Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 116

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

التَّجْرِيدُ هُوَ أَنْ يُنْتَزَعَ مِنْ أَمْرٍ ذِي صِفَةٍ أَمْرٌ آخَرُ مِثْلُهُ فِيهَا: مُبَالَغَةً لِكَمَالِهَا فِيهِ، وَيَكُونُ بِـمِنْ، نَحْوَ: لِي مِنْ فُلَانٍ صَدِيقٌ حَمِيمٌ، أَوْ فِي كَمَا فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَهُمْ فِيهَا دَارُ الْخُلْدِ﴾، أَوِ الْبَاءِ، نَحْوَ: لَئِنْ سَأَلْتَ فُلَانًا لَتَسْأَلَنَّ بِهِ الْبَحْرَ، أَوْ بِمُخَاطَبَةِ الْإِنْسَانِ نَفْسَهُ، كَقَوْلِهِ: لَا خَيْلَ عِنْدَكَ تُهْدِيهَا وَلَا مَالُ، فَلْيُسْعِدِ النُّطْقُ إِنْ لَمْ تُسْعِدِ الْحَالُ، أَوْ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، كَقَوْلِهِ: فَلَئِنْ بَقِيتَ لَأَرْحَلَنَّ لِغَزْوَةٍ، تَحْوِي الْغَنَائِمَ أَوْ يَمُوتَ كَرِيمُ.

Abstraction (Tajrid) is to extract from a thing possessing a quality another thing like it in that quality, as an exaggeration of its perfection within it; it is achieved using 'min' (from), such as: 'I have from so-and-so an intimate friend'; or 'fi' (in), as in His Almighty's saying: 'And they are therein the abode of eternity'; or 'al-ba' (with), such as: 'If you were to ask so-and-so, you would be asking the sea through him'; or by a person addressing himself, as in his saying: 'You have no horses to offer, nor wealth; so let speech bring happiness if the situation does not'; or by other means, as in his saying: 'If I remain, I shall surely depart for a raid, that gathers spoils or a noble one dies.'

حُسْنُ التَّعْلِيلِ: هُوَ أَنْ يُدَّعَى لِوَصْفٍ عِلَّةٌ غَيْرُ حَقِيقِيَّةٍ فِيهَا غَرَابَةٌ كَقَوْلِهِ: لَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ نِيَّةُ الْجَوْزَاءِ خِدْمَتَهُ، لَمَا رَأَيْتَ عَلَيْهَا عِقْدَ مُنْتَطِقِ.

Elegant Reasoning (Husn al-Ta'lil) is to claim for a description a non-actual cause that possesses novelty, as in his saying: 'Had it not been for the intention of Gemini to serve him, you would not have seen upon it the belt of a waist-girded one.'

اِئْتِلَافُ اللَّفْظِ مَعَ الْمَعْنَى: هُوَ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْأَلْفَاظُ مُوَافِقَةً لِلْمَعَانِي، فَتُخْتَارَ الْأَلْفَاظُ الْجَزْلَةُ وَالْعِبَارَاتُ الشَّدِيدَةُ لِلْفَخْرِ وَالْحَمَاسَةِ وَالْكَلِمَاتُ الرَّقِيقَةُ، وَالْعِبَارَاتُ اللَّيِّنَةُ لِلْغَزَلِ وَنَحْوِهِ، كَقَوْلِهِ:

Harmony of Wording with Meaning is for the words to be in accordance with the meanings, such that robust words and intense expressions are chosen for pride and enthusiasm, and delicate words and soft expressions are chosen for love poetry and the like, as in his saying:

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Vocabulary · المفردات (14 verbs · 45 nouns)

• اِنْتَزَعَ — to extract
• كَانَ — to be
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• تَجْرِيدٌ — abstraction
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• صِفَةٌ — attribute