«يا ظبيات القاع ...»
O gazelles of the plain!
«أليلى منكن أم ليلى من البشر»
Is Laylā one of you, or is she among humankind?
The poet knows that Laylā is human. The question instead magnifies her elegance by presenting her beauty as virtually indistinguishable from that of the gazelles.
Here feigned ignorance functions as praise and intensified comparison. The same device can serve lament, criticism, or rebuke in other settings.
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Tawjīh, Serious Intent in Jest, Feigned Ignorance, Qawl bi-l-Mūjib and Iṭrād
«يا ظبيات القاع ...»
O gazelles of the plain!
«أليلى منكن أم ليلى من البشر»
Is Laylā one of you, or is she among humankind?
The poet knows that Laylā is human. The question instead magnifies her elegance by presenting her beauty as virtually indistinguishable from that of the gazelles.
Here feigned ignorance functions as praise and intensified comparison. The same device can serve lament, criticism, or rebuke in other settings.