Kalila Wa Dimna — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَالْقُرُونُ، وَهِيَ كَلِيلَةُ وَدِمْنَةُ وَخُطُوبُهَا الْبَاهِظَةُ، فَلَا يَقْرَؤُونَ إِلَّا مَا يَتَّصِلُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَلَا يَجِدُونَ مِنْ لَذَّاتِ الْفَنِّ إِلَّا مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْحَرْبِ سَبَبٌ قَرِيبٌ أَوْ بَعِيدٌ.

Centuries have passed, and through the exorbitant misfortunes of Kalila and Dimna, people read only what relates to war, finding no pleasure in art unless it bears some connection, however distant, to the battlefield.

فِي هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ الْمُؤْذِيَةِ الْمُضْنِيَةِ يَحْمَدُ النَّاسُ لِمَطْبَعَةِ الْمَعَارِفِ وَمَكْتَبَتِهَا أَنْ تُقَدِّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ هَذِهِ الْمُتْعَةَ الْقَدِيمَةَ الْجَدِيدَةَ، الَّتِي مَضَتْ عَلَيْهَا الْقُرُونُ وَالْقُرُونُ، وَسَتَمْضِي عَلَيْهَا الْقُرُونُ مُحْتَفِظَةً دَائِمًا بِشَبَابٍ نَضِرٍ غَضٍّ لَا يَعْرِضُ لَهُ الذَّوَاءُ، وَلَا يُدْرِكُهُ الذُّبُولُ.

In these painful and exhausting days, people are grateful to the Al-Ma'arif press and its library for offering them this pleasure—at once ancient and new—which has survived for centuries and will continue to endure, forever retaining a fresh, vibrant youth that knows neither decay nor decline.

وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ فِيهَا كَمَا تُقَدَّمُ إِلَيْهِمُ الْآنَ، فَيَجِدُونَ لَذَّةً لِأَبْصَارِهِمْ، وَلَا يَكَادُونَ يَقْرَؤُونَ فِيهَا؛ حَتَّى يَجِدُوا هَذِهِ اللَّذَّةَ الْفَنِّيَّةَ الْمُمْتَازَةَ النَّقِيَّةَ الَّتِي تُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْبِيئَةِ الثَّقِيلَةِ الْبَغِيضَةِ الَّتِي يُكْرَهُ النَّاسُ عَلَى الْحَيَاةِ فِيهَا الْآنَ.

They look into it as it is presented to them now, finding delight for their eyes; they barely begin to read before they discover that rare, pure artistic pleasure that transports them out of this heavy, hateful environment to which people are now forced to submit.

فَهِيَ مَنْفَذٌ يَخْلُصُونَ مِنْهُ بَيْنَ حِينٍ وَحِينٍ سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ أَوْ سَاعَةً مِنْ لَيْلٍ إِلَى جَوٍّ نَقِيٍّ طَاهِرٍ فِيهِ لِلْقَلْبِ رِضًا، وَفِيهِ لِلْعَقْلِ غِذَاءٌ، وَفِيهِ لِلْحِسِّ رَاحَةٌ، وَفِيهِ لِلنَّفْسِ رُوحٌ.

It serves as an outlet through which they can escape, for an hour of the day or night, into a pure, clean atmosphere that offers satisfaction to the heart, nourishment to the mind, comfort to the senses, and spirit to the soul.

وَيَرُوقُنِي أَنْ أَرَى فِي هَذِهِ الطَّبْعَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ مِنْ كِتَابِ كَلِيلَةَ وَدِمْنَةَ رُمُوزًا سَامِيَةً صَادِقَةً لِمَعَانٍ سَامِيَةٍ نُحِبُّهَا أَشَدَّ الْحُبِّ، وَنَطْمَحُ إِلَيْهَا أَشَدَّ الطُّمُوحِ.

It pleases me to see in this new edition of Kalila and Dimna such lofty, sincere symbols of the noble values we cherish and strive for with all our might.

فَفِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ حِكْمَةُ الْهِنْدِ، وَجُهْدُ الْفُرْسِ، وَلُغَةُ الْعَرَبِ، وَهُوَ مِنْ هَذِهِ النَّاحِيَةِ رَمْزٌ صَادِقٌ دَقِيقٌ لِمَعْنًى سَامٍ جَلِيلٍ، هُوَ هَذِهِ الْوَحْدَةُ الْعَقْلِيَّةُ الشَّرْقِيَّةُ الَّتِي تَنْشَأُ عَنِ التَّعَاوُنِ وَالتَّضَامُنِ وَتَظَاهُرِ الْأَجْيَالِ وَالْقُرُونِ بَيْنَ أُمَمِ الشَّرْقِ عَلَى اخْتِلَافِهَا.

