Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 277

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

ذَلِكَ، أَي إِذَا وُجِدَت لَفْظُ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ فَهِيَ اسْتِعَارَةٌ تَصْرِيحِيَّةٌ؛ لِأَنَّهُ صَرَّحَ فِيهَا بِلَفْظِ الْمُشَبَّهِ بِهِ، فَلَوْ قُلْتَ: «رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا يَحْمِلُ حَقِيبَةً»، فَمَعَنَا الْآنَ الْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ: «رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا كَالْأَسَدِ»، فَلِهَذَا نُسَمِّي هَذِهِ الِاسْتِعَارَةَ تَصْرِيحِيَّةً؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُشَبَّهَ غَيْرُ مَوْجُودٍ، وَهُوَ «رَجُلًا»، فَالْآنَ أَنْتَ تَقُولُ: «رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا يَحْمِلُ حَقِيبَةً»، وَلَمْ تَقُلْ: «رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا كَالْأَسَدِ»، أَيْ حَذَفْتَ الْمُشَبَّهَ وَذَكَرْتَ الْمُشَبَّهَ بِهِ، وَهُوَ «الْأَسَدُ»، وَحِينَئِذٍ صَارَتِ الِاسْتِعَارَةُ تَصْرِيحِيَّةً.

That is, if the term for the object of comparison (al-mushabbah bihi) is present, then it is an explicit metaphor (isti'arah tasrihiyyah); because the speaker has explicitly stated the term for the object of comparison in it. If you were to say, 'I saw a lion carrying a briefcase,' we now have the object of comparison with us, because the intended meaning is, 'I saw a man like a lion.' For this reason, we call this metaphor explicit, because the subject of comparison (al-mushabbah) is not present, which is 'a man.' So now you say, 'I saw a lion carrying a briefcase,' and you did not say, 'I saw a man like a lion,' meaning you omitted the subject of comparison and mentioned the object of comparison, which is 'the lion,' and at that point, the metaphor became explicit.

وَمِنْ أَمْثِلَةِ التَّصْرِيحِيَّةِ قَوْلُكَ: «رَأَيْتُ بَحْرًا قَدْ فَتَحَ بَابَهُ لِلضُّيُوفِ»، أَيْ رَجُلًا كَرِيمًا لِأَنَّ الْمَذْكُورَ مَعَنَا الْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ.

Among the examples of the explicit metaphor is your saying, 'I saw a sea that had opened its door to guests,' meaning a generous man, because what is mentioned with us is the object of comparison.

وَأَيْضًا: «رَأَيْتُ الثُّرَيَّا مُعَلَّقَةً بِيَدِهِ»، فَـ «الثُّرَيَّا» تَعْنِي عُنْقُودَ عِنَبٍ مِثْلَ الثُّرَيَّا مُعَلَّقٌ بِيَدِهِ، فَالَّذِي مَعَنَا أَيْضًا الْمُشَبَّهُ بِهِ.

Also: 'I saw the Pleiades hanging from his hand,' where 'the Pleiades' means a cluster of grapes like the Pleiades hanging from his hand, so what we have here is also the object of comparison.

…4 more translated lines, 18 more verbs and 37 more nouns on this page — subscribe to study every page.

Vocabulary · المفردات (21 verbs · 40 nouns)

• وَجَدَ — to find
• صَرَّحَ — to declare
• قَالَ — to say
• لَفْظٌ — word
• مُشَبَّهٌ — likened object
• اسْتِعَارَةٌ — metaphor