Al-Balagha al-Wadiha by al-Jarim & Amin (البلاغة الواضحة) — Page 16

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْبَلَاغَةُ الْوَاضِحَةُ

Clear Rhetoric

عَنْ مَعْنًى فَيُسْتَعْمَلُ فِيهِ كَلِمَاتٌ فِي غَيْرِ مَعَانِيهَا الْحَقِيقِيَّةِ، فَيُسِيءُ اخْتِيَارَ الْكَلِمَاتِ لِلْمَعْنَى الَّذِي يُرِيدُهُ فَيَضْطَرِبُ التَّعْبِيرُ وَيَلْتَبِسُ الْأَمْرُ عَلَى السَّامِعِ

regarding a meaning, words are used for it that are not in their true senses, so he chooses the words poorly for the meaning he intends, and thus the expression becomes confused and the matter becomes ambiguous to the listener.

مِثَالُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ كَلِمَةَ "اللِّسَانِ" تُطْلَقُ أَحْيَانًا وَيُرَادُ بِهَا اللُّغَةُ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ، (إِبْرَاهِيمُ: ٤) ، أَيْ نَاطِقًا بِلُغَةِ قَوْمِهِ، وَهَذَا اسْتِعْمَالٌ صَحِيحٌ فَصِيحٌ،

An example of this is that the word "tongue" (al-lisan) is sometimes used to mean language; the Almighty said: "And We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people" (Ibrahim: 4), meaning speaking the language of his people, and this is a correct and eloquent usage.

فَإِذَا اسْتَعْمَلَ إِنْسَانٌ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةَ فِي الْجَاسُوسِ ، وَقَالَ: «بَثَّ الْحَاكِمُ أَلْسِنَتَهُ فِي «الْمَدِينَةِ» كَانَ مُخْطِئًا، وَكَانَ فِي كَلَامِهِ تَعْقِيدٌ مَعْنَوِيٌّ،

If a person uses this word for a spy and says, "The ruler spread his tongues in the city," he would be mistaken, and there would be semantic complexity in his speech.

وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُ امْرِئِ الْقَيْسِ (١) فِي وَصْفِ فَرَسٍ: وَأَرْكَبُ فِي الرَّوْعِ (٢) خَيْفَانَةً كَسَا وَجْهَهَا سَعَفٌ (٣) مُنْتَشِرُ

Among that is the saying of Imru' al-Qais (1) in describing a horse: "And I ride in the fray (2) a slender mare, whose face is covered by spreading palm fronds (3)."

الْخَيْفَانَةُ فِي الْأَصْلِ الْجَرَادَةُ، وَيُرِيدُ بِهَا هُنَا الْفَرَسَ الْخَفِيفَةَ، وَهَذَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ تَشْبِيهُ الْفَرَسِ بِالْجَرَادَةِ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْ ضَعْفٍ،

The 'khaifana' is originally a locust, and he intends by it here the light-footed horse, and this is acceptable, even if likening a horse to a locust is not without weakness.

أَمَّا وَصْفُ هَذِهِ الْفَرَسِ بِأَنَّ شَعْرَ نَاصِيَتِهَا طَوِيلٌ كَسَعَفِ النَّخْلِ يُغَطِّي وَجْهَهَا، فَغَيْرُ مَقْبُولٍ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْرُوفَ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ أَنَّ شَعْرَ النَّاصِيَةِ إِذَا غَطَّى الْعَيْنَيْنِ لَمْ تَكُنِ الْفَرَسُ كَرِيمَةً وَلَمْ تَكُنْ خَفِيفَةً،

As for describing this horse as having long forelock hair like palm fronds covering its face, it is unacceptable; because it is known among the Arabs that if the forelock hair covers the eyes, the horse is not noble and is not light-footed.

وَمِنَ التَّعْقِيدِ الْمَعْنَوِيِّ قَوْلُ أَبِي تَمَّامٍ: جَذَبْتُ نَدَاهُ غَدَاةَ السَّبْتِ جَذْبَةً فَخَرَّ صَرِيعًا (٦) بَيْنَ أَيْدِي الْقَصَائِدِ

Among the semantic complexities is the saying of Abu Tammam: "I pulled his generosity on Saturday morning with a pull, so he fell prostrate (6) before the hands of the poems."