This book contains the wisdom of India, the labor of the Persians, and the language of the Arabs; in this sense, it is a precise and honest symbol of a grand, lofty ideal: the intellectual unity of the East, born of the cooperation, solidarity, and mutual support of generations and centuries across diverse Eastern nations.

وَالَّتِي حَقَّقَتْهَا الْحَضَارَةُ الْإِسْلَامِيَّةُ عَلَى أَحْسَنِ وَجْهٍ وَأَكْمَلِهِ أَيَّامَ كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الْحَضَارَةُ حَيَّةً قَوِيَّةً مُؤَثِّرَةً فِي حَيَاةِ الْأُمَمِ وَالشُّعُوبِ، وَالَّتِي نُرِيدُ الْآنَ أَنْ نَرُدَّ إِلَيْهَا قُوَّتَهَا الْأُولَى وَجَمَالَهَا الْقَدِيمَ.

This is the unity that Islamic civilization achieved in its most perfect form when it was alive, strong, and influential in the lives of nations and peoples—a state we now wish to restore to its former strength and beauty.

هَذِهِ الْحِكْمَةُ الْخَالِدَةُ السَّاذَجَةُ الَّتِي أَفَاضَهَا رُوحُ الْهِنْدِ، وَنَقَلَهَا عَنْهُمْ جُهْدُ الْفُرْسِ، وَصَاغَهَا فِي هَذِهِ الصُّورَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ الرَّائِعَةِ ذَوْقُ الْعَرَبِ، وَتَوَارَثَتْهَا الْأَجْيَالُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَنَقَلَتْهَا مِنْ بِيئَةٍ إِلَى بِيئَةٍ، وَمِنْ شَعْبٍ إِلَى شَعْبٍ، حَتَّى جَعَلَتْهَا جُزْءًا مِنَ التُّرَاثِ الْإِنْسَانِيِّ الْخَالِدِ.

This eternal, simple wisdom was poured forth by the spirit of India, transmitted by the labor of the Persians, and forged into this magnificent Arabic form by the taste of the Arabs; it was then inherited by successive generations, carried from one environment to another, and from one people to another, until it became part of the eternal human heritage.

هَذِهِ الْحِكْمَةُ فِي صُورَتِهَا الْعَرَبِيَّةِ رَمْزٌ لِمَا نُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ تَعَاوُنِ الْأُمَمِ الشَّرْقِيَّةِ عَلَى إِشَاعَةِ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، وَإِذَاعَةِ الْخَيْرِ وَالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَمُقَاوَمَةِ الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ.

In its Arabic form, this wisdom symbolizes the cooperation we hope to see among Eastern nations in spreading righteousness and piety, promoting goodness and kindness, and resisting sin and aggression.

وَفِي هَذِهِ الطَّبْعَةِ الَّتِي تُقَدِّمُهَا مَطْبَعَةُ الْمَعَارِفِ وَمَكْتَبَتُهَا إِلَى النَّاسِ رَمْزٌ آخَرُ صَادِقٌ دَقِيقٌ لِمَعْنًى آخَرَ سَامٍ جَلِيلٍ، نُحِبُّهُ أَشَدَّ الْحُبِّ، وَنَطْمَحُ إِلَيْهِ أَشَدَّ الطُّمُوحِ، وَهُوَ هَذَا التَّعَاوُنُ الْمُنْتَجُ بَيْنَ قَدِيمِنَا الْعَرَبِيِّ الْقَيِّمِ وَنَشَاطِنَا الْعَصْرِيِّ الْخَصْبِ.

This edition, presented to the public by the Al-Ma'arif press and its library, offers another precise and honest symbol of a noble ideal we deeply cherish and aspire to: the productive cooperation between our valuable Arabic past and our fertile modern activity.

هَذَا الْجُهْدُ الَّذِي أَنْفَقَهُ ابْنُ الْمُقَفَّعِ فِي نَقْلِ كَلِيلَةَ وَدِمْنَةَ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِ، وَهَذِهِ الْجُهُودُ الَّتِي أَنْفَقَهَا الْمُسْلِمُونَ بَعْدَهُ فِي دَرْسِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَصْحِيحِهِ وَتَنْقِيحِهِ وَالِاسْتِفَادَةِ مِنْهُ وَالِانْتِفَاعِ بِهِ لَمْ تَذْهَبْ سُدًى، بَلْ لَمْ تَنْقَطِعْ وَلَمْ تَقِفْ عِنْدَ حَدٍّ مَحْتُومٍ، وَلَكِنَّهَا اتَّصَلَتْ بَيْنَ الْأَجْيَالِ، يُضِيفُ إِلَيْهَا كُلُّ جِيلٍ مَا

The effort Ibn al-Muqaffa' spent translating Kalila and Dimna into Arabic, and the efforts of the Muslims who followed him in studying, correcting, revising, and drawing benefit from the book, have not been in vain; rather, they have never ceased or reached a final limit, but have continued across generations, with each adding its own contribution.

