phrase ṣafīfa shiwāʾin goes beyond merely cutting meat: it depicts pieces arranged for a particular method of cooking. The poet presents an almost close-up view of the work following the hunt.

13. Qadīr muʿajjal: quickly cooked meat in a pot

Qadīr refers to meat cooked in a pot, related to qidr (“cooking vessel”). Muʿajjal is a passive participle from Form II, conveying “prepared hastily” in this context.

ExpressionCooking method
Ṣafīf shiwāʾStrips arranged for roasting
Qadīr muʿajjalMeat cooked quickly in a pot

14. Min bayni munḍij: groups engaged in different tasks

Min bayni munḍijin ... aw qadīrin muʿajjal divides the company by what its members are doing. Munḍij is an active participle of Form IV *anḍaja*: someone who brings food to the cooked state.

Here min bayni helps present distinct activities: some prepare roasted meat, while others attend to food cooked in a vessel. The success of the hunt is therefore shown as a shared event, not merely the rider’s private achievement.

15. Verse 68: returning and the gaze that falls short

وَرُحْنَا يَكَادُ الطَّرْفُ يَقْصُرُ دُونَهُ مَتَى مَا تَرَقَّ الْعَيْنُ فِيهِ تَسَفَّلِ
Then we returned, and the gaze almost failed to take in the horse’s full figure; whenever the eye rose to view his upper form, it fell back down.

Wa-ruḥnā introduces the return. Yakādu l-ṭarfu yaqṣuru dūnahu depicts the eye as unequal to fully taking in the horse’s imposing beauty and proportions.

The eye rises toward his higher features but comes back down. Motion has changed form: the horse is no longer the focus of a chase; the gaze itself moves.

16. Al-ṭarf: a literary word for the gaze

Al-ṭarf refers to the movement of the eye or the gaze, from the root ṭ-r-f. Yaqṣuru here means to fall short or fail to reach the full extent of something.

The phrase yakādu l-ṭarfu yaqṣuru dūnahu does not claim a literal impairment of sight. It is a literary way of magnifying the horse’s impressive stature and visual appeal.

17. Yakādu and the imperfect: something almost happens

Yakādu is a verb of approximation. With a following imperfect verb it suggests that an action is on the verge of taking place. Yakādu l-ṭarfu yaqṣuru therefore means that the gaze almost fails to encompass the horse’s full figure.

Compare:
Yakādu l-ṭarfu yaqṣuru — The eye nearly falls short.
Qaṣura l-ṭarfu — The eye fell short.

The first is more evocative: it conveys near occurrence and a heightened impression instead of reporting only a completed fact.

18. When the eye rises, it moves downward

Matā mā means “whenever” and introduces repeated or conditional action. Taraqqā means to rise or climb higher, whereas tasaffal means to descend or turn downward. These two movements create a striking semantic contrast.

The rising and falling eye gives a sense of attention moving over the horse’s different features. The purpose is to dramatize a majestic, well-proportioned figure that continually draws the observer’s gaze.

19. Verse 69: saddle, bridle, and standing through the night

فَبَاتَ عَلَيْهِ سَرْجُهُ وَلِجَامُهُ وَبَاتَ بِعَيْنِي قَائِمًا غَيْرَ مُرْسَلِ
Its saddle and bridle remained upon it through the night, and it stood before my eyes, not released to pasture.

The noise of the hunt has ended, but the horse remains fully equipped. Bāta indicates spending the night, and its repetition joins the two states.

Ghayra mursal shows that the horse was not sent away to graze. The scene closes by emphasizing the animal’s importance and its continued nearness and readiness.

20. Sarj and lijām: riding equipment

Sarj is the saddle placed on the horse’s back, while lijām is the bridle used to guide and control the mount. Mentioning both together creates the image of a horse kept fully equipped.

In ʿalayhi sarjuhu wa-lijāmuhu, both possessive suffixes -hu refer to the horse. The riding equipment remains with it even after the hunting expedition has ended.

21. Fa-bāta ... wa-bāta: purposeful repetition

Fa-bāta ... wa-bāta repeats the same verb to build two parallel statements. The first tells us what was on the horse: saddle and bridle. The second tells us the horse’s state: standing nearby, not set free.

This parallelism and repetition gives the ending emphasis. A whole night is conveyed in two compact clauses, while the horse’s role changes from active pursuit to continued attendance and readiness.

22. Qāʾiman ghayra mursal: grammatical states

Qāʾiman is an active participle in the accusative and, with bāta used as a deficient verb, serves as its predicate (khabar): the horse remained standing through the night. Ghayra mursal further qualifies that condition: not let go. Mursal is a passive participle of Form IV *arsala*, “to send or release.”

The contrast matters: qāʾim describes what the horse is doing; mursal concerns how it is treated. One expresses standing, the other release or non-release.

23. An integrated view of five verses

VerseMain scene
65Reaching the leaders of the herd
66Continuous pursuit and stamina
67Roasting and cooking the meat
68Admiring the horse’s stature on return
69Standing saddled and bridled at night

The sequence is chase → success → return → night vigil. Each verse adds a consequence of the preceding event; the five verses are a connected narrative unit, not a collection of disconnected similes.

24. Core grammar and rhetorical techniques

ExpressionTeaching point
فَأَلْحَقْنَاForm IV: reaching the leading animals
عَادَى عِدَاءًCognate accusative intensifying the action
يَكَادُ ... يَقْصُرُVerb of approximation
تَرَقَّ ... تَسَفَّلِContrast of rising and descending
بَاتَ ... بَاتَRepetition and syntactic parallelism

These features matter beyond formal parsing: each gives the poetry additional semantic force.

25. The narrative close and the next poetic scene

The horse’s portrait has become a complete narrative. Verses 65–66 show speed and endurance inside the hunt; 67 gives the material outcome; 68 describes visual admiration; and 69 shows the horse standing ready through the night.

The horse is valued as a companion in travel and hunting through action, strength, beauty, and nearness. The next line, Aṣāḥi tarā barqan urīka wamīḍahu, begins a different descriptive scene of lightning and rain, reserved for the next lesson.