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The Ode of Abū Shādūf with Commentary

٠،١١11.0

(وكلّ هذا توطئة لما نال الناظم من الهموم * وما اعتراه من منطوق حوادث دهره والمفهوم * وهو الّذي كان سببًا لإنشاء هذا القصيد * وشكواه هذا الأمر الوافر المديد * فقال) [طويل]

All of which paves the way for the woes that on our own poet were inflicted, and the accidents of fate, both overt and covert, with which he was afflicted and which were the reason for his composing this ode, and of his complaint, profuse and extended, against all that fate on him bestowed. Thus he says:

ص

TEXT

١،١١11.1

يَقُولُ أَبُو شَادُوفِ مِنْ عُظْمِ مَا شَكَا

مِنَ ٱلْقِلِّ جِسْمُو مَا يَضَالْ نَحِيفْ

yaqūlu abū shādūfi³¹ min ʿuẓmi mā shakā

mina l-qilli jismū mā yaḍāl naḥīf

Says Abū Shādūf: from all he has suffered

of want, his body’s ever skinny

ش

COMMENTARY

١،١،١١11.1.1

هذا الكلام له بحر وقدّ * وتقاطيع ومدّ * فبحره الطويل المديد * الناقص المزيد * ومن جعله من بحر الكامل * قال فيه متهابل متهابل * ومن قاسه ببحر الوافر * قال هو البحر الزاخر * ومن نسبه لبحر البسيط * قال هو من معنى الهلط والتخبيط * ومن قارنه ببحر السلسله * قال هو من معنى هلهله هلهله * ومن قارنه ببقيّة البحور * قال في تمثيله أنت حمار أو ثور * وأمّا قدّه المعهود * فعلى وزن بَرْوة تخلّي الماضغين جلود * وأمّا تقاطيعه المذكوره * فهي هذه الكلمات المنشوره *

يقول أبوشا دوف من عظم ما شكى

نبول عليها في الضحى مع غرو بها

ومجموع هذا الكلام * من هذا النظام *

(نبول عليها في الضحى مع غروبها)

فإذا عرفت البحر والقدّ * والتقاطيع والمدّ * فلنشرع لك الآن في شرح الكلام على حسب التواقيع * أو على نمط الفراقيع *

These words are metered³² and tuned,³³ have feet, and may be crooned.³⁴ The meter’s the one that’s both “Long” and “Extended”³⁵—and impaired and distended. Those who claim its meter’s “the Perfect” say it goes “without intellect, without intellect” (mutahābilun mutahābilun),³⁶ while those who compare it to that called “the Exuberant” say, “This is the meter luxuriant!” and those who assign it to “the Diffused” say, “It’s flabby and confused!” while those who compare it to the Meter of the Chain³⁷ say it goes “feather brain, feather brain (halhalah halhalah),”³⁸ and those who compare it to other metrical clocks use, to represent it, “You’re a donkey or an ox.” Its usual tune goes to the measure “If you chew a bit of soap, it’ll make you like leather.”³⁹ Its feet, of which we’ve already made mention, appear as follows, when in articulation:⁴⁰

yaqūlu abū shā dūfi min ʿuẓmi mā shakā

nabūlu ʿalayhā fī l-ḍuḥā maʿ ghurū bihā

and the whole of the Ode is in the same mode, namely: nabūlu ʿalayhā fī l-ḍuḥā maʿ ghurūbihā (“We urinate upon it in the forenoon and at sunset”). Now that you know the meter and tune, the feet and the croon, let me embark on the exposition of the verse according to its rhythmic pattern, or in firecracker fashion.

٢،١،١١11.1.2

فنقول قوله (يقول) أي يريد أن ينشئ^١ قولًا في الخارج فيه شرح حاله ودليل على ما نابه من حوادث الزمان * وما أصابه من دواعي الهمّ والأحزان * والقول له مصادر واشتقاقات فمصدره قال يقول قولًا ومقالة وربّما يزاد فيه قلّة وقيلولة واشتقاقه من القَيْلولة أو من القُلَل أو من الأقوال أو من قالوا أو قلنا

١ بي: ينشي.

