وَفِي الْحَيِّ أَحْوَى يَنْفُضُ الْمَرْدَ شَادِنٌ / مُظَاهِرُ سِمْطَيْ لُؤْلُؤٍ وَزَبَرْجَدِ
Within the tribe is a captivating figure like a dark-lipped young gazelle, shaking tender growth from itself, as though adorned with two strands of pearl and emerald-like stone.
Aḥwā refers to a dark or dusky coloring, especially about the lips; shādin is a young, growing gazelle; and simṭ is a strand of a necklace. The poet blends human beauty with a gazelle’s delicacy and the sheen of jewelry.
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Ṭarafah ibn al-ʿAbd: Ruins, Ships, Gazelle, and Beauty (Verses 1–10)
وَفِي الْحَيِّ أَحْوَى يَنْفُضُ الْمَرْدَ شَادِنٌ / مُظَاهِرُ سِمْطَيْ لُؤْلُؤٍ وَزَبَرْجَدِ
Within the tribe is a captivating figure like a dark-lipped young gazelle, shaking tender growth from itself, as though adorned with two strands of pearl and emerald-like stone.
Aḥwā refers to a dark or dusky coloring, especially about the lips; shādin is a young, growing gazelle; and simṭ is a strand of a necklace. The poet blends human beauty with a gazelle’s delicacy and the sheen of jewelry.