Jawahir al-Balagha by Ahmad al-Hashimi (جواهر البلاغة) — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

لَمَّا وُضِعَ عِلْمُ الصَّرْفِ لِلنَّظَرِ فِي أَبْنِيَةِ الْأَلْفَاظِ،

Morphology was established to examine word structures.

وَوُضِعَ عِلْمُ النَّحْوِ لِلنَّظَرِ فِي إِعْرَابِ مَا تَرَكَّبَ مِنْهَا،

Syntax was established to examine the inflection of words once combined.

وُضِعَ الْبَيَانُ لِلنَّظَرِ فِي أَمْرِ هَذَا التَّرْكِيبِ، وَهُوَ ثَلَاثَةُ عُلُومٍ:

Rhetoric was established to examine this composition, and it comprises three disciplines.

الْعِلْمُ الْأَوَّلُ: مَا يُحْتَرَزُ بِهِ عَنِ الْخَطَأِ فِي تَأْدِيَةِ الْمَعْنَى الَّذِي يُرِيدُهُ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ لِإِيصَالِهِ إِلَى ذِهْنِ السَّامِعِ، وَيُسَمَّى عِلْمُ الْمَعَانِي.

The first discipline guards against errors in conveying a speaker's intended meaning to the listener; it is called the science of meanings.

الْعِلْمُ الثَّانِي: مَا يُحْتَرَزُ بِهِ عَنِ التَّعْقِيدِ الْمَعْنَوِيِّ - أَيْ عَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْكَلَامُ غَيْرَ وَاضِحِ الدَّلَالَةِ عَلَى الْمَعْنَى الْمُرَادِ، وَيُسَمَّى عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ.

The second discipline guards against semantic obscurity—that is, speech that fails to clearly indicate the intended meaning; it is called the science of exposition.

الْعِلْمُ الثَّالِثُ: مَا يُرَادُ بِهِ تَحْسِينُ الْكَلَامِ، وَيُسَمَّى عِلْمُ الْبَدِيعِ،

The third discipline aims to beautify speech; it is called the science of stylistic innovation.

فَعِلْمُ الْبَدِيعِ تَابِعٌ لَهُمَا إِذْ بِهِمَا يُعْرَفُ التَّحْسِينُ الذَّاتِيُّ وَبِهِ يُعْرَفُ التَّحْسِينُ الْعَرَضِيُّ،

Stylistic innovation is subordinate to the other two, as they provide intrinsic beauty, while it provides extrinsic embellishment.

وَالْكَلَامُ بِاعْتِبَارِ الْمَعَانِي وَالْبَيَانِ يُقَالُ إِنَّهُ فَصِيحٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ اللَّفْظُ - لِأَنَّ النَّظَرَ فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ إِلَى مُجَرَّدِ اللَّفْظِ دُونَ الْمَعْنَى.

Speech, regarding meanings and exposition, is considered eloquent in its wording, for eloquence concerns only the words, not the meaning.

وَبَلِيغٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ اللَّفْظِ وَالْمَعْنَى جَمِيعًا - لِأَنَّ الْبَلَاغَةَ يُنْظَرُ فِيهَا إِلَى الْجَانِبَيْنِ.

It is considered rhetorically effective when it addresses both wording and meaning, as rhetoric considers both aspects.

عِلْمُ الْبَيَانِ فِي اصْطِلَاحِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْبَلَاغَةِ يُطْلَقُ عَلَى فُنُونِهَا الثَّلَاثَةِ مِنْ بَابِ تَسْمِيَةِ الْكُلِّ بِاسْمِ الْبَعْضِ،

In the terminology of the early masters of rhetoric, the science of exposition refers to all three arts, naming the whole after one of its parts.

وَخَصَّهُ الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ بِالْعِلْمِ الْبَاحِثِ عَنِ الْمَجَازِ وَالِاسْتِعَارَةِ وَالتَّشْبِيهِ وَالْكِنَايَةِ.

Later scholars restricted it to the study of metaphor, figurative language, simile, and metonymy.

