Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُقَدِّمَةٌ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

An introduction to the knowledge of eloquence and rhetoric.

لَا نَسَبَ الْيَوْمَ وَلَا خُلَّهْ

There is no lineage today, nor friendship.

اتَّسَعَ الْفَتْقُ عَلَى الرَّاقِعِ

The tear has widened beyond the mender's ability.

فَأَيْقَنْتُ أَنِّي عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ ثَائِرٌ غَدَائِدَ أَوْ هَالِكٌ فِي الْهَوَالِكِ

I became certain that, at that moment, I would either be an avenger of the braids or perish in the perils (2).

مَهْلًا أَعَاذِلَ قَدْ جَرَّبْتِ مِنْ خُلُقِي أَنِّي أَجُودُ لِأَقْوَامٍ وَإِنْ ضَنُّوا

Slow down, O censurers, for you have tested my character and found that I am generous to people even if they are stingy.

تَشْكُو الْوَجَى مِنْ أَظَلٍّ وَأَظْلَلٍ مِنْ طُولِ إِمْلَالٍ وَظَهْرٍ مُمْلِلِ

It complains of lameness from the sole and the soles, from the length of weariness and a tiring back (3).

وَخَالَفَ الْقِيَاسَ فِي الْأَسْوَدِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُبْنَى اسْمُ تَفْضِيلٍ مِنْ نَحْوِ سُودٍ وَحُمْرٍ.

It violated the analogy in 'al-aswad' (the blackest) because a superlative noun is not formed from words like 'sud' (black) and 'humr' (red).

الْخُلَّةُ الصَّدَاقَةُ وَالْفَتْقُ الشَّقُّ وَالرَّاقِعُ مُصْلِحُ الْفَتْقِ وَقَدْ خَالَفَ الْقِيَاسَ فِي اتَّسَعَ حَيْثُ قَطَعَ هَمْزَةَ الْوَصْلِ

(1) 'Al-khullah' is friendship, 'al-fatq' is the tear, and 'al-raqi'' is the mender of the tear; it violated the analogy in 'ittasa'a' (it widened) by cutting the hamzat al-wasl.

هَوَالِكُ فَوَاعِلُ لَا يَطَّرِدُ فِي وَصْفِ الْعَاقِلِ كَمَا هُنَا

(2) 'Hawalik' is on the pattern of 'fawa'il', which is not standard for describing rational beings as it is here.

الْوَجَى الْجَفَا وَالْأَظْلَلُ بَاطِنُ خُفِّ الْبَعِيرِ وَخَالَفَ الْقِيَاسَ بِفَكِّ الْإِدْغَامِ.

(3) 'Al-waja' is lameness, and 'al-azlal' is the inner part of the camel's hoof; it violated the analogy by breaking the assimilation (idgham).

تَنْبِيهَاتٌ : الْأَوَّلُ مِنْ عُيُوبِ فَصَاحَةِ اللَّفْظَةِ الْمُفْرَدَةِ كَوْنُهَا مُبْتَذَلَةً أَيْ عَامِّيَّةً سَاقِطَةً كَالْقَالِقِ وَالشِّنْطَارِ وَنَحْوِهِمَا، وَالِابْتِذَالُ ضَرْبَانِ.

Notes: First, among the flaws of the eloquence of a single word is its being 'mubtathalah' (vulgar), meaning colloquial and base, like 'al-qaliq' and 'al-shintar' and the like; vulgarity is of two types.

مَا اسْتَعْمَلَتْهُ الْعَامَّةُ وَلَمْ تُغَيِّرْهُ عَنْ وَضْعِهِ فَسَخُفَ وَانْحَطَّتْ رُتْبَتُهُ وَأَصْبَحَ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ لَدَى الْخَاصَّةِ مَعِيبًا، كَلَفْظَةِ الْبِرْسَامِ فِي قَوْلِ الْمُتَنَبِّي : [الْخَفِيفُ]

What the common people used without changing it from its original meaning, so it became trivial, its status declined, and its use among the elite became flawed, like the word 'al-birsam' in the saying of al-Mutanabbi: [al-Khafif]

إِنَّ بَعْضًا مِنَ الْقَرِيضِ هُرَاءُ فِيهِ مَا يَجْلِبُ الْبَرَاعَةَ وَالْفَهْـ وَكَلَفْظَةِ الْخَازِبَازِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: [الْخَفِيفُ] وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ تَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمْ لَيْسَ شَيْئًا وَبَعْضُهُ أَحْكَامُ

Indeed, some poetry is nonsense, it is nothing, and some of it is wisdom.

