The verse can be analysed through the traditional elements of simile:
ElementIn this verseThing describedTeeth revealed by a smileComparison imagesPearls, hail, white flowersShared featureWhiteness, shine, harmonious arrangementMarkerKaʾannamā (“as though”)
Aw (“or”) introduces alternative visual comparisons; it is not a statement that the teeth literally consist of these substances.
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The Ḥulwān Maqāmah: A Literary Assembly and a Contest of Verse
The verse can be analysed through the traditional elements of simile:
ElementIn this verseThing describedTeeth revealed by a smileComparison imagesPearls, hail, white flowersShared featureWhiteness, shine, harmonious arrangementMarkerKaʾannamā (“as though”)
Aw (“or”) introduces alternative visual comparisons; it is not a statement that the teeth literally consist of these substances.