«يَا مَنْ تَظُنُّ السَّرَابَ مَاءً / لَمَا رَوَيْتَ الَّذِي رَوَيْتُ»
O you who mistook a mirage for water when I told the tale I told!
Al-sarāb is a mirage: a shimmering appearance that can resemble water at a distance. Abū Zayd compares al-Ḥārith’s credulity to a traveller misreading an appearance.
The echo of rawayta / rawaytu adds sound play, while the water imagery reinforces the mirage. The verse asks the reader to distinguish a vivid telling from a verified fact.
Opening interactive controls...
The Kūfan Maqāmah: The Lost-Son Secret and Abū Zayd’s Final Ruse
«يَا مَنْ تَظُنُّ السَّرَابَ مَاءً / لَمَا رَوَيْتَ الَّذِي رَوَيْتُ»
O you who mistook a mirage for water when I told the tale I told!
Al-sarāb is a mirage: a shimmering appearance that can resemble water at a distance. Abū Zayd compares al-Ḥārith’s credulity to a traveller misreading an appearance.
The echo of rawayta / rawaytu adds sound play, while the water imagery reinforces the mirage. The verse asks the reader to distinguish a vivid telling from a verified fact.