Syrian Arabic Curriculum — Grade 10 — Page 9

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

اِعْتِذَارٌ.

An Apology.

النَّابِغَةُ الذُّبْيَانِيُّ (ت ٦٠٤م).

Al-Nabigha al-Dhubyani (d. 604 AD).

أَبُو أُمَامَةَ، زِيَادُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ.

Abu Umama, Ziyad ibn Mu'awiya.

نَشَأَ فِي قَوْمِهِ ذُبْيَانَ، وَكَانَتْ مَنَازِلُهُمْ بَيْنَ الْحِجَازِ وَتَيْمَاءَ، لُقِّبَ بِالنَّابِغَةِ لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ الشِّعْرَ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَسَنَّ، يُعَدُّ مِنْ شُعَرَاءِ الطَّبَقَةِ الْأُولَى فِي عَصْرِ مَا قَبْلَ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَكَانَتْ تُضْرَبُ لَهُ قُبَّةٌ مِنْ جِلْدٍ أَحْمَرَ فِي سُوقِ عُكَاظٍ فَتَقْصِدُهُ الشُّعَرَاءُ فَتَعْرِضُ عَلَيْهِ أَشْعَارَهَا.

He grew up among his people, the Dhubyan, whose lands lay between the Hijaz and Tayma. He earned the nickname 'Al-Nabigha' (the Genius) because he began composing poetry only after reaching middle age. Regarded as one of the premier poets of the pre-Islamic era, he was honored with a red leather tent at the Ukaz market, where other poets would visit to present their work to him.

بَرَعَ فِي غَرَضِ الْمَدِيحِ، فَمَدَحَ مُلُوكَ الْمَنَاذِرَةِ وَلَا سِيَّمَا النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ الْمُنْذِرِ مَلِكَ الْحِيرَةِ، ثُمَّ رَحَلَ إِلَى مَشَارِفِ الشَّامِ لِيَمْتَدِحَ أُمَرَاءَ الْغَسَاسِنَةِ، وَلَا سِيَّمَا الْحَارِثَ بْنَ عَمْرٍو الْغَسَّانِيَّ.

He excelled in panegyric, praising the Lakhmid kings—most notably Al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir of Al-Hira—before traveling to the borders of the Levant to praise the Ghassanid princes, particularly Al-Harith ibn Amr al-Ghassani.

كَانَ النَّابِغَةُ مُقَرَّبًا عِنْدَ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ الْمُنْذِرِ إِلَى أَنْ وَقَعَتْ بَيْنَهُمَا جَفْوَةٌ فَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَظَمَ النَّابِغَةُ مَجْمُوعَةً مِنَ الْقَصَائِدِ يَعْتَذِرُ بِهَا مِنْهُ وَيُعَدُّ مِنْ أَشْهَرِ مَنْ كَتَبَ فِي غَرَضِ الِاعْتِذَارِ فِي الشِّعْرِ الْعَرَبِيِّ.

Al-Nabigha enjoyed a close relationship with Al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir until a rift drove the king to anger. Al-Nabigha composed a series of poems to apologize, establishing himself as one of the most celebrated poets of the apology genre in Arabic literature.

مَدْخَلٌ إِلَى النَّصِّ: اسْتَطَاعَ الْوُشَاةُ وَالْمُبْغِضُونَ أَنْ يُوغِرُوا صَدْرَ النُّعْمَانِ وَأَنْ يَسْتَعْدُوهُ عَلَى النَّابِغَةِ، فَوَصَلَ إِلَى أَسْمَاعِهِ وَعِيدُ النُّعْمَانِ، وَوَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَقْعَ الصَّاعِقَةِ وَأَيْقَنَ بِالْهَلَاكِ؛ فَبَدَأَ يُرْسِلُ اعْتِذَارِيَّاتِهِ مُحَمَّلَةً بِالْأَيْمَانِ الْمُغَلَّظَةِ عَلَى الْوَفَاءِ، نَافِيًا فِيهَا التُّهَمَ، مُبَيِّنًا افْتِرَاءَ الْحَاسِدِينَ، مُذَكِّرًا بِكَرَمِ النُّعْمَانِ وَعَدْلِهِ.

Introduction to the text: Slanderers and enemies managed to turn Al-Nu'man against Al-Nabigha. When the king's threats reached the poet, they struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him certain of his doom. He began sending apologies laden with solemn oaths of loyalty, denying the charges, exposing the lies of the envious, and appealing to the king's known generosity and justice.

النَّصُّ: أَتَانِي - أَبَيْتَ اللَّعْنَ - أَنَّكَ لُمْتَنِي وَتِلْكَ الَّتِي تَسْتَكُّ مِنْهَا الْمَسَامِعُ.