فِيهِ مَا يَجْلِبُ الْبَرَاعَةَ وَالْفَهْـ مُ وَفِيهِ مَا يَجْلِبُ الْبِرْسَامَ

In it is what brings eloquence and understanding, and in it is what brings pleurisy.

وَكَلَفْظَةِ الْخَازِبَازِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: [الْخَفِيفُ] شُعَرَاءُ كَأَنَّهَا الْخَازِبَازُ

And like the word 'al-khazibaz' in his saying: [al-Khafif] Poets as if they were 'al-khazibaz'.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ تَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمْ

And among the people are those upon whom it passes.

مَا يَجْلِبُ الْبِرْسَامَ شُعَرَاءُ كَأَنَّهَا الْخَازِبَازُ ٢ - مَا اسْتَعْمَلَتْهُ الْعَامَّةُ دَالًّا عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا وُضِعَ لَهُ وَلَيْسَ بِمُسْتَقْبَحٍ وَلَا مَكْرُوهٍ كَقَوْلِ الْمُتَلَمِّسِ : [الطَّوِيلُ]

2 - What the common people used to indicate something other than what it was originally intended for, and it is neither ugly nor disliked, like the saying of al-Mutalammis: [al-Tawil]

وَقَدْ أَتَنَاسَى الْهَمَّ عِنْدَ احْتِضَارِهِ وَكَقَوْلِ أَبِي نُوَاسٍ : [مَجْزُوءُ الْبَسِيطِ] اخْتَصَمَ الْجُودُ وَالْجَمَالُ فَقَالَ هَذَا وَقَالَ هَذَاكَ وَجْهُ فَافْتَرَقَا فِيكَ عَنْ تَرَاضٍ يُنَاجِي عَلَيْهِ الصَّيْعَرِيَّةَ مَكْدَمُ

I feign forgetfulness of worry when it is present, while the 'makdam' whispers the 'say'ariyyah' upon it.

وَكَقَوْلِ أَبِي نُوَاسٍ : [مَجْزُوءُ الْبَسِيطِ]

And like the saying of Abu Nuwas: [Majzu' al-Basit]

اخْتَصَمَ الْجُودُ وَالْجَمَالُ فِيكَ فَصَارَ إِلَى جِدَالِ

Generosity and beauty disputed over you, and it turned into an argument.

فَقَالَ هَذَا لِعُرْفٍ وَالْبَذْلِ وَالنَّوَالِ

This one said: For kindness, giving, and bestowal.

وَقَالَ هَذَاكَ وَجْهُ لِلظَّرْفِ وَالْحُسْنِ وَالْكَمَالِ

And that one said: A face for wit, beauty, and perfection.

فَافْتَرَقَا فِيكَ عَنْ تَرَاضٍ كِلَاهُمَا صَادِقُ الْمَقَالِ

They parted from you in agreement, both of them truthful in their speech.

فَوَصَفَ فِي الْأَوَّلِ الْبَعِيرَ بِالصَّيْعَرِيَّةِ وَهِيَ مُخْتَصَّةٌ بِالنُّوقِ، وَفِي الثَّانِي الْوَجْهَ بِالظَّرْفِ وَهُوَ فِي اللُّغَةِ مُخْتَصٌّ بِالنُّطْقِ

In the first, he described the camel with 'say'ariyyah', which is specific to female camels, and in the second, he described the face with 'zarf' (wit), which in the language is specific to speech.

لِلْقَالِقِ وَالشِّنْطَارِ وَنَحْوِهِمَا (الثَّانِي) لَا تَسْتَعْمِلِ الْأَلْفَاظَ الْمُبْهَمَةَ إِذَا كَانَ غَرَضُكَ التَّعْيِينَ وَإِحْضَارَ صُورَةِ الشَّيْءِ أَوِ الْمَعْنَى الْمُرَادِ فِي الذِّهْنِ

For 'al-qaliq' and 'al-shintar' and the like. (Second) Do not use vague words if your purpose is to specify and bring the image of the thing or the intended meaning into the mind.

((الثَّالِثُ) لَا تَسْتَعْمِلِ اللَّفْظَ الْمُشْتَرَكَ إِلَّا مَعَ قَرِينَةٍ تُبَيِّنُ الْمُرَادَ مِنْ مَعَانِيهِ الْمُشْتَرَكَةِ - وَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ ذَلِكَ مُفَصَّلًا

(Third) Do not use a homonym (shared word) except with a context that clarifies the intended meaning among its shared meanings - and that has been presented in detail.

