Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani by al-Taftazani, Vol. 2 (مختصر المعاني) — Page 70

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

التَّشْبِيهُ يَعْنِي الْوَصْفَ الَّذِي يَكُونُ فِيهِ إِيمَاءٌ إِلَى وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ نَحْوَ زَيْدٌ أَسَدٌ، وَمِنْهُ مَا ذُكِرَ فِيهِ وَصْفُ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ وَحْدَهُ أَيِ الْوَصْفُ الْمُشْعِرُ بِوَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ كَقَوْلِهَا: كَالْحَلْقَةِ الْمُفَرَّغَةِ لَا يُدْرَى أَيْنَ طَرَفَاهَا، وَمِنْهُ مَا ذُكِرَ فِيهِ وَصْفُهُمَا أَيِ الْمُشَبَّهُ وَالْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ كِلَيْهِمَا كَقَوْلِهِ: صَدَقْتَ عَنْهُ أَعْرَضْتَ وَلَمْ تَصْدِفْ مَوَاهِبُهُ عَنِّي وَعَاوَدَهُ ظَنِّي فَلَمْ يَخِبْ كَالْغَيْثِ إِنْ جِئْتَهُ وَافَاكَ أَيْ أَتَاكَ رَجَعَ الْمَطَرُ الْوَاسِعُ رِيقُهُ يُقَالُ: فَعَلَهُ فِي رَوْقِ شَبَابِهِ وَرِيقِهِ أَيْ أَوَّلِهِ وَأَصَابَهُ رِيقُ الْمَطَرِ، وَرِيقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَحْسَنُهُ أَصْلُهُ رَيُوقٌ أَيْ أَفْضَلُهُ وَإِنْ تَرَحَّلْتَ عَنْهُ لَجَّ فِي الطَّلَبِ، وَصْفُ الْمُشَبَّهِ أَعْنِي الْمَمْدُوحَ بِأَنَّ عَطَايَاهُ فَائِضَةٌ عَلَيْهِ أَعْرَضَ أَوْ لَمْ يَعْرِضْ وَكَذَا وَصْفُ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ أَعْنِي الْغَيْثَ بِأَنَّهُ يُصِيبُكَ جِئْتَهُ أَوْ تَرَحَّلْتَ عَنْهُ، وَالْوَصْفَانِ مُشْعِرَانِ بِوَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ أَعْنِي الْإِفَاضَةَ حَالَتَيِ الطَّلَبِ وَعَدَمِهِ، وَحَالَتَيِ الْإِقْبَالِ عَلَيْهِ وَالْإِعْرَاضِ عَنْهُ وَإِمَّا مُفَصَّلٌ وَهُوَ مَا ذُكِرَ وَجْهُهُ كَقَوْلِهِ: وَثَغْرُهُ فِي صَفَاءٍ وَأَدْمُعِي كَاللَّآلِي.

Simile means the description that contains an allusion to the point of resemblance, such as 'Zayd is a lion.' Among its types is that in which the description of the object of comparison (al-mushabbah bihi) alone is mentioned—that is, the description that suggests the point of resemblance—like her saying: 'Like a hollow ring, one does not know where its ends are.' Another type is that in which the description of both is mentioned—that is, both the subject of comparison (al-mushabbah) and the object of comparison (al-mushabbah bihi)—like his saying: 'You were truthful; you turned away from him, yet his gifts did not turn away from me, and my expectation returned to him and did not fail, like the rain; if you come to it, it reaches you'—meaning it comes to you. 'Riq' refers to the abundant rain; it is said: 'He did it in the prime of his youth and his riq,' meaning its beginning, and 'the riq of the rain struck him.' The riq of everything is its best part; its origin is 'rayuq,' meaning its finest. 'And if you depart from it, it persists in seeking.' This is a description of the subject of comparison—I mean the one being praised—that his gifts are overflowing upon him whether he turned away or did not turn away, and likewise the description of the object of comparison—I mean the rain—that it reaches you whether you come to it or depart from it. Both descriptions suggest the point of resemblance, I mean the overflowing in both states of seeking and not seeking, and both states of approaching him and turning away from him. It is either detailed (mufassal), which is that in which its point of resemblance is mentioned, like his saying: 'And his mouth is in clarity, and my tears are like pearls.'

يَعْنِي الْوَصْفَ: إِنَّمَا أَتَى الشَّارِحُ بِالْعِنَايَةِ إِشَارَةً إِلَى أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ مُطْلَقَ الْوَصْفِ بَلِ الْمُرَادُ بِهِ وَصْفٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَى وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ فَخَرَجَ بِهَذَا الْقَيْدِ زَيْدٌ الْعَالِمُ أَسَدٌ؛ إِذْ لَا إِيمَاءَ فِي الْعَالِمِ إِلَى وَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ أَيِ الْجُرْأَةِ بِخِلَافِ زَيْدٌ الْجَرِيءُ أَسَدٌ.

Meaning 'the description': The commentator only introduced the concern (al-'inayah) as an indication that the intended meaning is not absolute description, but rather a description that points to the point of resemblance. Thus, with this qualification, 'Zayd the scholar is a lion' is excluded, since there is no allusion in 'the scholar' to the point of resemblance, i.e., boldness, unlike 'Zayd the bold is a lion.'

فَإِنَّ وَصْفَ الْحَلْقَةِ بِكَوْنِهَا مُفَرَّغَةً غَيْرَ مَعْلُومِ الطَّرَفَيْنِ مُشْعِرٌ بِوَجْهِ الشَّبَهِ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُ النَّابِغَةِ: فَإِنَّكَ شَمْسٌ وَالْمُلُوكُ كَوَاكِبٌ إِذَا طَلَعَتْ لَمْ يَبْدُ مِنْهُنَّ كَوْكَبٌ.

For the description of the ring as being hollow, with its ends unknown, suggests the point of resemblance. Among this is the saying of Al-Nabigha: 'For you are a sun, and the kings are stars; when it rises, no star appears among them.'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (34 verbs · 62 nouns)

• عَنَى — to mean
• كَانَ — to be
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• تَشْبِيه — simile
• وَصْف — description
• إِيمَاء — gesture