LessonsLabīd ibn Rabīʿah: Wild Asses, Thirst, Desert Travel and the Watercourse (Verses 25–35)Quiz

The preceding verse compared the she-camel’s momentum to a cloud driven swiftly by the wind. Aw mulmiʿun introduces a second image for that motion: a female wild ass and the male accompanying her through harsh desert conditions.

The sequence brings thirst, a long season, the male’s vigilance, rocky heights, summer wind and a search for water into a connected narrative. The main point of comparison is not bodily appearance but energetic movement under difficult conditions.

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Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: Wild Asses, Thirst, Desert Travel and the Watercourse (Verses 25–35)

11 complete Arabic verses, 25 bilingual teaching slides, and 30 explanatory quiz questions Read the bilingual lesson for Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: Wild Asses, Thirst, Desert Travel and the Watercourse (Verses 25–35) and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. A new comparison: from the she-camel to wild asses

The preceding verse compared the she-camel’s momentum to a cloud driven swiftly by the wind. Aw mulmiʿun introduces a second image for that motion: a female wild ass and the male accompanying her through harsh desert conditions.

The sequence brings thirst, a long season, the male’s vigilance, rocky heights, summer wind and a search for water into a connected narrative. The main point of comparison is not bodily appearance but energetic movement under difficult conditions.

2. Verse 25: the female wild ass and the male’s hardship

أَوْ مُلْمِعٌ وَسَقَتْ لِأَحْقَبَ لَاحَهُ ۞ طَرْدُ الْفُحُولِ وَضَرْبُهَا وَكِدَامُهَا
Or like a female wild ass carrying the offspring of a male made lean by driving away rivals, their blows and their bites.

Mulmiʿ describes a female wild ass, associated with the appearance of milk in the udder. In this context wasaqat signifies conceiving or carrying young, rather than merely carrying a physical load. The male’s condition is conveyed through three kinds of conflict: chasing, striking and biting.

3. Mulmiʿ, aḥqab and kidām: contextual vocabulary

Mulmiʿ characterizes the female; aḥqab is the male associated with her. Lāḥahu here suggests bodily leanness. Ṭard means driving away; ḍarb, striking; and kidām, biting or bruising with the teeth.

The coordinated verbal nouns in ṭardu al-fuḥūli wa-ḍarbuhā wa-kidāmuhā accumulate physical actions. The passage thus conveys prolonged contest and exhaustion, not a single isolated encounter.

4. Verse 26: rising ground and the male’s vigilance

يَعْلُو بِهَا حَدَبَ الْإِكَامِ مُسَحَّجٌ ۞ قَدْ رَابَهُ عِصْيَانُهَا وَوِحَامُهَا
A scarred male takes her over the high parts of the hills; her refusal to comply and her unusual cravings have made him uneasy.

Musaḥḥaj describes an animal marked by scratches. Ḥadaba al-ikām denotes the raised tops of knolls or low hills. The male’s ascent and concern about the female’s behaviour add alertness and uncertainty to the scene of movement.

5. ʿIṣyān and wiḥām: interpreting the animal’s behaviour

ʿIṣyānuhā refers to the female’s resistance or refusal to follow the male, while wiḥāmuhā refers to changes of appetite or disposition associated with pregnancy. Together they explain the male’s anxiety.

Grammatically rābahu is a past verb with the male as its pronominal object; the stated causes are ʿiṣyānuhā wa-wiḥāmuhā. The action appears first, followed by the explanation for his unease.

6. Verse 27: the rocky heights of al-Thalabūt

بِأَحِرَّةِ الثَّلَبُوتِ يَرْبَأُ فَوْقَهَا ۞ قَفْرُ الْمَرَاقِبِ خَوْفُهَا آرَامُهَا
On the stony heights of al-Thalabūt he keeps watch over her; his lookout places are deserted and distant markers keep him on guard.

Al-Thalabūt is a place name, not a common noun requiring a general gloss. Yarbaʾu expresses keeping watch. Qafru al-marāqib makes the lookouts desolate, while ārām refers to prominent markers or stone features seen at a distance.

7. Yarbaʾu and marāqib: watching and lookout points

Yarbaʾu is an imperfect verb; its form suits sustained watchfulness. Marāqib, plural of marqabah, are lookout heights. Qafr denotes deserted, uninhabited land.

The verse links internal anxiety, an external landscape of empty lookouts, and the heights of al-Thalabūt. Such spatial description prepares the reader for the rapid motion that follows.

