«هُوَ الْكَلْبُ إِلَّا أَنَّ فِيهِ مَلَالَةً»
He is like a dog, except that he also has weariness,
«وَسُوءَ مُرَاعَاةٍ، وَمَا ذَاكَ فِي الْكَلْبِ»
and poor loyalty—faults not found in the dog.
The subject is first criticized through an unfavorable comparison. The exception-like turn could seem to promise a mitigating point, but instead introduces weariness and poor fidelity as further faults, while exempting the animal from those flaws. Thus the censure is intensified.
Opening interactive controls...
Semantic Embellishments II: Gathering, Differentiation, Division, Hyperbole, and Further Devices
«هُوَ الْكَلْبُ إِلَّا أَنَّ فِيهِ مَلَالَةً»
He is like a dog, except that he also has weariness,
«وَسُوءَ مُرَاعَاةٍ، وَمَا ذَاكَ فِي الْكَلْبِ»
and poor loyalty—faults not found in the dog.
The subject is first criticized through an unfavorable comparison. The exception-like turn could seem to promise a mitigating point, but instead introduces weariness and poor fidelity as further faults, while exempting the animal from those flaws. Thus the censure is intensified.