تَبَصَّرْ خَلِيلِي هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ ظَعَائِنٍ تَحَمَّلْنَ بِالْعَلْيَاءِ مِنْ فَوْقِ جُرْثُمِ
Look closely, my friend: can you see the women’s travelling litters setting out across the high ground above Jurthum?
Tabaṣṣar calls for careful observation rather than a casual glance. With khalīlī (“my friend”), the picture takes the form of direct address. The question hal tarā invites us to search the horizon, while taḥammalna indicates departure with travelling equipment.
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Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā: The Departing Caravan, Travel Imagery and Similes (Verses 7–15)
تَبَصَّرْ خَلِيلِي هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ ظَعَائِنٍ تَحَمَّلْنَ بِالْعَلْيَاءِ مِنْ فَوْقِ جُرْثُمِ
Look closely, my friend: can you see the women’s travelling litters setting out across the high ground above Jurthum?
Tabaṣṣar calls for careful observation rather than a casual glance. With khalīlī (“my friend”), the picture takes the form of direct address. The question hal tarā invites us to search the horizon, while taḥammalna indicates departure with travelling equipment.