«وَاسْتَوْطَنَّا الْوِهَادَ وَاسْتَوْطَأْنَا الْقَتَادَ»
We made the lowlands our home and trod upon—or lay upon—thorny growth.
Wihād, plural of wahdah, means low-lying ground; qatād is a harsh thorn-bearing plant. The first verb portrays a forced change of dwelling; the second makes even a place of rest painful.
Istawaṭannā / istawṭaʾnā are similar in sound but not identical in meaning. The contrast of location and physical discomfort intensifies the loss of ordinary shelter.
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The Dīnārī Maqāmah: From Hunger to a Dinar’s Praise
«وَاسْتَوْطَنَّا الْوِهَادَ وَاسْتَوْطَأْنَا الْقَتَادَ»
We made the lowlands our home and trod upon—or lay upon—thorny growth.
Wihād, plural of wahdah, means low-lying ground; qatād is a harsh thorn-bearing plant. The first verb portrays a forced change of dwelling; the second makes even a place of rest painful.
Istawaṭannā / istawṭaʾnā are similar in sound but not identical in meaning. The contrast of location and physical discomfort intensifies the loss of ordinary shelter.