وَالْغَرَضُ مِنْهُ صَوْغُ الْكَلَامِ بِطَرِيقَةٍ تُبَيِّنُ مَا فِي نَفْسِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ مِنَ الْمَقَاصِدِ وَتُوصِلُ الْأَثَرَ الَّذِي يُرِيدُهُ بِهِ إِلَى نَفْسِ السَّامِعِ.

Its purpose is to craft speech that clearly expresses the speaker's intentions and conveys the desired impact to the listener.

وَبَيَانُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْفَصَاحَةَ تَمَامُ آلَةِ الْبَيَانِ فَهِيَ مَقْصُورَةٌ عَلَى اللَّفْظِ لِأَنَّ الْآلَةَ تَتَعَلَّقُ بِاللَّفْظِ دُونَ الْمَعْنَى،

Eloquence is the perfection of the rhetorical instrument, limited to wording because the instrument relates to words rather than meaning.

وَالْبَلَاغَةَ إِنَّمَا هِيَ إِنْهَاءُ الْمَعْنَى فِي الْقَلْبِ فَكَأَنَّهَا مَقْصُورَةٌ عَلَى الْمَعْنَى،

Rhetoric is the realization of meaning within the heart, so it is essentially limited to meaning.

وَمِنَ الدَّلِيلِ عَلَى أَنَّ الْفَصَاحَةَ تَتَضَمَّنُ اللَّفْظَ، وَالْبَلَاغَةَ تَتَنَاوَلُ الْمَعْنَى، أَنَّ الْبَبْغَاءَ يُسَمَّى فَصِيحًا وَلَا يُسَمَّى بَلِيغًا إِذْ هُوَ مُقِيمُ الْحُرُوفِ وَلَيْسَ لَهَا قَصْدٌ إِلَى الْمَعْنَى الَّذِي يُؤَدِّيهِ،

Evidence that eloquence concerns wording and rhetoric concerns meaning is that a parrot is called eloquent but not rhetorically effective; it repeats sounds without intending the meaning it produces.

وَقَدْ يَجُوزُ مَعَ هَذَا أَنْ يُسَمَّى الْكَلَامُ الْوَاحِدُ فَصِيحًا بَلِيغًا إِذَا كَانَ وَاضِحَ الْمَعْنَى سَهْلَ اللَّفْظِ جَيِّدَ السَّبْكِ غَيْرَ مُسْتَكْرَهٍ فَجٍّ وَلَا مُتَكَلَّفٍ وَخَمٍ،

It is permissible to call a single piece of speech both eloquent and rhetorically effective if it is clear in meaning, easy to articulate, well-structured, and free of repulsive, crude, or affected heaviness.

وَلَا يَمْنَعُهُ مِنْ أَحَدِ الِاسْمَيْنِ شَيْءٌ لِمَا فِيهِ مِنْ إِيضَاحِ الْمَعْنَى وَتَقْوِيمِ الْحُرُوفِ.

Nothing prevents it from bearing both labels, given its clarity of meaning and precision of articulation.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْفَصِيحَ مِنَ الْأَلْفَاظِ الظَّاهِرُ الْبَيِّنُ،

Know that an eloquent word is one that is clear and manifest.

وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ ظَاهِرًا بَيِّنًا لِأَنَّهُ مَأْلُوفُ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ،

It is manifest and clear because it is commonly used.

وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ مَأْلُوفَ الِاسْتِعْمَالِ بَيْنَ النَّابِهِينَ مِنَ الْكُتَّابِ وَالشُّعَرَاءِ لِمَكَانِ حُسْنِهِ،

It is common among intelligent writers and poets precisely because of its beauty.

وَحُسْنُهُ مُدْرَكٌ بِالسَّمْعِ،

Its beauty is perceived through the ear.

وَالَّذِي يُدْرَكُ بِالسَّمْعِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ اللَّفْظُ لِأَنَّهُ صَوْتٌ يَتَأَلَّفُ مِنْ مَخَارِجِ الْحُرُوفِ فَمَا اسْتَلَذَّهُ.

What the ear perceives is the word itself, as it is a sound formed by the articulation points of letters, which the listener finds pleasant.