Vocabulary · المفردات (36 verbs · 113 nouns)

• قَرَأَ — to read
• اِتَّصَلَ — to connect
• وَجَدَ — to find
• آذَى — to harm
• أَضْنَى — to exhaust
• حَمِدَ — to praise
• قَدَّمَ — to present
• مَضَى — to pass
• اِحْتَفَظَ — to keep
• عَرَضَ — to occur
• أَدْرَكَ — to perceive
• نَظَرَ — to look
• كَادَ — to come close to
• أَخْرَجَ — to take out
• كَرِهَ — to hate
• خَلَصَ — to escape
• رَاقَ — to please
• رَأَى — to see
• أَحَبَّ — to love
• طَمَحَ — to aspire
• نَشَأَ — to arise
• حَقَّقَ — to achieve
• كَانَ — to be
• أَثَّرَ — to influence
• أَرَادَ — to want
• رَدَّ — to return
• أَفَاضَ — to pour out
• نَقَلَ — to transfer
• صَاغَ — to forge
• تَوَارَثَ — to inherit
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَنْفَقَ — to spend
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• اِنْقَطَعَ — to cease
• وَقَفَ — to stop
• أَضَافَ — to add
• قَرْن — century
• خَطْب — misfortune
• بَاهِظ — exorbitant
• حَرْب — war
• لَذَّة — pleasure
• فَنّ — art
• سَبَب — cause
• قَرِيب — near
• بَعِيد — far
• يَوْم — day
• مُؤْذِي — harmful
• مُضْنِي — exhausting
• مَطْبَعَة — press
• مَعْرِفَة — knowledge
• مَكْتَبَة — library
• مُتْعَة — enjoyment
• قَدِيم — old
• جَدِيد — new
• شَبَاب — youth
• نَضِر — fresh
• غَضّ — tender
• ذَوَاء — withering
• ذُبُول — wilting
• بَصَر — sight
• فَنِّيّ — artistic
• مُمْتَاز — excellent
• نَقِيّ — pure
• بِيئَة — environment
• ثَقِيل — heavy
• بَغِيض — hateful
• حَيَاة — life
• مَنْفَذ — outlet
• حِين — a while
• سَاعَة — hour
• نَهَار — daytime
• لَيْل — night
• جَوّ — atmosphere
• طَاهِر — clean
• قَلْب — heart
• رِضًا — satisfaction
• عَقْل — mind
• غِذَاء — nourishment
• حِسّ — sense
• رَاحَة — comfort
• نَفْس — soul
• رُوح — spirit
• طَبْعَة — edition
• كِتَاب — book
• رَمْز — symbol
• سَامٍ — lofty
• صَادِق — truthful
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• جَلِيل — majestic
• حِكْمَة — wisdom
• جُهْد — effort
• لُغَة — language
• نَاحِيَة — aspect
• دَقِيق — precise
• وَحْدَة — unity
• عَقْلِيّ — intellectual
• شَرْقِيّ — eastern
• تَعَاوُن — cooperation
• تَضَامُن — solidarity
• تَظَاهُر — mutual support
• جِيل — generation
• أُمَّة — nation
• اخْتِلَاف — difference
• حَضَارَة — civilization
• إِسْلَامِيّ — Islamic
• حَسَن — good
• وَجْه — way
• أَكْمَل — most complete
• حَيّ — alive
• قَوِيّ — strong
• مُؤَثِّر — influential
• شَعْب — people
• قُوَّة — power
• أَوَّل — first
• جَمَال — beauty
• خَالِد — eternal
• سَاذَج — simple
• صُورَة — form
• عَرَبِيّ — Arabic
• رَائِع — wonderful
• ذَوْق — taste
• تُرَاث — heritage
• إِنْسَانِيّ — human
• جُزْء — part
• إِشَاعَة — spreading
• بِرّ — righteousness
• تَقْوَى — piety
• إِذَاعَة — dissemination
• خَيْر — goodness
• مَعْرُوف — kindness
• مُقَاوَمَة — resistance
• إِثْم — sin
• عُدْوَان — aggression
• مُنْتَج — productive
• قَيِّم — valuable
• نَشَاط — activity
• عَصْرِيّ — modern
• خَصْب — fertile
• دَرْس — study
• تَصْحِيح — correction
• تَنْقِيح — revision
• اسْتِفَادَة — benefit
• انْتِفَاع — utilization
• سُدًى — in vain
• حَدّ — limit
• مَحْتُوم — fated
• سَامِيَة — lofty
• مُحْتَفِظَة — retaining
• أُولَى — first (feminine)