Kalila Wa Dimna — Page 220

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَإِنَّمَا ضُرِبَتْ لَكَ هَذَا الْمَثَلُ لِتَعْلَمَ أَنَّكَ خَلِيقٌ - إِنْ تَرَكْتَ لِسَانَكَ وَتَكَلَّفْتَ عِلْمَ مَا لَا يُشَاكِلُكَ مِنْ كَلَامِ الْعِبْرَانِيَّةِ - أَلَّا تُدْرِكَهُ وَأَنْ تَنْسَى الَّذِي كَانَ فِي يَدِكَ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ قِيلَ: يُعَدُّ جَاهِلًا مَنْ حَاوَلَ مِنَ الْأُمُورِ مَا لَا يُشْبِهُهُ، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، لَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ آبَاؤُهُ وَلَا أَجْدَادُهُ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ، وَلَا يُعْرَفُونَ بِهِ.

I have offered you this example so you may understand that you are ill-suited—if you abandon your own tongue to struggle with the complexities of a foreign language like Hebrew—to grasp it, while simultaneously losing your hold on what you already possess. It is said: 'He is a fool who attempts tasks that do not suit him, for which he has no natural aptitude, and in which neither his ancestors nor his forebears ever excelled or were known.'

ثُمَّ قَالَ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ لِلْمَلِكِ: فَالْوُلَاةُ فِي قِلَّةِ تَعَاهُدِهِمْ لِلرَّعِيَّةِ فِي هَذَا وَأَشْبَاهِهِ أَلْوَمُ وَأَسْوَأُ تَدْبِيرًا؛ لِأَنَّ تَنَقُّلَ النَّاسِ مِنْ بَعْضِ الْمَنَازِلِ إِلَى بَعْضٍ فِيهِ صُعُوبَةٌ وَمَشَقَّةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْأَشْيَاءَ فِي ذَلِكَ تَجْرِي عَلَى مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى تَنْتَهِيَ إِلَى الْخَطَرِ الْجَسِيمِ مِنْ مُضَادَّةِ الْمَلِكِ فِي مُلْكِهِ.

The philosopher then said to the king, 'Rulers who neglect their subjects in such matters are even more blameworthy and poor in their governance. Forcing people to relocate from one place to another involves great hardship and suffering, and such situations often escalate until they reach the grave danger of open rebellion against the king’s own authority.'

فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى الْمَلِكُ وَالْفَيْلَسُوفُ إِلَى بَابِ النَّاسِكِ وَالضَّيْفِ سَكَتَ الْمَلِكُ، وَقَالَ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ: عِشْتَ أَيُّهَا الْمَلِكُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ، وَمَلَكْتَ الْأَقَالِيمَ السَّبْعَةَ، وَأُعْطِيتَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا، وَبَلَغْتَهُ فِي سُرُورٍ مِنْكَ بِرَعِيَّتِكَ، وَقُرَّةِ عَيْنٍ مِنْهُمْ بِكَ، وَمُسَاعَدَةٍ مِنَ الْقَضَاءِ وَالْقَدَرِ، فَلَقَدْ كَمُلَ مِنْكَ الْحِلْمُ، وَزَكَا مِنْكَ الْعَقْلُ وَالْقَوْلُ وَالنِّيَّةُ، فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِي رَأْيِكَ نَقْصٌ وَلَا فِي قَوْلِكَ سَقَطٌ وَلَا فِي فِعْلِكَ عَيْبٌ، وَجُمِعَ فِيكَ النَّجْدَةُ وَاللِّينُ، فَلَا تُوجَدُ جَبَانًا عِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ، وَلَا ضَيِّقَ الصَّدْرِ فِيمَا يَنُوبُكَ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ.

When the king and the philosopher reached the door of the ascetic and his guest, the king fell silent. The philosopher said, 'May you live a thousand years, O King, and rule over the seven regions, granted every means to achieve your goals. May you find joy in your subjects, may you be the delight of their eyes, and may fate and destiny always favor you. Your forbearance is complete, and your mind, speech, and intentions are pure. There is no deficiency in your judgment, no error in your words, and no flaw in your deeds. You possess both courage and gentleness; you are never a coward in battle, nor are you short-tempered when faced with adversity.'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (48 verbs · 91 nouns)

• ضَرَبَ — to strike
• عَلِمَ — to know
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• مَثَل — example
• خَلِيق — worthy
• لِسَان — tongue