Vocabulary · المفردات (20 verbs · 95 nouns)

• وَضَعَ — to place
• تَرَكَّبَ — to be composed
• احْتَرَزَ — to guard against
• أَرَادَ — to want
• سَمَّى — to name
• عَرَفَ — to know
• قَالَ — to say
• أَطْلَقَ — to apply
• خَصَّ — to specify
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• أَوْصَلَ — to deliver
• تَعَلَّقَ — to relate
• تَضَمَّنَ — to include
• تَنَاوَلَ — to deal with
• أَدَّى — to perform
• جَازَ — to be permissible
• مَنَعَ — to prevent
• عَلِمَ — to know
• تَأَلَّفَ — to be composed
• اسْتَلَذَّ — to find pleasant
• تَمْهِيدٌ — introduction
• عِلْمٌ — science
• صَرْفٌ — morphology
• نَظَرٌ — viewing
• بِنَاءٌ — structure
• لَفْظٌ — word
• نَحْوٌ — grammar
• إِعْرَابٌ — parsing
• بَيَانٌ — rhetoric
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• تَرْكِيبٌ — composition
• ثَلَاثَةٌ — three
• أَوَّلٌ — first
• خَطَأٌ — error
• تَأْدِيَةٌ — performance
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• مُتَكَلِّمٌ — speaker
• إِيصَالٌ — delivery
• ذِهْنٌ — mind
• سَامِعٌ — listener
• ثَانٍ — second
• تَعْقِيدٌ — complexity
• مَعْنَوِيٌّ — semantic
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• وَاضِحٌ — clear
• دَلَالَةٌ — indication
• مُرَادٌ — intended
• ثَالِثٌ — third
• تَحْسِينٌ — improvement
• بَدِيعٌ — innovation
• تَابِعٌ — follower
• ذَاتِيٌّ — intrinsic
• عَرَضِيٌّ — extrinsic
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• فَصِيحٌ — eloquent
• فَصَاحَةٌ — eloquence
• مُجَرَّدٌ — mere
• بَلِيغٌ — articulate
• بَلَاغَةٌ — rhetoric
• جَانِبٌ — side
• اصْطِلَاحٌ — terminology
• مُتَقَدِّمٌ — predecessor
• إِمَامٌ — leader
• فَنٌّ — art
• بَابٌ — chapter
• تَسْمِيَةٌ — naming
• كُلٌّ — whole
• بَعْضٌ — part
• مُتَأَخِّرٌ — successor
• بَاحِثٌ — researcher
• مَجَازٌ — metaphor
• اسْتِعَارَةٌ — borrowing
• تَشْبِيهٌ — simile
• كِنَايَةٌ — metonymy
• غَرَضٌ — purpose
• صَوْغٌ — formulation
• طَرِيقَةٌ — method
• نَفْسٌ — self
• مَقْصِدٌ — intention
• أَثَرٌ — effect
• تَمَامٌ — perfection
• آلَةٌ — tool
• مَقْصُورٌ — limited
• إِنْهَاءٌ — completion
• قَلْبٌ — heart
• دَلِيلٌ — evidence
• بَبْغَاءٌ — parrot
• مُقِيمٌ — to articulate
• حَرْفٌ — letter
• قَصْدٌ — intent
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• سَهْلٌ — easy
• جَيِّدٌ — good
• سَبْكٌ — weaving
• مُسْتَكْرَهٌ — repulsive
• فَجٌّ — crude
• مُتَكَلَّفٌ — affected
• وَخَمٌ — heavy
• اسْمٌ — name
• شَيْءٌ — thing
• إِيضَاحٌ — clarification
• تَقْوِيمٌ — rectification
• ظَاهِرٌ — apparent
• بَيِّنٌ — evident
• مَأْلُوفٌ — familiar
• اسْتِعْمَالٌ — usage
• نَابِهٌ — intelligent
• كَاتِبٌ — writer
• شَاعِرٌ — poet
• مَكَانٌ — place
• حُسْنٌ — beauty
• مُدْرَكٌ — perceived
• سَمْعٌ — hearing
• صَوْتٌ — (sound)
• مَخْرَجٌ — exit