Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 143

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الْحَقِيقَةُ وَالْمَجَازُ وَيَصْعَدُ حَتَّى يَظُنَّ الْجَهُولُ بِأَنَّ لَهُ حَاجَةً فِي السَّمَاءِ الْمَمْدُوحُ الَّذِي لَا ذَكَاءَ لَهُ لِلْمَمْدُوحِ اسْتَعَارَ الصُّعُودَ لِعُلُوِّ الْقَدْرِ وَالارْتِقَاءِ فِي مَدَارِجِ الْكَمَالِ، ثُمَّ بَنَى عَلَيْهِ مَا يُبْنَى عَلَى الشَّاعِرُ الشَّاعِرُ عُلُوِّ الْمَكَانِ وَالارْتِقَاءِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ مِنْ ظَنِّ الْجَهُولِ أَنَّ لَهُ حَاجَةً فِي السَّمَاءِ، وَفِي بَيَانٌ لِمَا لَفْظُ الْجَهُولِ زِيَادَةُ مُبَالَغَةٍ فِي الْمَدْحِ لِمَا فِيهِ مِنَ الإِشْعَارِ إِلَى أَنَّ هَذَا إِنَّمَا يَظُنُّهُ الْجَهُولُ، وَأَمَّا بَيَانٌ لِمَا كَوْنُهُ لَهُ حَاجَةً فِي السَّمَاءِ لِنُقْصَانِ عَقْلِهِ الْعَاقِلُ فَيَعْرِفُ أَنْ لَا حَاجَةَ لَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ لاتِّصَافِهِ بِسَائِرِ الْكَمَالَاتِ، وَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى مِمَّا لِلْمَمْدُوحِ جَمِيعُ الْكَمَالَاتِ خَفِيَ عَلَى بَعْضِهِمْ فَتَوَهَّمَ أَنَّ فِي الْبَيْتِ تَقْصِيرًا فِي وَصْفِ عُلُوِّهِ حَيْثُ أَثْبَتَ هَذَا الظَّنَّ لِلْكَامِلِ فِي الْجَهْلِ بِمَعْرِفَةِ الأَشْيَاءِ وَنَحْوِهِ أَيْ مِثْلُ الْبِنَاءِ عَلَى عُلُوِّ الْقَدْرِ مُبْتَدَأٌ وَيَصْعَدُ أَيْ وَيَرْتَقِي ذَلِكَ الْمَمْدُوحُ فِي مَدَارِجِ الْكَمَالِ، فَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ بِالصُّعُودِ هُنَا مَعْنَاهُ الأَصْلِيُّ الَّذِي هُوَ الارْتِقَاءُ فِي الْمَدَارِجِ الْحِسِّيَّةِ؛ إِذْ لَا مَعْنَى لَهُ هُنَا، وَإِنَّمَا الْمُرَادُ بِهِ الْعُلُوُّ فِي مَدَارِجِ الْكَمَالِ وَالارْتِقَاءُ فِي الأَوْصَافِ الشَّرِيفَةِ، فَهُوَ اسْتِعَارَةٌ مِنَ الارْتِقَاءِ الْحِسِّيِّ إِلَى الارْتِقَاءِ الْمَعْنَوِيِّ، وَالْجَامِعُ مُطْلَقُ الارْتِقَاءِ.

Literal and Figurative Meaning: 'And he ascends until the ignorant one thinks that he has a need in the sky.' The poet borrowed the term 'ascension' for the praised one to denote high status and rising in the ranks of perfection, then built upon it what is built upon high physical position and rising to the sky, from the ignorant one's thinking that he has a need in the sky. The word 'ignorant' is an addition of hyperbole in the praise, because it indicates that this is only what the ignorant one thinks, whereas the statement regarding his having a need in the sky is due to his lack of intellect; the rational person knows that he has no need in the sky because he is characterized by all perfections. This meaning, that the praised one possesses all perfections, was hidden from some, so they imagined that there was a shortcoming in the verse in describing his high status, since he attributed this thought to one who is completely ignorant of the knowledge of things and the like. That is, like the construction upon high status, it is a subject, and 'he ascends' means that the praised one rises in the ranks of perfection. The intended meaning of 'ascension' here is not its original meaning, which is rising in physical ranks, for that has no meaning here; rather, it is intended to mean high status in the ranks of perfection and rising in noble attributes, so it is a metaphor from physical rising to abstract rising, and the common factor is absolute rising.

حَتَّى يَظُنَّ أَيْ إِلَى أَنْ يَبْلُغَ إِلَى حَيْثُ يَظُنُّ الْجَهُولُ وَهُوَ الَّذِي لَا ذَكَاءَ عِنْدَهُ أَنَّ لَهُ حَاجَةً فِي السَّمَاءِ لِبُعْدِهِ عَنِ الأَرْضِ وَقُرْبِهِ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ.

'Until he thinks' means until he reaches the point where the ignorant one—who has no intelligence—thinks that he has a need in the sky due to his distance from the earth and his proximity to the sky.

الصُّعُودُ وَهُوَ الارْتِقَاءُ الْحِسِّيُّ الْمُسْتَعَارُ مِنْهُ.

'Ascension' is the physical rising from which the metaphor is taken.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (22 verbs · 64 nouns)

• صَعِدَ — to ascend
• ظَنَّ — to think
• اسْتَعَارَ — to borrow
• حَقِيقَة — truth
• مَجَاز — metaphor
• صُعُود — ascent