Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 60

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

التَّشْبِيهُ: وَهُوَ ضَرْبَانِ، أَحَدُهُمَا إِيهَامُ أَنَّهُ أَتَمُّ مِنَ الْمُشَبَّهِ فِي وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ، وَذَلِكَ فِي تَشْبِيهِ الْمَقْلُوبِ، وَهُوَ الْكَثِيرُ الشَّائِعُ، الَّذِي يُجْعَلُ فِيهِ النَّاقِصُ مُشَبَّهًا بِهِ قَصْدًا إِلَى ادِّعَاءِ أَنَّهُ أَكْمَلُ، كَقَوْلِهِ: وَبَدَا الصَّبَاحُ كَأَنَّ غُرَّتَهُ هِيَ بَيَاضٌ فِي جَبْهَةِ الْفَرَسِ فَوْقَ الدِّرْهَمِ اسْتُعِيرَتْ لِبَيَاضِ الصَّبَاحِ، وَجْهُ الْخَلِيفَةِ حِينَ يَمْتَدِحُ، فَإِنَّهُ قَصَدَ إِيهَامَ أَنَّ وَجْهَ الْخَلِيفَةِ أَتَمُّ مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ فِي الْوُضُوحِ وَالضِّيَاءِ، وَفِي قَوْلِهِ: حِينَ يَمْتَدِحُ دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى اتِّصَافِ الْمَمْدُوحِ بِمَعْرِفَةِ حَقِّ الْمَادِحِ وَتَعْظِيمِ شَأْنِهِ عِنْدَ الْحَاضِرِينَ بِالْإِصْغَاءِ إِلَيْهِ وَالِارْتِيَاحِ لَهُ وَعَلَى كَمَالِهِ فِي الْكَرَمِ، حَيْثُ يَتَّصِفُ بِالْبِشْرِ وَالطَّلَاقَةِ عِنْدَ اسْتِمَاعِ الْمَدِيحِ، وَالضَّرْبُ الثَّانِي مِنَ الْغَرَضِ الْعَائِدِ إِلَى الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ بَيَانُ الِاهْتِمَامِ بِهِ، أَيِ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ، كَتَشْبِيهِ الْجَائِعِ وَجْهًا كَالْبَدْرِ فِي الْإِشْرَاقِ وَالِاسْتِدَارَةِ بِالرَّغِيفِ، وَيُسَمَّى هَذَا التَّشْبِيهُ الْمُشْتَمِلُ عَلَى هَذَا النَّوْعِ مِنَ الْغَرَضِ إِظْهَارَ الْمَطْلُوبِ، هَذَا أَيِ الَّذِي ذُكِرَ مِنْ جَعْلِ أَحَدِ الشَّيْئَيْنِ مُشَبَّهًا وَالْآخَرِ مُشَبَّهًا بِهِ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ إِذَا أُرِيدَ إِلْحَاقُ النَّاقِصِ فِي وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ حَقِيقَةً كَمَا فِي الْغَرَضِ الْعَائِدِ إِلَى الْمُشَبَّهِ أَوْ ادِّعَاءً كَمَا فِي الْغَرَضِ الْعَائِدِ إِيهَامٌ أَي إِيقَاعُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ فِي وَهْمِ السَّامِعِ أَنَّ الْمُشَبَّهَ بِهِ أَتَمُّ مِنَ الْمُشَبَّهِ فِي وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ مَعَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ فِي الْوَاقِعِ.

Simile: It is of two types; one of them is the illusion that it [the object of comparison] is more perfect than the subject of comparison in the aspect of resemblance, and this is in the inverted simile, which is the common and frequent one, in which the deficient is made the object of comparison with the intention of claiming that it is more complete, as in his saying: 'And the morning appeared as if its brightness'—a whiteness on a horse's forehead above a dirham, borrowed for the whiteness of the morning—'is the face of the Caliph when he is being praised.' For he intended to create the illusion that the face of the Caliph is more perfect than the morning in clarity and radiance. In his saying 'when he is being praised' is an indication of the praised person's possession of the knowledge of the praiser's right and the magnification of his status before those present by listening to him and being pleased with him, and of his perfection in generosity, as he is characterized by cheerfulness and openness when listening to praise. The second type of purpose returning to the object of comparison is the expression of concern for it—that is, the object of comparison—such as a hungry person comparing a face like the full moon in radiance and roundness to a loaf of bread. This simile, which includes this type of purpose, is called 'revealing the desired.' This—that is, what was mentioned about making one of the two things a subject of comparison and the other an object of comparison—only occurs when it is intended to attach the deficient in the aspect of resemblance, either in reality, as in the purpose returning to the subject of comparison, or by claim, as in the purpose returning to [the object of comparison]. Illusion means the speaker causing the listener to imagine that the object of comparison is more perfect than the subject of comparison in the aspect of resemblance, even though it is not so in reality.

فَإِنَّهُ قَصَدَ أَيْ قَصَدَ بِقَلْبِ التَّشْبِيهِ وَجَعْلِ وَجْهِ الْخَلِيفَةِ مُشَبَّهًا بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ جَعْلَهُ مُشَبَّهًا بِهِ يُوهِمُ أَنَّهُ أَقْوَى مِنْ غُرَّةِ الصَّبَاحِ عَلَى قَاعِدَةِ مَا يُفِيدُهُ التَّشْبِيهُ بِالْأَصَالَةِ مِنْ كَوْنِ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ أَقْوَى مِنَ الْمُشَبَّهِ فِي وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ.

For he intended—that is, he intended by inverting the simile and making the face of the Caliph the object of comparison—because making it the object of comparison creates the illusion that it is stronger than the brightness of the morning, based on the rule of what a simile fundamentally conveys, which is that the object of comparison is stronger than the subject of comparison in the aspect of resemblance.

حَيْثُ حَاصِلُ مَا ذَكَرَهُ الشَّارِحُ: أَنَّ تَقْيِيدَ الشَّاعِرِ إِشْرَاقَ وَجْهِ الْمَمْدُوحِ عَلَى وَجْهٍ يَقْتَضِي أَكْمَلِيَّتَهُ عَلَى الصَّبَاحِ بِحِينِ الِامْتِدَاحِ يَدُلُّ عَلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ لِحَقِّ الْمَادِحِ وَعَلَى كَرَمِهِ، وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ إِشْرَاقَ الْوَجْهِ حَالَ الِامْتِدَاحِ يَدُلُّ عَلَى شَيْئَيْنِ: أَحَدُهُمَا قَبُولُ الْمَدْحِ، وَهَذَا مُسْتَلْزِمٌ مَعْرِفَةَ حَقِّ صَاحِبِهِ وَالثَّانِي كَوْنُ الْمَمْدُوحِ كَرِيمًا، فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ لَئِيمًا لَعَبَسَ وَجْهُهُ.

The gist of what the commentator mentioned is that the poet's qualification of the radiance of the praised person's face in a way that necessitates its superiority over the morning, at the time of being praised, indicates his knowledge of the praiser's right and his generosity. This is because the radiance of the face at the time of being praised indicates two things: one of them is the acceptance of praise, and this necessitates knowing the right of its author, and the second is the praised person being generous, for if he were mean, his face would have frowned.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (23 verbs · 80 nouns)

• بَدَا — to appear
• أَعَارَ — to borrow
• امْتَدَحَ — to praise
• ضَرْبٌ — type
• إِيهَامٌ — illusion
• مُشَبَّهٌ — likened object