LessonsZuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā: Age, Mortality, Honor, and Keeping Promises (Verses 43–52)Quiz

The ʿashwāʾ of verse 48 pictures the unpredictability of death. The anyāb (fangs) and mansim (hoof) of verse 49 picture the harsh costs of poor judgment. In each case bodily force makes an otherwise abstract human condition tangible.

Yuḍarras describes being bitten or crushed with teeth; yūṭaʾ describes being trampled. Both are passive, focusing attention on consequences rather than on a named aggressor.

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Two animal images: the she-camel and the hoof

Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā: Age, Mortality, Honor, and Keeping Promises (Verses 43–52)

The ʿashwāʾ of verse 48 pictures the unpredictability of death. The anyāb (fangs) and mansim (hoof) of verse 49 picture the harsh costs of poor judgment. In each case bodily force makes an otherwise abstract human condition tangible.

Yuḍarras describes being bitten or crushed with teeth; yūṭaʾ describes being trampled. Both are passive, focusing attention on consequences rather than on a named aggressor.