فَإِنَّهُ مَا سَكَتَ حَتَّى جَعَلَ كَرَمَ مَمْدُوحِهِ يَخِرُّ صَرِيعًا، وَهَذَا مِنْ أَقْبَحِ الْكَلَامِ.

For he did not stop until he made the generosity of the one he was praising fall prostrate, and this is among the ugliest of speech.

أَمَّا الْبَلَاغَةُ : فَهِيَ تَأْدِيَةُ الْمَعْنَى الْجَلِيلِ وَاضِحًا بِعِبَارَةٍ صَحِيحَةٍ فَصِيحَةٍ لَهَا فِي النَّفْسِ أَثَرٌ خَلَّابٌ، مَعَ مُلَاءَمَةِ كُلِّ كَلَامٍ لِلْمَوْطِنِ الَّذِي يُقَالُ فِيهِ، وَالْأَشْخَاصِ الَّذِينَ يُخَاطَبُونَ.

As for rhetoric: it is the conveying of a sublime meaning clearly in a correct and eloquent expression that has a captivating effect on the soul, while matching every speech to the situation in which it is said and the people who are being addressed.

فَلَيْسَ الْبَلَاغَةُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا فَنًّا مِنَ الْفُنُونِ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى صَفَاءِ الِاسْتِعْدَادِ الْفِطْرِيِّ وَدِقَّةِ إِدْرَاكِ الْجَمَالِ، وَتَبَيُّنِ الْفُرُوقِ الْخَفِيَّةِ بَيْنَ صُنُوفِ الْأَسَالِيبِ،

Rhetoric is, above all else, nothing but an art among the arts that relies on the purity of innate aptitude, the precision of perceiving beauty, and the discernment of subtle differences between types of styles.

وَلِلْمُرَانَةِ يَدٌ لَا تُجْحَدُ فِي تَكْوِينِ الذَّوْقِ الْفَنِّيِّ، وَتَنْشِيطِ الْمَوَاهِبِ الْفَاتِرَةِ،

Practice has an undeniable hand in forming artistic taste and stimulating dormant talents.

وَلَابُدَّ لِلطَّالِبِ - إِلَى جَانِبِ ذَلِكَ - مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ طَرَائِفِ الْأَدَبِ، وَالتَّمَلُّوِ مِنْ نَمِيرِهِ الْفَيَّاضِ، وَنَقْدِ الْآثَارِ الْأَدَبِيَّةِ وَالْمُوَازَنَةِ بَيْنَهَا، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ الثِّقَةِ بِنَفْسِهِ مَا يَدْفَعُهُ إِلَى الْحُكْمِ بِحُسْنِ مَا يَرَاهُ حَسَنًا وَبِقُبْحِ مَا يَعُدُّهُ قَبِيحًا.

The student must—alongside that—read literary curiosities, drink deeply from its overflowing spring, critique literary works and compare them, and possess enough self-confidence to drive him to judge as good what he sees as good, and as ugly what he considers ugly.

امْرِئُ الْقَيْسِ: هُوَ رَأْسُ شُعَرَاءِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَقَائِدُهُمْ إِلَى الِافْتِنَانِ فِي أَبْوَابِ الشِّعْرِ وَضُرُوبِهِ، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ ١٣٠ ق هـ ، وَآبَاؤُهُ مِنْ أَشْرَافِ كِنْدَةَ وَمُلُوكِهَا، وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٨٠ ق هـ، وَلَهُ الْمُعَلَّقَةُ الْمَشْهُورَةُ.

(1) Imru' al-Qais: He is the chief of the poets of the Jahiliyyah and their leader in innovation in the genres and types of poetry. He was born in the year 130 BH, his ancestors were from the nobles and kings of Kinda, he died in the year 80 BH, and he has the famous Mu'allaqa.

الرَّوْعُ: الْفَزَعُ.

(2) Al-Raw': Fear.

سَعَفٌ جَمْعُ سَعَفَةٍ، وَهِيَ غُصْنُ النَّخْلِ.

(3) Sa'af is the plural of sa'afah, which is a palm branch.