Vocabulary · المفردات (31 verbs · 88 nouns)

• اِتَّسَعَ — to expand
• رَقَعَ — to mend
• أَيْقَنَ — to be certain
• هَلَكَ — to perish
• جَرَّبَ — to test
• جَادَ — to be generous
• ضَنَّ — to be stingy
• شَكَا — to complain
• خَالَفَ — to contradict
• بَنَى — to build
• اِبْتَذَلَ — to vulgarize
• اِسْتَعْمَلَ — to use
• غَيَّرَ — to change
• سَخُفَ — to become trivial
• اِنْحَطَّ — to decline
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• جَلَبَ — to bring
• جَازَ — to be permissible
• وَضَعَ — to place
• تَنَاسَى — to feign forgetfulness
• نَاجَى — to whisper
• اِخْتَصَمَ — to dispute
• صَارَ — to become
• اِفْتَرَقَ — to separate
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• اِخْتَصَّ — to be specific
• عَيَّنَ — to specify
• أَحْضَرَ — to bring
• أَرَادَ — to want
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• تَقَدَّمَ — to precede
• مُقَدِّمَةٌ — introduction
• مَعْرِفَةٌ — knowledge
• فَصَاحَةٌ — eloquence
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• نَسَبٌ — lineage
• يَوْمٌ — day
• خُلَّةٌ — friendship
• فَتْقٌ — tear
• رَاقِعٌ — mender
• ثَائِرٌ — rebel
• هَالِكٌ — perishing person
• مَهْلًا — slowly
• عَاذِلٌ — blamer
• خُلُقٌ — character
• قَوْمٌ — people
• وَجَى — lameness
• أَظْلَلٌ — sole of hoof
• طُولٌ — length
• إِمْلَالٌ — boredom
• ظَهْرٌ — back
• مُمْلِلٌ — boring
• قِيَاسٌ — analogy
• أَسْوَدُ — black
• اسْمٌ — noun
• تَفْضِيلٌ — preference
• نَحْوٌ — direction
• أَحْمَرُ — red
• تَنْبِيهٌ — alert
• عَيْبٌ — defect
• لَفْظَةٌ — word
• مُفْرَدٌ — singular
• مُبْتَذَلٌ — vulgar
• عَامِّيَّةٌ — colloquialism
• سَاقِطٌ — low
• قَالِقٌ — vulgar word
• شِنْطَارٌ — vulgar word
• ابْتِذَالٌ — vulgarity
• ضَرْبٌ — type
• عَامَّةٌ — common
• وَضْعٌ — position
• رُتْبَةٌ — rank
• خَاصَّةٌ — elite
• مَعِيبٌ — defective
• بِرْسَامٌ — pleurisy
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• قَرِيضٌ — poetry
• هُرَاءٌ — nonsense
• بَرَاعَةٌ — skill
• فَهْمٌ — understanding
• خَازْبَازٌ — vulgar word
• نَاسٌ — people
• شَاعِرٌ — poet
• شَيْءٌ — thing
• حُكْمٌ — judgment
• دَالٌّ — indicator
• مُسْتَقْبَحٌ — repulsive
• مَكْرُوهٌ — hated
• هَمٌّ — worry
• احْتِضَارٌ — death throes
• صَيْعَرِيَّةٌ — camel ornament
• مَكْدَمٌ — camel
• جُودٌ — generosity
• جَمَالٌ — beauty
• جِدَالٌ — argument
• عُرْفٌ — custom
• بَذْلٌ — giving
• نَوَالٌ — gift
• ظَرْفٌ — wit
• حُسْنٌ — goodness
• كَمَالٌ — perfection
• تَرَاضٍ — mutual consent
• صَادِقٌ — truthful
• مَقَالٌ — speech
• وَصْفٌ — description
• بَعِيرٌ — camel
• نَاقَةٌ — she-camel
• وَجْهٌ — face
• لُغَةٌ — language
• نُطْقٌ — speech
• لَفْظٌ — word
• مُبْهَمٌ — vague
• غَرَضٌ — purpose
• تَعْيِينٌ — specification
• صُورَةٌ — image
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• ذِهْنٌ — mind
• مُشْتَرَكٌ — shared
• قَرِينَةٌ — context