Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 11

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فِي الْإِخْرَاجِ: اعْتَمَدْتُ فِي إِخْرَاجِ الْكِتَابِ عَلَى مَطْبُوعَتَيْنِ كَامِلَتَيْنِ.

I prepared this edition of the book based on two complete printed versions.

الْأُولَى: طَبْعَةُ بُولَاقَ بِمِصْرَ سَنَةَ (١٣١٧هـ - ١٨٩٩م).

The first is the Bulaq edition, published in Egypt in 1317 AH (1899 AD).

وَرَمَزْتُ لَهَا بِالْحَرْفِ (ب).

I have designated it with the letter (B).

الثَّانِيَةُ طُبِعَتْ فِي بَاكِسْتَانَ بِأَعْلَى الشَّرْحِ الَّذِي وَضَعَهُ الشَّيْخُ مُحَمَّدٌ فَضْلٌ الرَّامِفُورِيُّ.

The second was printed in Pakistan, featuring the commentary by Sheikh Muhammad Fadl al-Ramfuri at the top of the page.

وَرَمَزْتُ لَهَا بِالْحَرْفِ (أ).

I have designated it with the letter (A).

وَهَاتَانِ الْمَطْبُوعَتَانِ جَيِّدَتَانِ مُتَطَابِقَتَانِ إِلَّا فِي مَوَاضِعَ يَسِيرَةٍ نَبَّهْتُ عَلَى التَّخَالُفِ بَيْنَهُمَا فِي الْحَاشِيَةِ.

Both editions are excellent and largely identical, save for a few minor discrepancies which I have noted in the margins.

وَهُنَاكَ مَطْبُوعَةٌ أُخْرَى لِلْكِتَابِ طُبِعَتْ بِمَكْتَبَةِ الْآدَابِ بِمِصْرَ، وَهَذِهِ النُّسْخَةُ فِيهَا مِنَ النَّقْصِ مَا يَجْعَلُ النَّاظِرَ يَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهَا بِأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ هِيَ الْكِتَابَ الْأَصْلَ، وَإِنَّمَا هِيَ أَشْبَهُ بِاخْتِصَارٍ لِلْكِتَابِ الْأَصْلِ؛ إِذْ فِيهَا مِنَ الْحَذْفِ شَيْءٌ كَثِيرٌ يَظْهَرُ لِلنَّاظِرِ فِيهَا بِأَدْنَى تَأَمُّلٍ،

There is another edition published by Maktabat al-Adab in Egypt, which is so incomplete that it clearly cannot be considered the original work. It is more of an abridgment, as even a cursory glance reveals significant omissions.

فَقَدْ حُذِفَ مِنْهَا مَبَاحِثُ وَمَسَائِلُ بِأَكْمَلِهَا، مِنْهَا الْخَاتِمَةُ فِي الْخُرُوجِ عَنْ مُقْتَضَى الظَّاهِرِ، وَمِنْهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمُحَسِّنَاتِ الْبَدِيعِيَّةِ، إِلَى آخِرِ مَا لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ ذِكْرَهُ فِي هَذِهِ الْعُجَالَةِ، وَلِذَلِكَ ضَرَبْتُ عَنْهَا صَفْحًا.

Entire sections and topics have been removed, including the conclusion on departing from the apparent meaning and many rhetorical devices. I cannot list everything missing in this brief note, so I have chosen to disregard that edition entirely.

Vocabulary · المفردات (12 verbs · 31 nouns)

• اِعْتَمَدَ — to rely
• رَمَزَ — to symbolize
• طَبَعَ — to print
• وَضَعَ — to place
• نَبَّهَ — to alert
• جَعَلَ — to make
• حَكَمَ — to judge
• حَذَفَ — to delete
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• اِسْتَطَاعَ — to be able
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• ضَرَبَ — to avoid
• دَرْسٌ — lesson
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• نُسْخَةٌ — copy
• إِخْرَاجٌ — production
• كِتَابٌ — book
• مَطْبُوعَةٌ — printed
• سَنَةٌ — year
• حَرْفٌ — letter
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• شَيْخٌ — sheikh
• مَوْضِعٌ — place
• حَاشِيَةٌ — margin
• مَكْتَبَةٌ — library
• أَدَبٌ — literature
• نَقْصٌ — deficiency
• نَاظِرٌ — viewer
• أَصْلٌ — origin
• اخْتِصَارٌ — abbreviation
• حَذْفٌ — deletion
• شَيْءٌ — thing
• تَأَمُّلٌ — contemplation
• مَبْحَثٌ — topic
• مَسْأَلَةٌ — issue
• خَاتِمَةٌ — conclusion
• خُرُوجٌ — departure
• مُقْتَضَى — a requirement
• ظَاهِرٌ — apparent
• مُحَسِّنٌ — enhancement
• آخِرٌ — end
• عُجَالَةٌ — haste
• صَفْحٌ — forgiveness