أَبُو تَمَّامٍ هُوَ حَبِيبُ بْنُ أَوْسٍ الطَّائِيُّ الشَّاعِرُ الْمَشْهُورُ، كَانَ وَاحِدَ عَصْرِهِ فِي الْغَوْصِ وَرَاءَ الْمَعَانِي وَفَصَاحَةِ الشِّعْرِ وَكَثْرَةِ الْمَحْفُوظِ، وَتُوُفِّيَ بِالْمَوْصِلِ سَنَةَ ٢٣١هـ.

(4) Abu Tammam is Habib ibn Aws al-Ta'i, the famous poet. He was the unique one of his era in diving after meanings, the eloquence of poetry, and the abundance of what he had memorized. He died in Mosul in the year 231 AH.

نَدَاهُ: النَّدَى الْجُودُ.

(5) Nadahu: Al-Nada is generosity.

فَخَرَّ صَرِيعًا: سَقَطَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ.

(6) Fakharra sari'an: He fell to the ground.

Vocabulary · المفردات (28 verbs · 75 nouns)

• اِسْتَعْمَلَ — to use
• أَسَاءَ — to do poorly
• أَرَادَ — to want
• اِضْطَرَبَ — to be disturbed
• اِلْتَبَسَ — to be confused
• أَطْلَقَ — to release
• قَالَ — to say
• أَرْسَلَ — to send
• بَثَّ — to spread
• كَانَ — to be
• رَكِبَ — to ride
• كَسَا — to cover
• خَلَا — to be empty
• غَطَّى — to cover
• جَذَبَ — to pull
• خَرَّ — to fall
• سَكَتَ — to be silent
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَدَّى — to perform
• لَاءَمَ — to suit
• خَاطَبَ — to address
• اِعْتَمَدَ — to rely
• تَبَيَّنَ — to clarify
• جَحَدَ — to deny
• تَمَلَّى — to enjoy
• دَفَعَ — to push
• رَأَى — to see
• عَدَّ — to count
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• كَلِمَةٌ — word
• اخْتِيَارٌ — choice
• تَعْبِيرٌ — expression
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• سَامِعٌ — listener
• مِثَالٌ — an example
• لِسَانٌ — tongue
• لُغَةٌ — language
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• قَوْمٌ — people
• نَاطِقٌ — speaker
• اسْتِعْمَالٌ — usage
• إِنْسَانٌ — human
• جَاسُوسٌ — spy
• حَاكِمٌ — ruler
• مَدِينَةٌ — city
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• تَعْقِيدٌ — complexity
• وَصْفٌ — description
• فَرَسٌ — mare
• رَوْعٌ — fear
• خَيْفَانَةٌ — locust
• وَجْهٌ — face
• سَعَفٌ — palm branch
• أَصْلٌ — origin
• جَرَادَةٌ — locust
• بَأْسٌ — harm
• تَشْبِيهٌ — simile
• ضَعْفٌ — weakness
• شَعْرٌ — hair
• نَاصِيَةٌ — forelock
• نَخْلٌ — palm tree
• عَرَبٌ — Arabs
• عَيْنٌ — eye
• غَدَاوَةٌ — early morning
• سَبْتٌ — Saturday
• جَذْبَةٌ — pull
• صَرِيعٌ — fallen
• يَدٌ — hand
• قَصِيدَةٌ — poem
• كَرَمٌ — generosity
• مَمْدُوحٌ — praised
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• عِبَارَةٌ — phrase
• نَفْسٌ — soul
• أَثَرٌ — effect
• مَوْطِنٌ — place
• شَخْصٌ — person
• فَنٌّ — art
• صَفَاءٌ — clarity
• اسْتِعْدَادٌ — readiness
• دِقَّةٌ — precision
• إِدْرَاكٌ — perception
• جَمَالٌ — beauty
• فَرْقٌ — difference
• صِنْفٌ — type
• أُسْلُوبٌ — style
• مُرَانَةٌ — practice
• تَكْوِينٌ — formation
• ذَوْقٌ — taste
• تَنْشِيطٌ — stimulation
• مَوْهِبَةٌ — talent
• طَالِبٌ — student
• جَانِبٌ — side
• قِرَاءَةٌ — reading
• طُرْفَةٌ — rarity
• أَدَبٌ — literature
• نَمِيرٌ — pure water
• نَقْدٌ — criticism
• مُوَازَنَةٌ — comparison
• ثِقَةٌ — confidence
• حُكْمٌ — judgment
• حُسْنٌ — goodness
• قُبْحٌ — ugliness