Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 15

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُقَدِّمَةٌ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

An introduction to the knowledge of eloquence and rhetoric.

بِمَدِينَةِ السَّلَامِ : صِينَ امْرُؤٌ وَرَعًا دَعَا لِامْرَأَتِهِ إِنْقِحْلَةٍ (١) مُقْسَئِنَّةٍ (٢) قَدْ مُنِيتُ بِأَكْلِ الطَّرْمُوقِ (٣) فَأَصَابَهَا مِنْ أَجْلِهِ الِاسْتِمْصَالُ (٤) بِأَنْ يَمُنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِالْإِطْرِغْشَاشِ وَالْإِبْرِغْشَاشِ - أَسْمَعُ جَعْجَعَةً (٦) وَلَا أَرَى طَحْنًا - الْإِسْفِنْطُ (٧) حَرَامٌ - وَهَذَا الْخَنْشَلِيلُ (٨) صَقِيلٌ ، وَالْفَدَوْكَسُ مُفْتَرِسٌ

In the City of Peace: A pious man was protected, who prayed for his wife, an old, withered woman, saying: 'I have been afflicted with eating clay, and because of it, diarrhea has befallen her, so may God grant her recovery and healing.' I hear the clatter of a millstone, but I see no flour. Wine is forbidden, and this sword is polished, and the lion is a predator.

يَوْمٌ عَصَبْصَبٌ وَهِلَّوْفٌ مَلَأَ السَّجْسَجَ طَلًا

A day that is intensely cold and snowy, filling the uneven ground with dew.

الْوَافِرُ ] آمِنًا أَنْ تُصَرَّعَ عَنْ سَمَاحٍ وَلِلْآمَالِ فِي يَدِكَ اضْطِرَاعُ

[Al-Wafir meter] Secure from being brought down from generosity, while hopes struggle in your hand.

وَقَالَ الْفَرَزْدَقُ : [ الْكَامِلُ ] وَإِذَا الرِّجَالُ رَأَوْا يَزِيدَ رَأَيْتَهُمْ خُضْعَ الرِّقَابِ نَوَاكِسَ الْأَبْصَارِ

Al-Farazdaq said: [Al-Kamil meter] And when men see Yazid, you see them with bowed necks and downcast eyes.

وَقَالَ أَبُو تَمَّامٍ : [ الْبَسِيطُ ] قَدْ قُلْتُ لَمَّا اطْلَخَمَّ الْأَمْرُ وَانْبَعَثَتْ عَشْوَاءُ تَالِيَةٌ غُبْسًا دَهَارِيسَا

Abu Tammam said: [Al-Basit meter] I said when the matter became severe and a dark, following night emerged with gray calamities.

وَقَالَ شَمِرٌ : [ الطَّوِيلُ ] وَأَحْمَقَ مِمَّنْ يَكْرَعُ الْمَاءَ قَالَ لِي دَعِ الْخَمْرَ وَاشْرَبْ مِنْ نُفَاخِ مُبَرِّدِ

Shamir said: [Al-Tawil meter] And more foolish than one who laps up water, he said to me: 'Leave wine and drink from the cool, fresh water.'

(١) يَابِسَةٌ.

(1) Withered.

مُسِنَّةٌ عَجُوزٌ.

(2) An old woman.

(٣) ابْتُلِيتُ بِأَكْلِ الطِّينِ.

(3) I have been afflicted with eating clay.

(٤) الْإِسْهَالُ.

(4) Diarrhea.

(٥) الْبُرْءُ وَكَذَا مَعْنَى مَا بَعْدَهُ.

(5) Recovery, and the same is the meaning of what follows it.

جَعْجَعَةٌ غَيْرُ فَصِيحَةٍ لِتَنَافُرِ حُرُوفِهَا وَهُوَ مَثَلٌ يُضْرَبُ لِمَنْ يَقُولُ وَلَا يَفْعَلُ.

(6) 'Ja'ja'ah' (clatter) is not eloquent due to the dissonance of its letters, and it is a proverb used for someone who speaks but does not act.

الْإِسْفِنْطُ الْخَمْرُ.

(7) 'Al-Isfint' is wine.

(٨) الْخَنْشَلِيلُ السَّيْفُ.

(8) 'Al-Khanshalil' is the sword.

الْفَدَوْكَسُ الْأَسَدُ فَكُلٌّ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ الثَّلَاثَةِ وَحْشِيَّةٌ غَيْرُ مَأْلُوفَةٍ

(9) 'Al-Fadawkas' is the lion; all three of these terms are archaic and unfamiliar.

شَدِيدُ الْبَرْدِ فِيهِمَا وَالسَّجْسَجُ الْأَرْضُ الَّتِي لَيْسَتْ بِسَهْلَةٍ وَلَا صَلْبَةٍ

(10) Both refer to intense cold, and 'al-sajsaj' is land that is neither soft nor hard.

