Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 10

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُقَدِّمَةٌ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ.

An introduction to the study of eloquence and rhetoric.

الْفَصَاحَةُ تُطْلَقُ فِي اللُّغَةِ عَلَى مَعَانٍ كَثِيرَةٍ - مِنْهَا الْبَيَانُ وَالظُّهُورُ.

In language, eloquence carries many meanings, including clarity and manifestation.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَأَخِي هَارُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّي لِسَانًا)

God Almighty says: "And my brother Aaron is more eloquent than me in speech."

أَيْ أَبْيَنُ مِنِّي قَوْلًا.

Meaning he is clearer than me in his expression.

وَيُقَالُ أَفْصَحَ الصَّبِيُّ فِي مَنْطِقِهِ إِذَا بَانَ وَظَهَرَ كَلَامُهُ.

One says a child has become eloquent when his speech is clear and intelligible.

وَقَالَتِ الْعَرَبُ: أَفْصَحَ الصُّبْحُ إِذَا أَضَاءَ،

The Arabs say the morning has become clear when it shines forth.

وَفَصَحَ أَيْضًا،

It is also said to have cleared.

وَأَفْصَحَ الْأَعْجَمِيُّ إِذَا أَبَانَ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُفْصِحُ وَيُبِينُ،

A foreigner is said to have become eloquent when he speaks clearly after having been unable to do so.

وَفَصُحَ اللَّحَّانُ إِذَا عَبَّرَ عَمَّا فِي نَفْسِهِ وَأَظْهَرَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الصَّوَابِ دُونَ الْخَطَأِ.

A person prone to grammatical errors becomes eloquent when he expresses his thoughts correctly and without mistakes.

وَفِي اصْطِلَاحِ أَهْلِ الْمَعَانِي، عِبَارَةٌ عَنِ الْأَلْفَاظِ الْبَيِّنَةِ الظَّاهِرَةِ الْمُتَبَادِرَةِ إِلَى الْفَهْمِ، وَالْمَأْنُوسَةِ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ بَيْنَ الْكُتَّابِ وَالشُّعَرَاءِ لِمَكَانِ حُسْنِهَا.

In the terminology of scholars of meaning, it refers to clear, manifest words that are immediately understood and commonly used by writers and poets because of their beauty.

وَهِيَ تَقَعُ وَصْفًا لِلْكَلِمَةِ، وَالْكَلَامِ، وَالْمُتَكَلِّمِ، حَسَبَمَا يَعْتَبِرُ الْكَاتِبُ اللَّفْظَةَ وَحْدَهَا أَوْ مَسْبُوكَةً مَعَ أَخَوَاتِهَا.

It describes a word, a sentence, or a speaker, depending on whether the writer considers the term in isolation or woven together with others.

مُقَدِّمَةٌ مُشْتَقَّةٌ مِنْ قَدَّمَ اللَّازِمِ وَهَذِهِ مُقَدِّمَةُ كِتَابٍ لِأَنَّهَا أَلْفَاظٌ تَقَدَّمَتْ أَمَامَ الْمَقْصُودِ لِارْتِبَاطٍ لَهُ بِهَا وَانْتِفَاعٍ بِهَا فِيهِ

The term introduction is derived from the intransitive verb 'to present.' This is a book's introduction because these words precede the intended subject, which is connected to and benefits from them.

بِخِلَافِ مُقَدِّمَةِ الْعِلْمِ فَهِيَ مَعَانٍ يَتَوَقَّفُ الشُّرُوعُ عَلَيْهَا كَبَيَانِ حَدِّ الْعِلْمِ الْمَشْرُوعِ فِيهِ وَمَوْضُوعِهِ وَغَايَتِهِ.

This differs from the introduction to a science, which consists of concepts necessary to begin the study, such as defining the discipline, its subject matter, and its objectives.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ عُلُومَ الْبَلَاغَةِ أَجَلُّ الْعُلُومِ الْأَدَبِيَّةِ قَدْرًا وَأَرْسَخُهَا أَصْلًا وَأَبْسَقُهَا فَرْعًا وَأَحْلَاهَا جَنًى وَأَعْذَبَهَا وِرْدًا

Know that the sciences of rhetoric are the most noble of literary disciplines in value, the most firmly rooted in foundation, the most elevated in reach, the sweetest in harvest, and the most refreshing to drink from.

لِأَنَّهَا الْعُلُومُ الَّتِي تَسْتَوْلِي عَلَى اسْتِخْرَاجِ دُرَرِ الْبَيَانِ مِنْ مَعَادِنِهَا وَتُرِيكَ مَحَاسِنَ النُّكَتِ فِي مَكَامِنِهَا

They are the sciences that master the extraction of the pearls of expression from their mines and reveal the beauty of subtleties in their hidden places.

