It is as though the fresh

and desiccated hearts

of birds,

in their aerie,

were jujube

and overripe dates

It is as though the eyes

of beasts

around our saddles

and tents

were un-bored onyx

It is as though the stars,

when I stared

at the sky,

were monks’ lanterns

lit for homecomers

The three lines, above, of Imru’ al-Qays were cited as a superb example of the excellent employment of simile, where two objects in each line are accurately compared in image and form.

Cheerful spring has come!

Strutting about

laughing with beauty

so it could almost

talk

When we had performed our duties at Minā

and whoever wished to touch the arkān*

had done so

And when our saddlebags had been strapped

to the humpbacked dromedaries,

and the early comer would not notice

the late comer

We began to exchange

tidbits of conversation

while the ravines flowed

with the necks

of our mounts

* “Arkān” are the sacred corners of the Kaʿbah; “duties at Minā” are part of the religious ceremonial rituals of pilgrimage to Mecca.. These three lines were cited as an example of factual truth that can be transformed metaphorically into poetic truth.