Kalila Wa Dimna — Page 14

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

كُلُّ الطَّبَعَاتِ الَّتِي طُبِعَتْ فِي مِصْرَ كَانَتْ تَكْرَارًا لِهَذِهِ الطَّبْعَةِ.

All editions printed in Egypt were simply reprints of this one.

فَالطَّبَعَتَانِ اللَّتَانِ أَخْرَجَتْهُمَا مَطْبَعَةُ بُولَاقَ سَنَةَ ١٢٤٩ وَسَنَةَ ١٢٥١هـ فِي عَهْدِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلِيٍّ بَاشَا صُورَتَانِ مِنْ طَبْعَةِ سَاسِي إِلَّا كَلِمَاتٍ قَلِيلَةً.

The two editions issued by the Bulaq Press in 1249 and 1251 AH, during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha, are identical to Sacy’s edition, save for a few words.

يَقُولُ مُصَحِّحُ الْكِتَابِ فِي الْمُقَدِّمَةِ: فَصَادَفَ سَعْدُهُ وُجُودَ نُسْخَةٍ مَطْبُوعَةٍ بِالْعَرَبِيِّ فِي غَيْرِ بِلَادِ الْعَرَبِ مِنْ كِتَابِ كَلِيلَةَ وَدِمْنَةَ.

The book’s editor writes in the introduction: His good fortune led him to a printed Arabic copy of Kalila and Dimna produced outside the Arab lands.

وَهِيَ الَّتِي تَرْجَمَهَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُقَفَّعِ الْكَاتِبُ الْمَشْهُورُ فِي أَيَّامِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْمَنْصُورِ.

This is the version translated by the famous writer Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa during the days of the Commander of the Faithful, Abu Ja'far al-Mansur.

وَكَانَتْ تَرْجَمَتُهَا مِنَ اللُّغَةِ الْفَهْلَوِيَّةِ إِلَى اللُّغَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ.

It was translated from Pahlavi into Arabic.

وَاتَّفَقَ النَّاسُ عَلَى صِحَّةِ تِلْكَ النُّسْخَةِ لِشُهْرَةِ مُصَحِّحِهَا بِالْأَلْمَعِيَّةِ.

People agreed on the authenticity of that copy because its editor was renowned for his brilliance.

وَهُنَا يَنْقُلُ الْمُصَحِّحُ فِقَرَاتٍ مِنْ مُقَدِّمَةِ دِي سَاسِي تُبَيِّنُ طَرِيقَةَ هَذَا الْمُسْتَشْرِقِ فِي تَصْحِيحِ الْكِتَابِ.

Here, the editor quotes passages from De Sacy’s introduction that explain the orientalist’s method for correcting the book.

ثُمَّ إِنَّ تِلْكَ النُّسْخَةَ الْمَطْبُوعَةَ عُرِضَتْ هِيَ وَغَيْرُهَا عَلَى شَيْخِ مَشَايِخِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَقُدْوَةِ عُمَدِ الْأَنَامِ مَوْلَانَا الشَّيْخِ حَسَنِ الْعَطَّارِ.

That printed copy, along with others, was presented to the Sheikh of the Sheikhs of Islam and the exemplar of the pillars of humanity, our master Sheikh Hassan al-Attar.

أَدَامَ اللَّهُ عُمُومَ فَضْلِهِ مَا دَامَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ.

May God perpetuate his grace as long as night and day endure.

فَقَالَ: يَصِحُّ أَلَّا يُوجَدَ لَهَا فِي الصِّحَّةِ مِثَالٌ.

He said: It is truly a work whose authenticity is beyond compare.

لِشُهْرَةِ مُصَحِّحِهَا بِالضَّبْطِ وَسَعَةِ الِاطِّلَاعِ عَلَى الْأَقْوَالِ.

This is due to the editor’s reputation for precision and his vast knowledge of the various accounts.

وَحِينَئِذٍ اتَّفَقَتِ الْآرَاءُ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمُعَوَّلُ فِي طَبْعِ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابِ عَلَيْهَا.

At that point, it was agreed that this copy should be the primary reference for printing the book.

وَمُنْتَهَى اخْتِلَافِ النُّسَخِ وَوِفَاقِهَا إِلَيْهَا.

It became the final arbiter for reconciling the differences between various manuscripts.

فَبَادَرْتُ إِشَارَةَ الْأَمْرِ بِصَرِيحِ الِامْتِثَالِ.

I hastened to comply with the command.

وَسَرَّحْتُ فِي رِيَاضِ تِلْكَ النُّسَخِ سَائِمَ الطَّرْفِ وَالْبَالِ.

I let my eyes and mind roam through the gardens of those manuscripts.

فَوَجَدْتُ الْمَطْبُوعَةَ أَفْصَحَهَا عِبَارَةً، وَأَوْضَحَهَا إِشَارَةً، وَأَصَحَّهَا مَعْنًى، وَأَحْكَمَهَا مَبْنًى.

I found the printed version to be the most eloquent in phrasing, the clearest in meaning, the most authentic in content, and the most sound in structure.

غَيْرَ أَنَّ فِيهَا لُفَيْظَاتٍ حَادَتْ عَنْ سَنَنِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ.

However, it contained a few minor words that deviated from the rules of Arabic.

وَبَعْضَ مَعَانٍ مَالَتْ بِهَا الرَّكَاكَةُ عَنْ أَنْ تُفْهَمَ بِطَرِيقَةٍ مَرْضِيَّةٍ.

It also had some passages where poor phrasing made them difficult to understand clearly.

