Durus al-Balagha — First Lessons in Arabic Rhetoric (دروس البلاغة) — Page 71

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُرَادُهُ أَنَّ الْعَيْشَ الرَّغَدَ فِي ظِلَالِ الْحُمْقِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْعَيْشِ الشَّاقِّ فِي ظِلَالِ الْعَقْلِ.

His meaning is that a life of ease in the shadows of folly is better than a life of hardship in the shadows of reason.

وَالْإِطْنَابُ وَهُوَ تَأْدِيَةُ الْمَعْنَى بِعِبَارَةٍ زَائِدَةٍ عَنْهُ مَعَ الْفَائِدَةِ، نَحْوَ: ﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا﴾ [مَرْيَم: ٤]، أَيْ: كَبِرْتُ.

3- Al-Itnab (prolixity) is the expression of a meaning using more words than necessary, while providing a benefit, such as: 'My Lord, my bones have grown weak, and my head has flared with gray hair' [Maryam: 4], meaning: I have grown old.

فَإِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ فِي الزِّيَادَةِ فَائِدَةٌ سُمِّيَ تَطْوِيلًا إِنْ كَانَتِ الزِّيَادَةُ غَيْرَ مُتَعَيِّنَةٍ وَحَشْوًا إِنْ تَعَيَّنَتْ.

If there is no benefit in the addition, it is called Tatwil (lengthening) if the addition is not specific, and Hashw (padding) if it is specific.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (7 verbs · 44 nouns)

• وَهَنَ — to become weak
• اِشْتَعَلَ — to spread (of gray hair)
• كَبِرَ — to grow old
• مُرَادٌ — intent
• عَيْشٌ — living
• رَغَدٌ — affluence