«وَضَرَبَتِ الْبَلُّورَ بِالدُّرَرِ»
She struck crystal with pearls.
In this context, crystal evokes translucent fingers or the hand, while pearls represent white teeth. The same fingertip-biting action from the first verse now returns in the vocabulary of precious materials.
The physical action is the meeting of fingertips and teeth; crystal and pearls are the figurative language used to describe it. The line should not be read as a literal account of gemstones striking one another.
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The Ḥulwān Maqāmah: Recognition and the Turns of Fortune
«وَضَرَبَتِ الْبَلُّورَ بِالدُّرَرِ»
She struck crystal with pearls.
In this context, crystal evokes translucent fingers or the hand, while pearls represent white teeth. The same fingertip-biting action from the first verse now returns in the vocabulary of precious materials.
The physical action is the meeting of fingertips and teeth; crystal and pearls are the figurative language used to describe it. The line should not be read as a literal account of gemstones striking one another.