Do not give me the water of life in humiliation…
Quote
Do not give me the water of life in humiliation; rather give me, with honour, a cup of bitter colocynth.
Arabic original
لا تسقني ماء الحياة بذلة، بل فاسقني بالعز كأس الحنظل.
What it means
Colocynth is a fruit associated with intense bitterness. The poet contrasts comfortable life bought with humiliation against hardship faced with dignity, using an emphatic declaration of heroic pride.
The story behind this quote
The verse occurs in a poem transmitted under the name of Antarah ibn Shaddad. The source gives that poetic attribution; it is not a document in the poet’s own hand.
Life-giving water and a bitter cup create two extremes. The poet’s choice reverses what seems naturally desirable because dignity changes the value of the experience. This reversal is central to the image and explains the verse’s force within a declaration of pride.
The source
حكم سيوفك في رقاب العذل, من القصيدة المنسوبة إلى عنترة
The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.