Thus we declare:

yaqūlu (“Abū Shādūf says”)—i.e., he intends to initiate speech (qawl) external to himself that will contain an explanation of his state and evidence of the accidents of Time with which he was inflicted, and the occasions for woe and grief with which he was inflicted. The word qawl has paradigms and etymologies. The paradigm is qāla, yaqūlu, qawlan, and maqālatan, to which may be added qullatan (“water pitcher”)⁴¹ and qaylūlatan (“midday snooze”).⁴² It is derived from qaylūlah or from qulal (“water pitchers”) or from aqwāl (“sayings”) or from qālū (“they said”) or qulnā (“we said”).⁴³

٣،١،١١11.1.3

وإنّما زدت هذه المصادر الفشرويّة وهذه الاشتقاقات الهباليّة إلّا لنبني عليها ما سأذكره لك (ممّا اتّفق لي مع بعض من يدّعي العلم وهو جاهل) وما ذاك إلّا أنّي لمّا توجّهت إلى الحجّ إلى بيت الله الحرام سنة أربعة وسبعين وألف وبلغت بَنْدَر القُصَيْر أنتظر خروج السفن فجلست أيّامًا بزاوية على البحر المالح أَعِظُ الناس فبينما أنا ذات يوم في هذا المكان أقرأ فيه * وأبيّن للناس الكلام ومعانيه * وأنا في هيئة تشين النظر * وفي أُهْبة ذهاب وسفر * وبهللة وهبال * وهلفطة ومقال * إذ أقبل عليّ بلا محَاله * رجل يشبه دائرة الهاله * طويل هبيل * فظّ ثقيل * له عمّة كالهَيُولى في العظم * وطيلسان نُسِجَ من صوف الغنم * ثمّ جلس يريد الضرر * ونظر إليّ شذر * فظهر لي منه الشرّ والجدال * ومنتظر منّي متى قلت قال * وكان الأمر كما ذكرت * وما إليه بهذا المعنى أشرت * فابتدأت في الكلام * وقلت قال النبيّ عليه الصلاة والسلام * فعند ذلك قال لي بلفظ كثيف * ما معنى قال في التصريف * فلمّا سمعت سؤاله * تحقّقت جهله وهباله * وعلمت أنّه خالي من العلوم * وجاهل بالمنطوق والمفهوم * فقلت له إنّ قال يتصرّف منه أسماء وأفعال * وهي قال يقول قولًا ومقالة وقلّة وقَيْلولة على الكمال * وإن أردت جعلت لك بيقين * تصريف هذه الستّة ستًّا وثلاثين * فقال لي وهذا التصريف في أيّ متن من المتون * فقلت له في ديوان ابن سودون * فركن إلى قولي على جهل منه وعمى * فعرفت أنّه لا يدري الاسم ولا المسمّى * ثمّ انقاد إليّ بعد الدعوى والهيس * انقياد الغنم للتيس * وامتثل الأمر في رواحه ومقبله * حتّى مضى إلى حال سبيله *

