طَوَّحَتْ بِي طَوَائِحُ الزَّمَنِ
The vicissitudes of time flung me far away.
طَوَّحَتْ بِي suggests being thrown or driven far afield. طَوَائِحُ الزَّمَن evokes the changing, uncontrollable turns of fortune.
Instead of simply saying he arrived somewhere, the narrator presents time as a force moving him against his wishes. The image intensifies his sense of helplessness.
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The Ṣanʿāʾ Maqāmah: A Stranger with Empty Provisions
طَوَّحَتْ بِي طَوَائِحُ الزَّمَنِ
The vicissitudes of time flung me far away.
طَوَّحَتْ بِي suggests being thrown or driven far afield. طَوَائِحُ الزَّمَن evokes the changing, uncontrollable turns of fortune.
Instead of simply saying he arrived somewhere, the narrator presents time as a force moving him against his wishes. The image intensifies his sense of helplessness.