The text: It has reached me—may you be spared from curse—that you have blamed me, a matter that makes ears recoil in horror.

مَقَالَةٌ أَنْ قَدْ قُلْتَ سَوْفَ أَنَالُهُ وَذَلِكَ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ مِثْلِكَ رَائِعُ.

A claim that you said, 'I shall get him,' which, coming from someone like you, is terrifying.

لَعَمْرِي وَمَا عُمْرِي عَلَيَّ بِهَيِّنٍ لَقَدْ نَطَقَتْ بُطْلًا عَلَيَّ الْأَقَارِعُ.

By my life—and my life is not trivial to me—the slanderers have spoken falsely against me.

أَتَاكَ امْرُؤٌ مُسْتَبْطِنٌ لِيَ بِغْضَةً لَهُ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ شَافِعُ.

A man came to you harboring hatred for me, using his enmity as a tool to gain your favor.

أَتَاكَ بِقَوْلٍ لَمْ أَكُنْ لِأَقُولَهُ وَلَوْ كُبِّلَتْ فِي سَاعِدَيَّ الْجَوَامِعُ.

He brought you a statement I would never have uttered, even had I been bound in iron shackles.

Vocabulary · المفردات (38 verbs · 56 nouns)

• نَشَأَ — to grow up
• لَقَّبَ — to nickname
• قَالَ — to say
• أَسَنَّ — to grow old
• عَدَّ — to count
• ضَرَبَ — to strike
• قَصَدَ — to intend
• عَرَضَ — to display
• بَرَعَ — to excel
• مَدَحَ — to praise
• رَحَلَ — to travel
• امْتَدَحَ — to praise
• وَقَعَ — to fall
• غَضِبَ — to be angry
• نَظَمَ — to compose
• اعْتَذَرَ — to apologize
• كَتَبَ — to write
• اسْتَطَاعَ — to be able
• أَوْغَرَ — to incite
• اسْتَعْدَى — to turn against
• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• أَيْقَنَ — to be certain
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• أَرْسَلَ — to send
• حَمَّلَ — to load
• نَفَى — to deny
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• ذَكَّرَ — to remind
• أَتَى — to come
• أَبَى — to refuse
• لَامَ — to blame
• اسْتَكَّ — to be deafened
• نَالَ — to obtain
• نَطَقَ — to speak
• اسْتَبْطَنَ — to harbor
• شَفَعَ — to intercede
• كَانَ — to be
• كَبَّلَ — to shackle
• اعْتِذَارٌ — apology
• شِعْرٌ — poetry
• قَوْمٌ — people
• مَنْزِلٌ — dwelling
• لَقَبٌ — title
• نَابِغَةٌ — genius
• شَاعِرٌ — poet
• طَبَقَةٌ — class
• عَصْرٌ — era
• قُبَّةٌ — dome
• جِلْدٌ — leather
• سُوقٌ — market
• غَرَضٌ — aim, purpose
• مَدِيحٌ — praise
• مَلِكٌ — king
• مَشَارِفٌ — outskirts
• أَمِيرٌ — prince
• جَفْوَةٌ — estrangement
• مَجْمُوعَةٌ — collection
• قَصِيدَةٌ — poem
• مَدْخَلٌ — introduction
• نَصٌّ — text
• وَاشٍ — slanderer
• مُبْغِضٌ — hater
• صَدْرٌ — chest
• سَمْعٌ — hearing
• وَعِيدٌ — threat
• قَلْبٌ — heart
• وَقْعٌ — impact
• صَاعِقَةٌ — thunderbolt
• هَلَاكٌ — destruction
• يَمِينٌ — oath
• وَفَاءٌ — loyalty
• تُهْمَةٌ — accusation
• افْتِرَاءٌ — slander
• حَاسِدٌ — envious one; envier
• كَرَمٌ — generosity
• عَدْلٌ — justice
• مَسْمَعٌ — ear
• مَقَالَةٌ — statement
• عُمْرٌ — age
• أَقَارِعُ — slanderers
• امْرُؤٌ — man
• بِغْضَةٌ — hatred
• عَدُوٌّ — enemy
• شَافِعٌ — intercessor
• قَوْلٌ — saying, statement, utterance
• سَاعِدٌ — forearm
• جَامِعَةٌ — shackle
• أُولَى — first (feminine)
• أَحْمَر — red
• أَشْهَر — more famous
• مُقَرَّب — close associate
• مُسْتَبْطِن — one who conceals/hides something within (active participle)
• مُحَمَّلَة — laden
• هَيِّن — easy