فَقَرَيْتُ أَضْيَافَ الْمَعَانِي بِأَيِّ لَفْظٍ تَشْتَهِيهِ.

I treated the meanings as guests, offering them the most suitable words.

وَرَبُّ الْبَيْتِ أَدْرَى بِالَّذِي فِيهِ.

The master of the house knows best what is within it.

خُصُوصًا مَعَ وُجُودِ الْمَوَادِّ الَّتِي تَكْشِفُ عَنْ وُجُوهِ الصِّحَّةِ نِقَابَ الِاشْتِبَاهِ.

This was especially possible given the materials that helped clear away the veils of ambiguity regarding its authenticity.

وَمَا كَانَ ذَا مَكْنَةٍ فَلْيُنْفِقْ مِمَّا آتَاهُ اللَّهُ.

Whoever has the means should spend from what God has given him.

مُسْتَعِينًا عَلَى ذَلِكَ بِمَا لَدَيَّ مِنَ النُّسَخِ الَّتِي بِخَطِّ الْقَلَمِ.

I sought help in this task from the handwritten copies I possessed.

مُعَوِّلًا عَلَى عِنَايَةِ مَنْ عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ.

I relied on the care of Him who taught man what he did not know.

وَكُلُّ الطَّبَعَاتِ الَّتِي تَوَالَتْ فِي مِصْرَ كَانَتْ تَكْرَارًا لِطَبْعَةِ بُولَاقَ إِلَّا فُصُولًا وَجُمَلًا أُلْفِيَتْ غَيْرَ مُلَائِمَةٍ لِلْآدَابِ فَحُذِفَتْ.

All subsequent editions in Egypt were reprints of the Bulaq edition, except for certain chapters and sentences deemed unsuitable for polite literature, which were removed.

Vocabulary · المفردات (32 verbs · 86 nouns)

• طَبَعَ — to print
• أَخْرَجَ — to bring out
• قَالَ — to say
• صَادَفَ — to encounter
• تَرْجَمَ — to translate
• اتَّفَقَ — to agree
• نَقَلَ — to transfer
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• عَرَضَ — to present
• أَدَامَ — to perpetuate
• دَامَ — to last
• صَحَّ — to prove correct
• وَجَدَ — to find
• بَادَرَ — to hasten
• سَرَّحَ — to release
• حَادَ — to deviate
• مَالَ — to incline
• فَهِمَ — to understand
• قَرَى — to entertain
• اشْتَهَى — to desire
• كَشَفَ — to reveal
• كَانَ — to be
• أَنْفَقَ — to spend
• آتَى — to give
• اسْتَعَانَ — to seek help
• عَلَّمَ — to teach
• تَوَالَى — to follow
• أَلْفَى — to find
• لَاءَمَ — to suit
• حَذَفَ — to delete
• اقْتَرَنَ — to be associated
• دَرَى — to know
• فَضْل — bounty
• أَفْصَح — more eloquent
• قَلِيلَة — a small amount (feminine); a few (feminine)
• مَطْبُوعَة — printed
• مَطْبَعَة — press
• أَوْضَح — a clearer explanation/thing
• كَاتِب — writer, author
• مِصْرِيَّة — Egyptian (female)
• صَرِيح — explicit
• مَشْهُور — famous
• أَمِير — commander
• مُسْتَشْرِق — orientalist
• إِنْسَان — human
• وِفَاق — accord
• مُقْتَرِن — associated
• قُدْوَة — role model
• مُلَائِمَة — appropriate
• أَنَام — mankind
• مُسْتَعِين — one who seeks help
• نِقَاب — veil
• بَيْت — home
• عِبَارَة — expression
• نُسْخَة — copy
• تَصْحِيح — correction
• شُهْرَة — fame
• أَحْكَم — wiser
• طَبْعَة — edition
• تَكْرَار — repetition
• سَنَة — year
• عَهْد — era
• صُورَة — image/copy
• كَلِمَة — word
• مُصَحِّح — corrector/editor
• كِتَاب — book
• مُقَدِّمَة — introduction
• سَعْد — luck/fortune
• مِنَّة — favor/grace
• وُجُود — existence
• بِلَاد — country/lands
• يَوْم — day
• لُغَة — language
• نَاس — people
• صِحَّة — correctness
• أَلْمَعِيَّة — intelligence/acumen
• فِقْرَة — paragraph
• طَرِيقَة — method
• شَيْخ — sheikh/elder
• عُمْدَة — pillar/chief
• لَيْل — night
• نَهَار — daytime
• مِثَال — example
• ضَبْط — precision
• سَعَة — breadth/capacity
• اطِّلَاع — knowledge/insight
• قَوْل — saying/opinion
• رَأْي — opinion
• مُعَوَّل — reliance
• طَبْع — printing
• مُنْتَهَى — end/limit
• اخْتِلَاف — difference
• إِشَارَة — sign/indication
• أَمْر — command
• امْتِثَال — compliance
• رَوْض — garden
• سَائِم — grazer
• طَرْف — glance/eye
• بَال — mind/heart
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• مَبْنًى — structure
• لُفَيْظَة — small word
• سَنَن — path/norm
• رَكَاكَة — weakness/clumsiness
• ضَيْف — guest
• لَفْظ — utterance
• رَبّ — lord/master
• خُصُوص — particularity
• مَادَّة — material
• وَجْه — face/aspect
• اشْتِبَاه — ambiguity
• مَكْنَة — ability/power
• خَطّ — handwriting
• قَلَم — pen
• عِنَايَة — care/attention
• فَصْل — chapter/section
• جُمْلَة — sentence
• أَدَب — etiquette/literature