8. Verse 28: a dry season and prolonged thirst

حَتَّى إِذَا سَلَخَا جُمَادَى سِتَّةً ۞ جَزْءًا فَطَالَ صِيَامُهُ وَصِيَامُهَا
They passed six months of the cold season without taking water; the period of abstention from drinking became long for both male and female.

Salakhā describes the passage of a period. Jumādā is associated here with the cold season in the commentary. Jazʾan concerns refraining from water and ṣiyām similarly denotes abstention from drinking; this is not the technical religious fast.

9. Salakhā, jazʾan and ṣiyām: meanings in context

ExpressionFormContextual senseسَلَخَاDual past verbThe two passed the periodجَزْءًاVerbal noun / stateRemaining without waterصِيَامُهُ وَصِيَامُهَاTwo possessive constructionsThe male’s and female’s thirst

The dual verb and the final pair of pronouns show that the long dry season affects both animals. The poem avoids making one of them the sole bearer of hardship.

10. Verse 29: the firm decision to seek water

رَجَعَا بِأَمْرِهِمَا إِلَى ذِي مِرَّةٍ ۞ حَصِدٍ وَنَجْحُ صَرِيمَةٍ إِبْرَامُهَا
Then the two resolved upon a firm, determined course: their decision required strength and its success lay in carrying it through.

Dhī mirratin ḥaṣid conveys strength and firmness of determination. Ṣarīmah means a resolved plan, and ibrām its firm conclusion. After prolonged thirst, desire alone is insufficient; a decision now becomes purposeful movement.

11. Two animals, one destination: unity of the episode

Mulmiʿ names the female, and aḥqab the male. The poet gives them distinct roles: the male faces rivals and keeps watch, while the female’s pregnancy and resistance are described. The later dual verbs salakhā and rajaʿā nonetheless join them in one course of action.

Their different circumstances converge on a common destination: the search for water. This unifies the extended image as a narrative with development and purpose, rather than a sequence of disconnected descriptions.

12. Rajaʿā and ibrām: syntax of decisive action

Rajaʿā is a dual past verb, referring to the pair. In bi-amrihimā, amr carries a dual possessive suffix. Ilā dhī mirrah points to firm judgment or resolve.

The second hemistich, najḥu ṣarīmatin ibrāmuhā, has a nominal-sentence structure: successful resolve consists in making the decision firm. A moment in an animal narrative thus acquires the quality of a general maxim.

13. Verse 30: stones beneath the hooves and the summer wind

وَرَمَى دَوَابِرَهَا السَّفَا وَتَهَيَّجَتْ ۞ رِيحُ الْمَصَايِفِ سَوْمُهَا وَسُهَامُهَا
As they hurried, pebbles flew behind their hind feet; the summer winds rose in their scorching force and severity.

Dawābir refers to the hind parts or hind feet, while safā denotes small hard stones or pebbles. Tahayyajat expresses rising and intensifying. Instead of simply asserting that the animals run fast, the poet makes us see the consequences: scattering gravel and harsh wind.

14. Dawābir, safā and maṣāyif: motion and season

Dawābir is the plural of dābir, relating to what is behind. Safā means hard pebbles displaced by movement. Maṣāyif, plural of maṣyaf, relates to the summer season and its settings.

The pebbles thrown from behind the feet are physical evidence of momentum. The hot wind in the second hemistich intensifies the environmental challenge against which the animals move.

15. Verse 31: dust rising in a long plume

فَتَنَازَعَا سَبْطًا يَطِيرُ ظِلَالُهُ ۞ كَدُخَانِ مُشْعَلَةٍ يَشُبُّ ضِرَامُهَا
The two rushed forward, raising a long trail of dust whose dark spread rose like smoke from a fiercely burning fire.

Fa-tanāzaʿā depicts the pair striving or racing together. Sabṭan is explained as a long, extended plume of dust. Ka-dukhāni mushʿalah supplies the simile: earthbound dust is pictured as smoke rising above a vigorous fire.

16. Dust and smoke: analysing the simile

ElementImage in the verseSubjectDust raised by the racing wild assesComparisonDense smoke of a blazing fireMarkerka- in ka-dukhānShared featureA tall, thick, rising plume

The simile is predominantly visual. Dust rising at a distance resembles smoke lifting from a fire. A few stones at the hooves have now developed into an expansive image filling the scene.

17. Verse 32: dry brushwood and burning smoke

مَشْمُولَةً غُلِثَتْ بِنَابِتِ عَرْفَجٍ ۞ كَدُخَانِ نَارٍ سَاطِعٍ أَسْنَامُهَا
The smoke-like trail resembles a fire struck by the north wind and fed with ʿarfaj brushwood, sending its thick, towering smoke upward.