I have added these facetious paradigms and silly etymologies simply as a point of departure for the account that I shall relate to you of an encounter I once had with one of those persons who claim learning while in fact they are ignorant, to wit that, when I went on pilgrimage to God’s Holy House⁴⁴ in the year 1074⁴⁵ and had reached the port of al-Quṣayr and was waiting there for the ships to leave, I stayed for a few days at a hostel on the sea, preaching to the people. One day, as I was reciting the Qurʾan there, explaining the words and their meanings to the people to make them clear, a sorry sight to see, accoutered for travel by sea, engaged in buffoonery and deliration, and cant and speechification,⁴⁶ there came toward me—let no one doubt my say-so!—a man round as a halo, tall and cretinous, gross and hebetudinous, with a turban huge as the Primordial Lump, and a woolen shawl draped over his chump. Clearly up to no good, he sat himself down and fixed me with a frown, while his determination to involve me in trouble and contention plainly could be read, since he could barely wait for me to say the word “Said . . .” And so it was as I’ve described, and in the manner that I’ve implied, for no sooner had I begun to give my lesson, and declared, “Said the Prophet, upon him peace and benison . . .” than he asked me in tones unrefined, “What’s the meaning of ‘said’ when it’s declined?” When I heard his query, and understood his ignorance and inanity, I realized that in learning he was so far from an adept as to be quite unaware of the difference between word and concept. So I said to him, “From qāl both nouns and verbs we may decline: qāla, yaqūlu, qawlan, and maqālatan or qullatan or qaylūlatan in fine—and if you like I’ll make you up, for sure, in addition to these six, thirty more!” Said he to me, “In what standard text is this declension shown?” Said I, “In the collected works of Ibn Sūdūn!” Then he accepted my words—he was that ignorant and benighted—and I realized that he couldn’t tell the name from the thing cited. Thenceforth, after all the pretension and bluster, he followed me as a sheep its master, and submitted in his comings and goings to my sway, till he departed and went his way.

٤،١،١١11.1.4

(فإن قيل) لأيّ شيء خلبطتَ على هذا السائل في هذه المصادر والاشتقاقات * ووسّعت عليه في هذه الأمور الهباليّات * كنت تقتصر على ما قالوه في كتب الصرف * ولا تجرف الكلام جرف * (قلنا الجواب) نعم كان ينبغي هذا الكلام * ولكن مع من يدري العلم بالتمام * وأمّا الجاهل البليد * والفظّ العنيد * فليس له إلّا ما يناسب جهله من دشّ الكلام * والعجرفة فيما يليق بذلك المقام * فكان ما سبق من الجواب وحاله * مناسب لسؤاله وهباله * فاتّضح الإشكال * عن وجه هذا الهبال *

If it be said, “How come you set out to confuse this inquirer with such paradigms and etymologies, and you gave him such good measure of imbecilities, when you should have stuck to what they’d say in a grammar book, instead of ladling out such gobbledygook?” we reply, “All well and good, but that only goes for those who understand scholarship as one should. As for the dumb ignoramus, who’s gross and pertinacious, his ignorance calls for nothing better than whatever nonsense one may churn out, and the haughtiness befitting the condition of such a lout. Thus the reply that I have given above—taken as it came—was quite appropriate to a question so inane. The problem’s now revealed, the silliness no longer concealed.”

٥،١،١١11.1.5

(مسألة هباليّة) ما الحكمة في أنّ الناظم ابتدأ كلامه بصيغة المضارع ولم يأت بصيغة الماضي كما قال صاحب ألفيّة النحو رحمه الله تعالى قال محمّد هو ابن مالك (الجواب الفشرويّ) أنّ هذا الفعل الماضي الّذي هو قال يتولّد منه المضارع وهو يقول ويقول يأتي منه قولًا كما سبق في تأصيل الأفعال والأسماء فاكتفى بالفرع عن الأصل أو أنّه أراد تعداد الأمور الّتي حصلت له من تغيّر الزمان وانقلابه ولم يكن أخبر عنها سابقًا بلفظ الماضي فأراد الإخبار عنها بلفظ المضارع الّذي هو يقول وإن كان في معنى الماضي صورةً وفي معنى المضارع حقيقةً قال الشاعر [طويل]

فقالَ هو الماضي يَقولُ مُضارِعْ

وإنْ كان ذا الماضي له في الحقيقةِ

وقال أبو الطيّب المتنبّيّ عفا الله عنه شعر [طويل]

