Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 12

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُقَدِّمَةٌ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

An introduction to the knowledge of eloquence and rhetoric.

الثَّانِي: غَرَابَةُ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ، وَهِيَ كَوْنُ الْكَلِمَةِ غَيْرَ ظَاهِرَةِ الْمَعْنَى وَلَا مَأْلُوفَةِ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ الْفُصَحَاءِ، لِأَنَّ الْمُعَوَّلَ عَلَيْهِ فِي ذَلِكَ اسْتِعْمَالُهُمْ وَالْغَرَابَةُ قِسْمَانِ:

Second: Strangeness of usage, which is when a word's meaning is not apparent and its usage is not familiar to the eloquent Arabs, because what is relied upon in this matter is their usage; and strangeness is of two types:

الْقِسْمُ الْأَوَّلُ: مَا يُوجِبُ حَيْرَةَ السَّامِعِ فِي فَهْمِ الْمَعْنَى الْمَقْصُودِ مِنَ الْكَلِمَةِ لِتَرَدُّدِهَا بَيْنَ مَعْنَيَيْنِ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ بِلَا قَرِينَةٍ وَذَلِكَ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ الْمُشْتَرَكَةِ كَمُسَرَّجٍ مِنْ قَوْلِ رُؤْبَةَ بْنِ الْعَجَّاجِ:

The first type: That which causes the listener confusion in understanding the intended meaning of the word due to its oscillation between two or more meanings without a contextual indicator, and this occurs in homonymous terms, such as 'musarraj' from the saying of Ru'bah ibn al-Ajjaj:

[الرَّجَزُ] وَمُقْلَةً وَحَاجِبًا مُزَجَّجَا وَفَاحِمًا وَمُرْسِنًا مُسَرَّجَا

[Rajaz meter] And an eye, and an arched eyebrow, and jet-black hair, and a nose like a sword.

فَلَا يُعْلَمُ مَا أَرَادَ بِقَوْلِهِ «مُسَرَّجًا» حَتَّى اخْتَلَفَ أَئِمَّةُ اللُّغَةِ فِي تَخْرِيجِهِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ دُرَيْدٍ يُرِيدُ أَنَّ أَنْفَهُ فِي الِاسْتِوَاءِ وَالدِّقَّةِ كَالسَّيْفِ السَّرِيجِيِّ.

It is not known what he meant by his saying 'musarraj', to the point that the masters of language differed in their interpretation of it; Ibn Durayd said he meant that his nose, in its straightness and refinement, is like the Sariji sword.

وَقَالَ: «ابْنُ سِيدَهْ» يُرِيدُ أَنَّهُ فِي الْبَرِيقِ وَاللَّمَعَانِ كَالسِّرَاجِ(٢).

And Ibn Sidah said he meant that it is, in its luster and shine, like a lamp (siraj).

الْحَسَنُ فَإِنَّنَا نَحْنُ نَسْتَعْمِلُ الْآنَ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ مَا لَيْسَ بِحَسَنٍ وَإِنَّمَا نَسْتَعْمِلُهُ لِضَرُورَةٍ فَلَيْسَ اسْتِعْمَالُ الْحَسَنِ بِمُمْكِنٍ فِي كُلِّ الْأَحْوَالِ

As for the 'good', we currently use speech that is not good, and we only use it out of necessity, so the use of the good is not possible in all circumstances.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اسْتِحْسَانَ الْأَلْفَاظِ وَاسْتِقْبَاحَهَا لَا يُؤْخَذُ بِالتَّقْلِيدِ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ لِأَنَّهُ شَيْءٌ لَيْسَ لِلتَّقْلِيدِ فِيهِ مَجَالٌ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْءٌ لَهُ خَصَائِصُ وَهَيْئَاتٌ وَعَلَامَاتٌ إِذَا وُجِدَتْ عُلِمَ حُسْنُهُ مِنْ قُبْحِهِ

- Know that the deeming of words as good or ugly is not taken by imitation of the Arabs, because it is something in which there is no room for imitation; rather, it is something that has characteristics, forms, and signs, which, when found, reveal its goodness or ugliness.

أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ لَفْظَةَ الْمُزْنَةِ مَثَلًا حَسَنَةٌ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ كَافَّةً مِنَ الْعَرَبِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ لَا يَخْتَلِفُ أَحَدٌ فِي حُسْنِهَا

- Do you not see that the word 'al-muznah' (rain cloud), for example, is considered good by all people, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, and no one disagrees about its goodness?

