LessonsṬarafah: Three Pleasures of Life and the Certainty of Death (Verses 55–67)Quiz

فَمِنْهُنَّ سَبْقِي الْعَاذِلَاتِ بِشَرْبَةٍ
كُمَيْتٍ مَتَى مَا تُعَلَّ بِالْمَاءِ تَزْبُدِ
Meaning: The first is to drink a reddish beverage before the women who rebuke me, a drink that froths when water is added to it.

Sabqī al-ʿādhilāt means preceding the reprovers; kumayt indicates a reddish hue, and tazbud describes the formation of foam. The poet names drinking as one of his preferred pleasures in his historical setting. The lesson examines the vocabulary and characterization without recommending the practice.

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Verse 58: the first pleasure—being first to drink

Ṭarafah: Three Pleasures of Life and the Certainty of Death (Verses 55–67)

فَمِنْهُنَّ سَبْقِي الْعَاذِلَاتِ بِشَرْبَةٍ
كُمَيْتٍ مَتَى مَا تُعَلَّ بِالْمَاءِ تَزْبُدِ
Meaning: The first is to drink a reddish beverage before the women who rebuke me, a drink that froths when water is added to it.

Sabqī al-ʿādhilāt means preceding the reprovers; kumayt indicates a reddish hue, and tazbud describes the formation of foam. The poet names drinking as one of his preferred pleasures in his historical setting. The lesson examines the vocabulary and characterization without recommending the practice.