إِذا كانَ ما يَنويهِ فِعلًا مُضارِعًا

مَضَى قَبلَ أَن تُلْقَى عَلَيهِ الجَوازِمُ

أي إذا نوى شيئًا مستقبلًا أمضى فعله قبل أن يدخل عليه ما يَجْزِمُه أي يمنعه عنه ويسكّنه عن الحركة عن فعله انتهى وأيضًا لو أتى بالماضي لاختلّ الوزن وإن كان المعنى باق على حاله فاتّجه الجواب وبان الصواب وقوله

A Silly Topic for Debate: What’s the explanation for the fact that the poet starts his verse in the present tense and does not use the past, unlike, for example, the author of The Thousand Lines on Grammar,⁴⁷ God have mercy on him, when he writes, “Muḥammad, Mālik’s son, has said. . . etc.?”⁴⁸ The Facetious Answer: It is the past tense of the verb, namely, qāla, from which the present tense, namely, yaqūlu, is generated, and from yaqūlu comes the verbal noun qawl, as already noted in tracing the origins of these verbs and nouns; thus the poet simply settled for using the derived rather than the base form. Or it may be that he wanted to enumerate the changes and vicissitudes of fate that had befallen him and, not having mentioned them earlier using past-tense forms, he determined to narrate them using the present-tense form, namely, yaqūlu, albeit this has past meaning formally speaking and present meaning in reality. As the poet says:

So qāla’s past, yaqūlu’s present,

Though the last is its past in reality.⁴⁹

And Abū l-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī,⁵⁰ may God excuse him his sins, says:

If what he intended were a present verb,

It would be past before any could negate it

—meaning, “If he intends to do something in the future, he completes the action before anything can ‘negate’ it,” that is, can intervene between him and its doing and silence the vowels of his verb.⁵¹ End. Also, if he were to introduce the past form, the meter would be broken, even if the meaning remained as before. Thus the answer now is right; the truth has loomed into sight.

٦،١،١١11.1.6

(أبو شادوف) هذه كُنْيته وغلبت عليه فصارت عَلَمًا كما قالوا في مَعْدِي كَرِب وبَعْلَبَكّ وبَرَقَ نَحْرُه ونحو ذلك وأمّا اسمه الحقيقي عُجَيْل تصغير عِجْل على ما قيل وسببه أنّ أمّه لمّا ولدته ألْقَتْه في مَدْوِد البقرة فجاء العجل ولحسه فسمّي بذلك أيّامًا حتّى اشتهر بهذه الكنية وسبب اشتهاره بها أقوال أحدها إنّه لمّا مال عليه الدهر كما تقدّم أجّر نفسه لسقي الزرع بالآلة الّتي يجعلوها أهل الريف تسمّى أبو شادوف وصورة فعلها أنّهم يجعلوا ناطورَيْن من طين على جانب البحر ويحفروا بينهما نقرة مثل الحوض الصغير ويضعوا فوق الناطورين خشبة صغيرة ويعلّقوا فيها خشبة أيضًا بالعرض حكم قصبة الميزان يضعوا في طرفها الّذي من جهة البر شيئًا ثقيلًا والّذي من جهة البحر الدلو أو القَطْوة الّتي ينضحوا بها الماء ثمّ إنّ الرجل يقف إلى جهة البحر ويتّكي على طرف تلك القصبة فيقع الدلو أو القطوة في البحر ويغرف الماء ثمّ يتركه فيثقل طرفها الثاني ويصعد الدلو أو القطوة ويفرّغ في النقرة مع مساعدة الرجل له ويجري الماء إلى الزرع وهكذا حكم ما شاهدناه مرارًا عديدة ويسموا مجموع الآلة والناطورين أبو شادوف وهو مشتقّ من الشدف وهو الغرف قال في القاموس الأزرق والناموس الأبلق شدف يشدف شدفًا بمعنى غرف يغرف غرفًا قال الشاعر [طويل]