Mashmūlah indicates exposure to the north wind. Ghulithat concerns mixing material into the fire, while ʿarfaj is a desert shrub used as brushwood. The preceding verse named smoke; this verse supplies wind and fuel, making the image more concrete.

18. Mashmūlah and ghulithat: passive forms and context

Mashmūlah has a feminine passive-participial form, indicating the effect of a north wind. Ghulithat is a feminine passive past verb, describing fuel being mixed into the fire. ʿArfaj identifies the desert vegetation.

Sāṭiʿin asnāmuhā evokes high peaks or projections. Since sanām literally means a camel’s hump, applying the idea to the rising forms of smoke creates an image resembling metaphor.

19. Verse 33: the male takes the lead

فَمَضَى وَقَدَّمَهَا وَكَانَتْ عَادَةً ۞ مِنْهُ إِذَا هِيَ عَرَّدَتْ إِقْدَامُهَا
The male moved on and urged her forward; whenever she hesitated or fell behind, taking the lead was his established habit.

Fa-maḍā and qaddamahā are consecutive actions: moving ahead and bringing the female forward. ʿArradat expresses reluctance or drawing back. The final phrase about proceeding refers to the male’s habitual action when the female falls behind.

20. Maḍā, qaddama and ʿarrada: contrasting movement verbs

VerbCore senseNarrative roleمَضَىHe went aheadThe male’s movementقَدَّمَهَاHe brought her forwardGuidance of the femaleعَرَّدَتْShe hesitated or withdrewThe female’s reluctance

These verbs avoid a monotonous account of running. They contrast forward initiative with hesitation, making the pair’s shared journey dynamic and purposeful.

21. Verse 34: arriving at the watercourse

فَتَوَسَّطَا عُرْضَ السَّرِيِّ وَصَدَّعَا ۞ مَسْجُورَةً مُتَجَاوِرًا قَلَّامُهَا
They reached the middle of a narrow watercourse and entered a water-filled place bordered by closely growing qallām plants.

Al-sariyy denotes a small stream or channel. Masjūrah refers to a place filled with water, and qallām to vegetation growing nearby. The earlier prolonged thirst now meets its narrative answer as the animals arrive at water.

22. Dust, smoke and water: a changing sensory landscape

At first safā makes the ground move under the animals’ hooves. Then sabṭan and dukhān shift attention upward, as rising dust resembles smoke. Finally sariyy, qallām and yarāʿ bring the reader toward water and vegetation.

The sensory setting passes through three spaces: dry earth, dust in the air, and the shaded edge of water. The force of the simile arises from this gradual movement through a recognizable landscape.

23. ʿUrḍa al-sariyy and masjūrah: grammar and setting

Fa-tawassaṭā is a dual past verb meaning that the two reached the middle. ʿUrḍa al-sariyy locates the action across or within the small stream, with sariyy as the genitive complement. Masjūratan describes an implied pool or water-filled place.

Mutajāwiran qallāmuhā shows the plants clustered near one another. The poet presents the location through three spatial details: its shape, the water filling it, and its enclosing vegetation.

24. Verse 35: a watering place enclosed by reeds

مَحْفُوفَةً وَسْطَ الْيَرَاعِ يُظِلُّهَا ۞ مِنْهُ مُصَرَّعُ غَابَةٍ وَقِيَامُهَا
The watering place lay enclosed among reeds, shaded by some stalks that had fallen and others still standing.

Maḥfūfah describes being surrounded. Yarāʿ is reed-like vegetation; ghābah is a thick stand of reeds. Muṣarraʿ refers to fallen stalks, while qiyām refers to those still upright. Their contrast visualizes a shaded space around water.

25. From arid desert to water: the narrative sequence

StageTextual markersConflict and hardshipṭard, ḍarb, kidāmWatchfulness and fearyarbaʾu, marāqibThirst and resolveṣiyām, ṣarīmahRunning and dustsafā, dukhānWater and reedssariyy, qallām, yarāʿ

The comparison develops into an extended scene, with a cause, an ordeal, purposeful exertion and a destination. Rather than just calling the she-camel swift, the poet tells an entire animal narrative. The closing reeds and water complete the movement from thirst and dust to a sheltered destination.

Practice questions

Question 1

What new animal image begins with aw mulmiʿun in verse 25?

  • A female wild ass
  • A hunting falcon
  • A desert wolf
  • A wild camel

Question 2

What does wasaqat mean here?

