Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 40

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَأَدَوَاتُهُ ثَمَانِيَةٌ: يَا، وَالْهَمْزَةُ، وَأَيْ، وَآ، وَآيْ، وَأَيَا، وَهَيَا، وَوَا.

Its tools are eight: ya, the hamza, ay, a, ay, aya, haya, and wa.

فَالْهَمْزَةُ وَأَيْ لِلْقَرِيبِ، وَغَيْرُهُمَا لِلْبَعِيدِ.

The hamza and ay are for the near, and others are for the far.

وَقَدْ يُنَزَّلُ الْبَعِيدُ مَنْزِلَةَ الْقَرِيبِ، فَيُنَادَى بِالْهَمْزَةِ، وَأَيْ إِشَارَةً إِلَى أَنَّهُ لِشِدَّةِ اسْتِحْضَارِهِ فِي ذِهْنِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ صَارَ كَالْحَاضِرِ مَعَهُ، كَقَوْلِ الشَّاعِرِ: أَسُكَّانَ نَعْمَانِ الأَرَاكِ تَيَقَّنُوا بِأَنَّكُمُ فِي رَبْعِ قَلْبِيَ سُكَّانُ.

The far may be treated as the near, so it is called with the hamza and ay as an indication that due to the intensity of his presence in the speaker's mind, he has become like one present with him, as the poet says: O inhabitants of Na'man of the Arak, be certain that you are inhabitants in the abode of my heart.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (8 verbs · 39 nouns)

• نَزَّلَ — to treat as
• نَادَى — to call
• اسْتَحْضَرَ — to summon
• أَدَاة — tool
• هَمْزَة — hamza
• قَرِيب — near one