وَتُضِيءُ فِي وَجْهِ الظَّلَامِ مُنِيرَةً كَجُمَانَةِ الْبَحْرِيِّ سُلَّ نِظَامُهَا
Against the darkness she shines like a sea pearl taken from its string.
Tuḍīʾu describes brightness. The image ka-jumānat al-baḥriyyi likens the pale animal to a sea pearl, sulla niẓāmuhā meaning removed from its string.
The “face of darkness” personifies night; against it the animal’s brightness becomes especially striking. The simile depends on contrast in color and visibility.
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Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: The Bereaved Wild Cow, Rain and the Hunting Dogs (Verses 36–53)
وَتُضِيءُ فِي وَجْهِ الظَّلَامِ مُنِيرَةً كَجُمَانَةِ الْبَحْرِيِّ سُلَّ نِظَامُهَا
Against the darkness she shines like a sea pearl taken from its string.
Tuḍīʾu describes brightness. The image ka-jumānat al-baḥriyyi likens the pale animal to a sea pearl, sulla niẓāmuhā meaning removed from its string.
The “face of darkness” personifies night; against it the animal’s brightness becomes especially striking. The simile depends on contrast in color and visibility.