أَرَادَ أَنَّهُمْ أَمِنُوا أَنْ يَغْلِبَهُ غَالِبٌ يَصْرَعُهُ عَنِ السَّمَاحِ وَيَمْنَعُهُ مِنْهُ - وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ (وَلِلْآمَالِ فِي يَدِكَ اصْطِرَاعٌ) فَمَعْنَاهُ تَنَافُسٌ وَتَغَالُبٌ وَازْدِحَامٌ فِي يَدِهِ - يُرِيدُ كَثْرَةَ نَوَالِهِ وَكَرَمِهِ وَاسْتِعْمَالُهُ لِلَفْظَةِ الِاصْطِرَاعِ فَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى بَعِيدٌ وَالْبَيْتُ لِلْبُحْتُرِيِّ

(11) He meant that they were secure from any victor overcoming him to turn him away from generosity and prevent him from it. As for his saying 'and for hopes in your hand there is a struggle,' its meaning is competition, rivalry, and crowding in his hand, meaning the abundance of his giving and generosity. His use of the word 'istira'' (struggle) for this meaning is far-fetched, and the verse is by Al-Buhturi.

فَقَدْ (نَاكِسٌ) عَلَى (فَوَاعِلَ) وَهَذَا لَا يَطَّرِدُ إِلَّا فِي وَصْفٍ لِمُؤَنَّثٍ عَاقِلٍ لَا لِمُذَكَّرٍ كَمَا هُنَا إِلَّا فِي مَوْضِعَيْنِ (فَوَارِسَ وَهَوَالِكَ) وَالنَّاكِسُ مُطَأْطِئُ الرَّأْسِ.

(12) 'Nakis' (downcast) is on the pattern of 'fawa'il,' and this does not occur regularly except in descriptions of rational females, not males as it is here, except in two instances ('fawaris' and 'hawalik'). 'Al-nakis' is one who bows his head.

قَالَ صَاحِبُ الْمَثَلِ السَّائِرِ أَنَّ لَفْظَ (اطْلَخَمَّ) مِنَ الْأَلْفَاظِ الْمُنْكَرَةِ الَّتِي جَمَعَتِ الْوَصْفَيْنِ الْقَبِيحَيْنِ فِي أَنَّهَا غَرِيبَةٌ وَأَنَّهَا غَلِيظَةٌ فِي السَّمْعِ كَرِيهَةٌ عَلَى الذَّوْقِ وَكَذَلِكَ لَفْظَةُ (دَهَارِيسَ)، اطْلَخَمَّ أَيِ اشْتَدَّ وَعَظُمَ وَالْعَشْوَاءُ اللَّيْلَةُ الْمُظْلِمَةُ وَالْغُبْسُ جَمْعُ أَغْبَسَ وَغَبْسَاءُ وَهِيَ الشَّدِيدَةُ الظَّلَامِ مِثْلُهَا - وَالدَّهَارِيسُ جَمْعُ دَهْرِيسٍ وَهِيَ الدَّوَاهِي.

(13) The author of 'Al-Mathal al-Sa'ir' said that the word 'itlakham' is one of the rejected terms that combined two ugly qualities: it is strange and harsh to the ear, and unpleasant to the taste, as is the word 'daharis.' 'Itlakham' means it became intense and great. 'Al-'ashwa' is the dark night. 'Al-ghubs' is the plural of 'aghbas' and 'ghabsa',' which is intense darkness like it. 'Al-daharis' is the plural of 'dahris,' which are calamities.

الْمَاءُ الْعَذْبُ الصَّافِي.

(14) Fresh, clear water.

Vocabulary · المفردات (16 verbs · 48 nouns)

• صَانَ — to protect
• دَعَا — to pray
• مَنِيَ — to be afflicted
• أَصَابَ — to afflict
• مَنَّ — to bestow
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• رَأَى — to see
• طَحَنَ — to grind
• مَلَأَ — to fill
• صَرَعَ — to throw down
• قَالَ — to say
• اِطْلَخَمَّ — to intensify
• اِنْبَعَثَ — to arise
• كَرَعَ — to drink
• وَدَعَ — to leave
• شَرِبَ — to drink
• مُقَدِّمَة — introduction
• مَعْرِفَة — knowledge
• فَصَاحَة — eloquence
• بَلَاغَة — rhetoric
• مَدِينَة — city
• سَلَام — peace
• امْرُؤ — man
• وَرَع — piety
• امْرَأَة — woman
• إِنْقِحْلَة — dry (woman)
• مُقْسَئِنَّة — old (woman)
• أَكْل — eating
• طَرْمُوق — clay
• اسْتِمْصَال — diarrhea
• إِطْرِغْشَاش — healing
• إِبْرِغْشَاش — healing
• جَعْجَعَة — rattle
• طَحْن — grinding
• إِسْفِنْط — wine
• حَرَام — forbidden
• خَنْشَلِيل — sword
• صَقِيل — polished
• فَدَوْكَس — lion
• مُفْتَرِس — predatory
• يَوْم — day
• عَصَبْصَب — intense
• هِلَّوْف — cold
• سَجْسَج — ground
• طَل — dew
• آمِن — secure
• سَمَاح — generosity
• أَمَل — hope
• يَد — hand
• اضْطِرَاع — competition
• رَجُل — man
• رَقَبَة — neck
• نَاكِس — lowered
• بَصَر — sight
• أَمْر — matter
• عَشْوَاء — dark night
• تَالِيَة — following
• أَغْبَس — dark
• دَهْرِيس — calamity
• أَحْمَق — foolish
• مَاء — water
• خَمْر — wine
• نُفَاخ — fresh water
• مُبَرِّد — cooler