وَلَوْلَاهَا لَمْ تَرَ لِسَانًا يَحُوكُ الْوَشْيَ، وَيَلْفِظُ الدُّرَّ، وَيَنْفُثُ السِّحْرَ، وَيُرِيكَ بَدَائِعَ مِنَ الزَّهْرِ، وَيَنْثُرُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ الْحُلْوَ الْيَانِعَ مِنَ الثَّمَرِ

Without them, you would never see a tongue that weaves intricate embroidery, utters pearls, breathes magic, displays the marvels of flowers, or scatters sweet, ripe fruit before you.

فَهِيَ الْغَايَةُ الَّتِي تَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهَا أَفْكَارُ النُّظَّارِ، وَاللَّآلِىءُ الَّتِي تَتَطَلَّبُهَا غَاصَّةُ الْبِحَارِ لِهَذَا كَانَتْ مَنْزِلَتُهَا تِلْوَ الْعِلْمِ بِتَوْحِيدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

It is the ultimate goal of thinkers and the pearls sought by divers in the deep seas; for this reason, its status follows only the knowledge of the oneness of God Almighty.

Vocabulary · المفردات (29 verbs · 76 nouns)

• أَطْلَقَ — to apply
• قَالَ — to say
• أَفْصَحَ — to speak clearly
• بَانَ — to become clear
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• أَضَاءَ — to illuminate
• فَصَحَ — to be eloquent
• عَبَّرَ — to express
• أَظْهَرَ — to reveal
• تَبَادَرَ — to come to mind
• وَقَعَ — to occur
• اعْتَبَرَ — to consider
• سَبَكَ — to cast
• اشْتَقَّ — to derive
• قَدَّمَ — to present
• تَقَدَّمَ — to precede
• تَوَقَّفَ — to depend
• شَرَعَ — to begin
• عَلِمَ — to know
• اسْتَوْلَى — to master
• اسْتَخْرَجَ — to extract
• رَأَى — to see
• حَاكَ — to weave
• لَفَظَ — to utter
• نَفَثَ — to blow
• نَثَرَ — to scatter
• انْتَهَى — to end
• تَطَلَّبَ — to require
• كَانَ — to be
• مُقَدِّمَةٌ — introduction
• مَعْرِفَةٌ — knowledge
• فَصَاحَةٌ — eloquence
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• لُغَةٌ — language
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• كَثِيرٌ — many
• بَيَانٌ — clarity
• ظُهُورٌ — appearance
• لِسَانٌ — tongue
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• صَبِيٌّ — boy
• مَنْطِقٌ — speech
• كَلَامٌ — words
• عَرَبٌ — Arabs
• صُبْحٌ — morning
• أَعْجَمِيٌّ — non-Arab
• لَحَّانٌ — speaker
• نَفْسٌ — self
• وَجْهٌ — way
• صَوَابٌ — correctness
• خَطَأٌ — error
• اصْطِلَاحٌ — terminology
• أَهْلٌ — people
• عِبَارَةٌ — expression
• لَفْظٌ — word
• بَيِّنٌ — clear
• ظَاهِرٌ — apparent
• مُتَبَادِرٌ — immediate
• فَهْمٌ — understanding
• مَأْنُوسٌ — familiar
• اسْتِعْمَالٌ — usage
• كَاتِبٌ — writer
• شَاعِرٌ — poet
• مَكَانٌ — place
• حُسْنٌ — beauty
• وَصْفٌ — description
• كَلِمَةٌ — word
• مُتَكَلِّمٌ — speaker
• أُخْتٌ — sister
• كِتَابٌ — book
• مَقْصُودٌ — intended
• ارْتِبَاطٌ — connection
• انْتِفَاعٌ — benefit
• عِلْمٌ — science
• شُرُوعٌ — commencement
• حَدٌّ — definition
• مَوْضُوعٌ — subject
• غَايَةٌ — goal
• عُلُومٌ — sciences
• أَدَبِيٌّ — literary
• قَدْرٌ — value
• أَصْلٌ — origin
• فَرْعٌ — branch
• جَنًى — harvest
• وِرْدٌ — water source
• دُرَّةٌ — pearl
• مَعْدِنٌ — mine
• مَحَاسِنٌ — virtues
• نُكْتَةٌ — subtlety
• مَكْمَنٌ — hiding place
• وَشْيٌ — embroidery
• دُرٌّ — pearl
• سِحْرٌ — magic
• بَدِيعَةٌ — marvel
• زَهْرٌ — flowers
• حُلْوٌ — sweet
• يَانِعٌ — ripe
• ثَمَرٌ — fruit
• فِكْرٌ — thought
• نَاظِرٌ — observer
• لُؤْلُؤَةٌ — pearl
• غَاصَّةٌ — diver
• بَحْرٌ — sea
• مَنْزِلَةٌ — status
• تَوْحِيدٌ — monotheism