  • She tied a load
  • She conceived
  • She raised her voice
  • She gathered fodder

Question 3

What do ṭard, ḍarb and kidām collectively convey?

  • Three seasons
  • Three kinds of water
  • Physical struggle against rival males
  • Three parts of a nest

Question 4

What does musaḥḥaj mean in verse 26?

  • Very fat
  • White-feathered
  • Washed by rain
  • Marked by scratches

Question 5

What landscape is indicated by ḥadaba al-ikām?

  • The rises of knolls and low hills
  • A deep sea
  • A town market
  • A level garden bed

Question 6

Who is the referent of -hu in rābahu?

  • The mountain
  • The male wild ass
  • The summer wind
  • The qallām plant

Question 7

What is al-Thalabūt in the verse?

  • An imperfect verb
  • A foal’s name
  • A particular place name
  • A kind of fast

Question 8

What is the principal sense of yarbaʾu?

  • To repay a debt
  • To dry a pond
  • To build a nest
  • To keep watch or remain alert

Question 9

Marāqib is the plural of which noun?

  • Marqabah: a lookout point
  • Miṣbāḥ: a lamp
  • Markab: a mount
  • Majlis: an assembly

Question 10

In verse 28, abstention in ṣiyām chiefly concerns what?

  • Not speaking
  • Abstaining from water
  • Not moving
  • Not dreaming

Question 11

What grammatical number does salakhā have?

  • Feminine singular imperative
  • Plural imperfect
  • Past tense, dual
  • Passive participle

Question 12

What does the paired phrase ṣiyāmuhu wa-ṣiyāmuhā emphasize?

  • The male’s death alone
  • The start of autumn
  • A caravan tent
  • The prolonged hardship of both animals

Question 13

What idea connects ṣarīmah and ibrām?

  • Resolve and its firm confirmation
  • Fear and flight
  • Colour and scent
  • Night and morning

Question 14

Who performs the action expressed by rajaʿā?

  • Two poets
  • The two wild asses
  • Two clouds
  • Two trees

Question 15

What does al-safā denote in verse 30?

  • Winter
  • A horse’s neck
  • Small hard pebbles
  • The surface of water

Question 16

What direction or part is expressed by dawābir?

  • The forehead
  • Between the ears
  • Tail hair only
  • The rear parts or hind feet

Question 17

What is pictured by tahayyajat rīḥu al-maṣāyif?

  • The rising of harsh summer wind
  • Freezing snow
  • The darkness of night
  • Gentle spring rain

Question 18

To what is the dust compared in verse 31?

  • Moonlit water
  • Smoke from a blazing fire
  • A camel’s hump
  • The edge of a sword

Question 19

In context, what does fa-tanāzaʿā convey?

  • Both fell asleep
  • Both sank under water
  • The two strove or raced together
  • Both parted company

Question 20

What is the role of sabṭan in verse 31?

  • Grazing grass
  • An animal’s teeth
  • A rain cloud
  • A long extended dust plume

Question 21

Which form is ghulithat?

  • Feminine past passive
  • Dual imperative
  • First-person imperfect
  • Dual active participle

Question 22

What is ʿarfaj?

  • A stream
  • A desert shrub
  • A mountain wild ass
  • A sea wave

Question 23

Which wind is associated with mashmūlah?

  • South wind
  • East sea breeze
  • North wind
  • No wind at all

Question 24

Who is referred to by -hā in qaddamahā?

  • The fire
  • The stream
  • The summer wind
  • The female wild ass

Question 25

What does ʿarradat mean in this passage?

  • She hesitated or drew back
  • She quickly slept
  • She changed colour
  • She climbed a tall tree

Question 26

In verse 34, what is al-sariyy?

  • A bird’s wing
  • A small stream or water channel
  • The top of a hill
  • A long rope

Question 27

What condition is expressed by masjūrah?

  • A completely dry mountain
  • Deep darkness
  • A water-filled basin or pool
  • The hump of a camel

Question 28

What kind of things do qallām and yarāʿ name?

  • Tribal weapons
  • Sounds made by a male animal
  • Varieties of dates
  • Vegetation near water

Question 29

What contrast is created by muṣarraʿ and qiyām?

  • Fallen and standing reeds
  • Small and large animals
  • Good and bad companions
  • Dry and wet food

Question 30

What is the primary function of the extended animal scene in verses 25–35?

  • Only to list tribal ancestry
  • To convey the mount’s speed and endurance
  • To price weapons
  • To set out trade rules

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