«لَهَا نَحَافَةُ الصَّبِّ … وَآلَةُ الْحَرْبِ وَلدُونَةُ الْغُصْنِ الرَّطْبِ»
It should have a lover’s slenderness, a weapon’s sharpness, and a fresh branch’s flexibility.
The toothpick is likened successively to a slender lover, a sharp weapon, and a supple young branch. The extravagant mixture of romance, warfare, and nature produces humour. The literary point lies in Abū Zayd’s clever layering of comparisons, not in the practical feasibility of such a product.
Opening interactive controls...
The Barqaʿīd Maqāmah: Abū Zayd’s Sight, the Cleansing Ruse and His Escape
«لَهَا نَحَافَةُ الصَّبِّ … وَآلَةُ الْحَرْبِ وَلدُونَةُ الْغُصْنِ الرَّطْبِ»
It should have a lover’s slenderness, a weapon’s sharpness, and a fresh branch’s flexibility.
The toothpick is likened successively to a slender lover, a sharp weapon, and a supple young branch. The extravagant mixture of romance, warfare, and nature produces humour. The literary point lies in Abū Zayd’s clever layering of comparisons, not in the practical feasibility of such a product.