In jalā al-suyūlu ʿani-ṭ-ṭulūl, jalā is the perfect verb, al-suyūl its subject and ʿan al-ṭulūl a prepositional complement. Kaʾannahā introduces the comparison, referring to the uncovered traces.
In tujiddu mutūnahā aqlāmuhā, “pens” is the subject and “their surfaces/texts” the object; this reverses the more familiar prose order. Presenting both the writing and the pens that renew it gives motion to the simile.
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Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: Deserted Dwellings, Seasons, Wildlife and Traces of the Past (Verses 1–10)
In jalā al-suyūlu ʿani-ṭ-ṭulūl, jalā is the perfect verb, al-suyūl its subject and ʿan al-ṭulūl a prepositional complement. Kaʾannahā introduces the comparison, referring to the uncovered traces.
In tujiddu mutūnahā aqlāmuhā, “pens” is the subject and “their surfaces/texts” the object; this reverses the more familiar prose order. Presenting both the writing and the pens that renew it gives motion to the simile.