or she might have a ʿurʿurah besides which would pale the blaze on a horse’s face (the ʿurʿurah is what is between the nostrils),
or a khawramah that would make the scent of the khurramah yet sweeter (the khawramah is ‘the most forward part of the nose, or what is between the nostrils,’ and khurramah is the unit noun from khurram, which is ‘a plant like the black-eyed pea, violet in color, to smell and behold which brings such great joy that any who sees a person holding it falls in love with him; an ointment is made from its flowers that is good for the ailments mentioned’),
or a nathrah before which vast sums might be scattered (tunthar) (the nathrah is ‘the nostril and the parts close to it, or the parting between the two wings of the mustache, in front of the septum’),
or her marāʿif have a ghafr that would repulse the most courageous (the marāʿif are ‘the nose and its surroundings’ and the ghafr is ‘the nap on a garment’),
or she might have a khunʿubah that would stiffen rotten bones (the khunʿubah is the ‘philtrum, or thing that is suspended in the middle of the upper lip, or the interstice between the two wings of the mustache, in front of the septum; also occurs as khubnuʿah’),
or a ʿartabah fit to cure the stricken heart (the ʿartabah is ‘the nose, or the soft parts thereof, or the circle in the middle of the lip, or the end of the septum’),
or a ʿartamah that is an expression of beauty (the ʿartamah is ‘the foremost part of the nose, or what is between the latter and the septum, or the circle in the middle of the upper lip’ (synonym harthamah),
or she might have on her malāmiẓ and her malāghim a lagham fit to expel grief and bring to sorrow relief (the malāmiẓ are ‘the parts around the two lips’ and the malāghim are ‘the parts around the mouth’ (synonym malāmij) and lagham is ‘a little perfume’),
or it might be that she has a nabrah that is the acme of naḍrah (the nabrah is ‘the central part of the depression in the visible part of the lip’ and naḍrah is ‘beauty’),
or a tufrah to bend his head over which is to prolong his moans (the tufrah, or tafrah, or tifrah, is ‘the depression in the middle of the upper lip’),
2.4.9
or a ḥithrimah that leaves hearts infatuated (the ḥithrimah is ‘the circle that is beneath the nose in the center of the upper lip’ or ‘the tip of the nose or its end’),
or a watīrah worthy to be ransomed for a thousand buxom and willing lasses (the watīrah is ‘the partition between the two nostrils’),
or a khayshūm that would cure blindness or cool wamah (the khayshūm is ‘the part of the nose above its front end starting from the bony part and the nasal gristle that lies beneath it’ and wamah means ‘extreme heat’),
or a qasāmah on which the lover swears his oaths (qasāmah is ‘beauty, and the face… or the nose and its two sides, or the middle of the nose’ etc.),
or a dhalaf that would cure illness (dhalaf is ‘smallness of the nose and straightness of the tip of the nose, or its being small and fine, or a thickness of the nose and a straightness at its end without a thick edge’),
or a khanas before which the khunnas set (khanas is ‘having a retroussé nose with a slight upward tilt to its tip, a woman with such a nose being called khansāʾ,’ and the khunnas are ‘all stars, or the planets’),
or her nose might be muṣfaḥ (a muṣfaḥ nose is one that has a straight bridge);
or ashamm (being ashamm means ‘having the bridge of the nose elevated and handsome with a straight upper part and erectness of the tip’),
or it might be possessed of qanā (qanā of the nose is ‘elevation of its upper part, crookedness of its middle, and length and fullness of its end, or prominence of the middle of the bridge and narrowness of the nostrils; a male with these characteristics is said to be aqnā, a female qanyāʾ’),
or it might have two ghurḍs fit to distract one from taghrīḍ and silver (the ghurḍ of the nose is the part that slopes down from the bridge on either side,’ and taghrīḍ is ‘eating fresh (gharīḍ) meat, and making merry’);
2.4.10
or this girl might have nāẓirs for which we would give our eyes in ransom (the nāẓirs are ‘two veins on either side of the nose’),
or nāḥirahs for which we would trample upon our upper chests and eyes (the nāḥirahs are ‘two veins in the jawbone and two of the ribs of the chest, or they are the two short ribs, or the collar bones’),
or a ḥāfizah fit to relieve a heart that’s oppressed and over which the poet’s mouth would yatalaḥḥaz (the ḥāfizah is ‘the fold in the corner of the mouth’ and yatalaḥḥaz means ‘to drool (of the mouth) from eating a sour pomegranate or the like because you find it so delicious (synonym yatalazzaḥ))’;
or it might be that hearts would hover over her khinnābahs (the khinnābahs are ‘the sides of the nose’);
or that this girl would have ṣāmighs to delight the heart and quench the ghayn (the ṣāmighs, or ṣamāghs, or ṣamghs, are ‘the sides of the mouth, meaning the place where the lips meet next to the corner of the mouth’ (variant: the sāmighs)); ghayn means ‘thirst.’” (I would love to know whether they are so called because honeycomb forms at them, and whether they are pressed close together or parted, and whether the poor poet drools over the thought of them as he drooled over the ḥāfizahs, but God alone knows.)
2.4.11
Then the mind continues, saying,
“Or she might have a ḥutrah his love for which is prolonged by his ḥatr (the ḥutrah is ‘the place where the corners of the mouth meet’ and ḥatr is ‘fixing of the gaze’” (and wouldn’t he just be drooling?!),