رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا يَرْمِي
I saw a lion shooting arrows.
In the full expression, “yarmī” points to a human activity, indicating that “lion” means a courageous person rather than the actual beast. If a comparison exercise removes that verb, leaving only “I saw a lion,” the context may no longer exclude a literal sighting. The shorter sentence is therefore not unconditionally stronger.
If the editorial aim is to make the metaphor unmistakable, preserve a sufficient indicator or context. If the aim is ambiguity, acknowledge it as a deliberate option rather than pretending the figurative classification remains established.