صَادَفْنَ مِنْهَا غِرَّةً فَأَصَبْنَهَا إِنَّ الْمَنَايَا لَا تَطِيشُ سِهَامُهَا
The predators caught her unawares and struck; indeed, death’s arrows do not miss their mark.
Ghirrah is an unguarded moment. The feminine plural verb ṣādafna returns to the predators of the previous verse. Their attack leads to a general statement.
Death’s arrows do not stray gives death the attributes of an unfailing archer. The poet rises from a specific incident to a universal maxim.
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Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: The Bereaved Wild Cow, Rain and the Hunting Dogs (Verses 36–53)
صَادَفْنَ مِنْهَا غِرَّةً فَأَصَبْنَهَا إِنَّ الْمَنَايَا لَا تَطِيشُ سِهَامُهَا
The predators caught her unawares and struck; indeed, death’s arrows do not miss their mark.
Ghirrah is an unguarded moment. The feminine plural verb ṣādafna returns to the predators of the previous verse. Their attack leads to a general statement.
Death’s arrows do not stray gives death the attributes of an unfailing archer. The poet rises from a specific incident to a universal maxim.