وَكَذَلِكَ لَفْظُ الْبَعَّاقِ فَإِنَّهَا قَبِيحَةٌ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ كَافَّةً مِنَ الْعَرَبِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ فَإِذَا اسْتَعْمَلَتْهَا الْعَرَبُ لَا يَكُونُ اسْتِعْمَالُهُمْ إِيَّاهَا مُخْرِجًا لَهَا عَنِ الْقُبْحِ وَلَا يُلْتَفَتُ إِذَنْ إِلَى اسْتِعْمَالِهِمْ إِيَّاهَا بَلْ يُعَابُ مُسْتَعْمِلُهَا وَيُغْلَظُ لَهُ النَّكِيرُ حَيْثُ اسْتَعْمَلَهَا

- Likewise, the word 'al-ba''aq' (a loud, ugly sound) is considered ugly by all people, Arabs and non-Arabs alike; so if the Arabs used it, their usage would not remove it from being ugly, and their usage of it is therefore not to be heeded; rather, the one who uses it is blamed and strongly rebuked for having used it.

فَلَا تَظُنَّ أَنَّ الْوَحْشِيَّ مِنَ الْأَلْفَاظِ مَا يَكْرَهُهُ سَمْعُكَ وَيَثْقُلُ عَلَيْكَ النُّطْقُ بِهِ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْغَرِيبُ الَّذِي يَقِلُّ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ فَتَارَةً يَخِفُّ عَلَى سَمْعِكَ وَلَا نَجِدُ بِهِ كَرَاهَةً وَتَارَةً يَثْقُلُ عَلَى سَمْعِكَ وَتَجِدُ مِنْهُ الْكَرَاهَةَ

- Do not think that the 'savage' (harsh) words are merely those that your hearing dislikes and that are heavy for you to pronounce; rather, it is the strange word that is rarely used, which sometimes feels light to your hearing and you find no dislike in it, and at other times feels heavy to your hearing and you find dislike in it.

وَذَلِكَ فِي اللَّفْظِ عَيْبَانِ كَوْنُهُ غَرِيبَ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ وَكَوْنُهُ ثَقِيلًا عَلَى السَّمْعِ كَرِيهًا عَلَى الذَّوْقِ وَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَهُ فِي الْقُبْحِ دَرَجَةٌ أُخْرَى وَلَا يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ إِلَّا أَجْهَلُ النَّاسِ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يَخْطُرْ بِبَالِهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ هَذَا الْفَنِّ أَصْلًا

Thus, there are two defects in a word: its being strange in usage, and its being heavy on the ear and repulsive to the taste; there is no degree of ugliness beyond that, and it is only used by the most ignorant of people, those to whom nothing of the knowledge of this art has ever occurred.

انْتَهَى عَنِ الْمَثَلِ السَّائِرِ بِتَصَرُّفٍ.

- End of the excerpt from 'Al-Mathal al-Sa'ir' with some adaptation.

مُزَجَّجًا» مُدَقَّقًا مُطَوَّلًا (فَاحِمًا) شَعْرًا أَسْوَدَ كَالْفَحْمَةِ (مُرْسِنًا) بِكَسْرِ الْمِيمِ وَفَتْحِ السِّينِ كَمِنْبَرٍ - أَوْ بِفَتْحِ الْمِيمِ وَكَسْرِ السِّينِ كَمَجْلِسٍ وَمَعْنَاهُ أَنْفًا ذَا لَمَعَانٍ كَالسِّرَاجِ - أَوْ ذَا صَقَالَةٍ وَاحْدِيدَابٍ كَالسَّيْفِ السَّرِيجِيِّ أَيِ الْمَنْسُوبِ إِلَى سَرِيجٍ وَهُوَ قَيْنٌ حَدَّادٌ تُنْسَبُ إِلَيْهِ السُّيُوفُ فِي الدِّقَّةِ وَالِاسْتِوَاءِ.

(1) 'Muzajjajan': refined and elongated. 'Fahiman': hair as black as coal. 'Mursinan': with a kasra on the mim and a fatha on the sin, like 'minbar'—or with a fatha on the mim and a kasra on the sin, like 'majlis'—and its meaning is a nose that has a shine like a lamp, or one that has smoothness and curvature like the Sariji sword, meaning that which is attributed to Sarij, who was a blacksmith to whom swords are attributed for their refinement and straightness.