إِذا ما رَأَيتَ الماءَ فاشْدُفْ بِراحةٍ

فذلك للظَّمآنِ أَهنَى وأَطيَبُ

Abū Shādūfi: this is his kunyah, but it took him over and became his primary name, as happened in the case of Maʿdīkarib, Baʿlabakk, Baraqa Naḥruhu, and so on.⁵² His real name was ʿUjayl, diminutive of ʿijl (“calf”), or so it is reported, the reason for his being so named being that, when his mother gave birth to him, she threw him in the cow’s trough, and then the calf came along and licked him, so they called him that for a few days, until he became known by the kunyah in question. The reason for his becoming known by the latter is variously explained. One version has it that when the times turned against him, as described above, he hired himself out to water the crops using the device made by the country people, called the Abū Shādūf.⁵³ The way this works is that they construct two pillars of mud next to the river and excavate a hole like a small pit between them; on the two pillars they place a small beam and also, at right angles, another, resembling the arm of a pair of scales; to the land end of the last they attach a weight, and to the river end, a bucket or scoop,⁵⁴ with which they raise the water. A man stands on the riverside and pulls the end of the crossbeam downward, and the bucket or scoop falls and scoops up the water; then he lets go, the other end descends under its weight, and the bucket or scoop rises and, with the aid of the man, empties into the pit; the water then runs on to the crops and so on, as we have ourselves observed on numerous occasions. The whole assemblage, consisting of the device itself with the pillars, is called abū shādūf, which is derived from shadf, which means “scooping” (gharf). It says in The Blue Ocean and Piebald Canon, shadafa, yashdufu, shadfan means gharafa, yaghrifu, gharfan. As the poet says:

If you see water, scoop (ushduf) carefully,

For that, to the thirsty, more comfortable is and more pleasant!

٧،١،١١11.1.7

فالناظم لمّا لازم هذه الآلة وصار لا يفارقها في غالب الأوقات سُمّي باسمها من باب تسمية الحال باسم المحلّ وقيل إنّ أمّه ولدته عند أبو شادوف فسُمّي باسمه لكن يردّه ما تقدّم من أنّ اسمه الأصليّ عجيل وقد يُجْمَع بين الأقوال فيقال إنّ أمّه لمّا ولدته عند أبو شادوف أخذته ووضعته في المدود ولحسه العجل على ما تقدّم فسمّي عجيل ثمّ اشتهر بما ذكر فلا تعارض بين الأقوال وقيل سمّي بذلك لكثرة غرفه للماء بهذه الآلة فصار كلّ من سأل عنه يقال له عند الشدف أي الغرف ثمّ زادوا هذه الكلمة الألف والواو وقالوا شادوف ولكثرة تكرارها جعلوها حكم الولد والنواطير مثل الأب وقالوا أبو شادوف ووضعوها على ذات الناظم لكثرة مجاورته لتلك الآلة وعرّفوه بها فصارت علمًا له يخاطَب بها كما سبق بيانه انتهى

Thus the poet, because he cleaved to this device and became almost inseparable from it, came to be known by its name, according to the rule of “naming the condition after the position.” Another version has it that his mother gave birth to him next to an abū shādūf and he was therefore named after it, but this is refuted by what has already been said, to the effect that his original name was ʿUjayl. The two versions may be reconciled by saying that after his mother had given birth to him next to the abū shādūf, she took him and placed him in the trough and the calf licked him and he became known as described above. Thus there is no contradiction between the accounts. It is also said that he was so named because he did so much scooping of water with this device—so much, indeed, that it got to the point that anyone who asked after him would be told, “he’s busy shadf-ing” that is, “scooping”; then they added the alif and waw to the word and said shādūf.⁵⁵ With constant repetition, they have come to think of the crossbeam as though it were the child and the pillars as though they were the father, so that now they call the device “the father of the crossbeam (abū shādūf)”; and they applied the name to the poet himself because he was always next to the device and they identified him with it, and thus it became a proper name by which he was addressed, as already explained. End.

