To withstand means to keep, remove, resist, or retreat

c. barbarians with unexpected intelligence  

(you didn't attach a copy of the poem, but i'm answering as best as i can)

since a simile compares two unlike things using like or as, it kind of gives an item the ability to do something it can't.

example: "the player was like a tiger on the field"

in this sentence, the simile conveys the idea that the player was fast and strong, like a tiger.