أَيْ وَلَفْظُهُ مُسَرَّجٌ غَيْرُ ظَاهِرَةِ الدَّلَالَةِ عَلَى مَا ذُكِرَ لِأَنَّ فَعَلَ إِنَّمَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى مُجَرَّدِ النِّسْبَةِ وَهِيَ لَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى التَّشْبِيهِ فَأَخْذُهُ مِنْهَا بَعِيدٌ - لِهَذَا أَدْخَلَ الْحَيْرَةَ عَلَى السَّامِعِ فِي فَهْمِ الْمَعْنَى الْمَقْصُودِ مِنَ الْكَلِمَةِ لِتَرَدُّدِهَا بَيْنَ مَعْنَيَيْنِ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ بِلَا قَرِينَةٍ وَمِثْلُهُ قَوْلُ الشَّاعِرِ: [الْكَامِلُ]

(2) Meaning, the word 'musarraj' does not have an apparent indication of what was mentioned, because the form 'fa''ala' only indicates mere attribution, and it does not indicate simile, so deriving it from that is far-fetched. For this reason, it caused confusion for the listener in understanding the intended meaning of the word due to its oscillation between two or more meanings without a contextual indicator, and similar to it is the saying of the poet: [Kamil meter]

لَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ آخِرَ عَهْدِكُمْ يَوْمَ الرَّحِيلِ فَعَلْتُ مَا لَمْ أَفْعَلِ

If I had known that your last visit was on the day of departure, I would have done what I did not do.

فَلَا يُعْلَمُ مَاذَا أَرَادَ بِقَوْلِهِ فَعَلْتُ مَا لَمْ أَفْعَلِ - أَكَانَ يَبْكِي إِذَا رَحَلُوا - أَمْ كَانَ يَهِيمُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ مِنَ الْغَمِّ الَّذِي لَحِقَهُ - أَمْ يَتْبَعُهُمْ إِذَا سَارُوا - أَمْ يَمْنَعُهُمْ مِنَ الْمُضِيِّ عَلَى عَزْمَةِ الرَّحِيلِ.

It is not known what he meant by his saying 'I would have done what I did not do'—was he going to weep when they departed? Or was he going to wander aimlessly out of the grief that befell him? Or follow them when they traveled? Or prevent them from proceeding with their resolve to depart?

Vocabulary · المفردات (19 verbs · 70 nouns)

• أَوْجَبَ — to cause
• تَرَدَّدَ — to fluctuate
• عَلِمَ — to know
• أَرَادَ — to want
• اِخْتَلَفَ — to differ
• قَالَ — to say
• اِسْتَعْمَلَ — to use
• أَخَذَ — to take
• وَجَدَ — to find
• رَأَى — to see
• اِلْتَفَتَ — to pay attention
• عَابَ — to blame
• غَلُظَ — to be harsh
• ظَنَّ — to think
• كَرِهَ — to hate
• ثَقُلَ — to be heavy
• قَلَّ — to be scarce
• خَفَّ — to be light
• خَطَرَ — to occur to mind
• غَرَابَة — strangeness
• اسْتِعْمَال — usage
• كَوْن — being
• كَلِمَة — word
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• عَرَبِيّ — Arab
• فَصِيح — eloquent
• مُعَوَّل — reliance
• قِسْم — part
• أَوَّل — first
• حَيْرَة — confusion
• سَامِع — listener
• فَهْم — understanding
• مَقْصُود — intended
• تَرَدُّد — fluctuation
• قَرِينَة — clue
• لَفْظ — term
• مُشْتَرَك — shared
• مُسَرَّج — having a lamp-like shine
• قَوْل — saying
• مُقْلَة — eyeball
• حَاجِب — eyebrow
• مُزَجَّج — arched
• فَاحِم — jet-black
• مُرْسِن — nose
• إِمَام — leader
• لُغَة — language
• تَخْرِيج — interpretation
• أَنْف — nose
• اسْتِوَاء — straightness
• دِقَّة — precision
• سَيْف — sword
• سَرِيجِيّ — Sariji
• بَرِيق — glitter
• لَمَعَان — shine
• سِرَاج — lamp
• حُسْن — beauty
• كَلَام — speech
• ضَرُورَة — necessity
• مُمْكِن — possible
• حَال — state
• اسْتِحْسَان — approval
• اسْتِقْبَاح — disapproval
• تَقْلِيد — imitation
• مَجَال — scope
• خَصِيصَة — characteristic
• هَيْئَة — form
• عَلَامَة — sign
• قُبْح — ugliness
• نَاس — people
• كَافَّة — entirety
• مُزْنَة — cloud
• بَعَّاق — a loud, ugly sound
• قَبِيح — ugly
• نَكِير — disapproval
• وَحْشِيّ — barbaric
• سَمْع — hearing
• نُطْق — pronunciation
• غَرِيب — strange
• كَرَاهَة — aversion
• عَيْب — defect
• ثَقِيل — heavy
• ذَوْق — taste
• دَرَجَة — degree
• أُخْرَى — other
• أَجْهَل — most ignorant
• بَال — mind
• مَعْرِفَة — knowledge
• فَنّ — art
• أَصْل — origin