Sharh Durus al-Balagha by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح دروس البلاغة) — Page 360

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

أُسْلُوبُ الْحَكِيمِ: وَهُوَ تَلَقِّي الْمُخَاطَبِ بِغَيْرِ مَا يَتَرَقَّبُهُ، أَوِ السَّائِلِ بِغَيْرِ مَا يَطْلُبُهُ، تَنْبِيهًا عَلَى أَنَّهُ الْأَوْلَى بِالْقَصْدِ.

12 - The Wise Style: It is to address the interlocutor with something other than what they expect, or the questioner with something other than what they seek, as a way of alerting them that it is more worthy of being intended.

فَهَذَا الْكَلَامُ لَيِّنٌ - عَكْسُ الْفَخْرِ وَالْحَمَاسَةِ - فَهُوَ يَقُولُ: اللَّيْلُ لَمْ يَطُلْ عَلَيَّ؛ لَكِنِّي لَمْ أَنَمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ طَافَ بِي طَائِفٌ، فَكَأَنَّهُ تَذَكَّرَ مَحْبُوبَتَهُ فَلَمْ يَنَمْ، وَعَادَةً أَنَّ الَّذِي لَا يَنَامُ يَطُولُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ، لَكِنَّ هَذَا لَمْ يَطُلْ لَيْلُهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَتَذَكَّرُ مَحْبُوبَهُ، فَكَأَنَّ اللَّيْلَ الَّذِي يَطُولُ عِنْدَ مَنْ لَمْ يَنَمْ - فِي الْعَادَةِ - لَمْ يَطُلْ عَلَيْهِ، فَهَذِهِ كَلِمَاتٌ فِيهَا رِقَّةٌ وَلِينَةٌ.

This speech is gentle—the opposite of pride and enthusiasm—for he says: 'The night did not grow long for me, but I did not sleep, because a visitor came to me.' It is as if he remembered his beloved and therefore did not sleep, and usually, for one who does not sleep, the night feels long, but for this person, his night did not feel long because he was remembering his beloved; so it is as if the night, which usually feels long to those who do not sleep, did not feel long to him, and these are words that possess tenderness and gentleness.

وَإِذَا قَارَنْتَ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ بِالْبَيْتَيْنِ السَّابِقَيْنِ فِي الْفَخْرِ وَالْحَمَاسَةِ عَرَفْتَ الْفَرْقَ بَيْنَ هَذَا وَذَاكَ.

If you compare this verse with the two previous verses regarding pride and enthusiasm, you will know the difference between this and that.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (24 verbs · 42 nouns)

• تَلَقَّى — to receive
• تَرَقَّبَ — to expect
• طَلَبَ — to request
• أُسْلُوبٌ — style
• حَكِيمٌ — wise man
• مُخَاطَبٌ — addressee