٨،١،١١11.1.8

(مسألة هباليّة) ما الحكمة في أنّ الدلو أو القطوة لا يفارق الخشبة التي هي في حكم قصبة الميزان وهل هى حكم الأب له كما سبق من أنّ النواطير في حكم مقام الأب للشادوف وأن الدلو أو القطوة إنّما لازما هذه الخشبة بالضرورة لها ومتى انفكّ عنها بطل عمله فهو مجاور لها في وقت الحاجة لا غير قلنا (الجواب الفشرويّ) أنّ الخشبة لا تستغني عن الدلو أو القطوة وهما لا يستغنيان عنها فكان كلاهما في حكم الولد للخشبة وكانت الخشبة في حكم الأب لما ذكر لأنّ كلًّا من الدلو أو القطوة مرتبط بالخشبة فاتّجه المقال عن وجه هذا الهبال

A Silly Debate: What is to be learned from the fact that the bucket or scoop never leaves the beam, which resembles the arm of a pair of scales; and does the latter play the role of father to the former, just as, as pointed out earlier, the two pillars play the role of father to the crossbeam of the shādūf; and is it the case that the bucket or scoop adheres to the beam merely out of necessity and, once disconnected from it, ceases to perform its function; and, as such, may it be said to be attached to it only when needed and not otherwise? We declare: the fatuous response is that the beam cannot dispense with the bucket or the scoop and neither can dispense with the beam, and so together they play the role of child to the beam, and the beam plays the role of father for the reason given, since both of them—the bucket and the scoop—are in a stable relationship with the beam. Now the contention’s straightened out, the silliness shown up for what it’s about.

٩،١،١١11.1.9

(فائدة) الأب مشتقّ من آب إذا رجع قال ابن زُرَيْق رحمه الله في قصيدة له [بسيط]

ما آبَ مِن سَفَرٍ إِلّا وأَزعَجَه

رَأيٌ إلى سَفَرٍ بالعَزمِ يَمنَعُهُ

أي ما رجع من سفر إلّا وأزعجه رأيه إلى سفر ثاني وكذلك الأب لأنّه في كلّ ساعة يرجع إلى ولده ويفتقده وينظر إليه وقيل مشتقّ من الأُبُوّة كما أنّ الأخ مشتقّ من الأُخُوّة قال الشاعر [طويل]

أبو المَرءِ مَن آبَ اشتِقاقًا لإسمِهِ

وَاخو المَرءِ أَيضًا قَد أتَى مِن أخوّه

ومصدره آب يأوب أَوْبًا فهو آبٍ

A Useful Note: the word ab (“father”) is derived from āba, meaning “he returned.”⁵⁶ Ibn Zurayq,⁵⁷ God have mercy on him, says in an ode:

He never returns (āba) from one journey but feels an urge

To be on his way again, that only his will can purge.

That is, “he never comes back from one journey but the urge to undertake a second disturbs him.” It is the same with a father, because he is always coming back to his child and missing him and looking about for him. Others say that the word is derived from ubuwwah (“fatherhood”), just as akh (“brother”) is derived from ukhuwwah (“brotherhood”). Says the poet:

A man’s ab from āba derives,

And a man’s akh from ukhuwwah likewise.

The paradigm is āba, yaʾūbu, awban, active participle ābin.⁵⁸

١٠،١،١١11.1.10

وقال ابن سودون إنّ أبو هذا فعل ماض ناقص وأصله أبوس ويدلّ على ذلك قول الشاعر [بسيط]

قَالوا حَبيبُكَ وارَى ثَغرَهُ صَلَفاً

ماذا تُحاوِلُ إِن أَبداه قلتُ أبو

أي أبوس وإنّما حُذِفت السين لوجهين الأوّل لقصد حصول اللبس على السامع إذ هو اللائق بهذا عند الأدباء والأقرب إلى السلامة من الواشين والرقباء والثاني حُذِفت السين لأنّها في الجُمَّل بستّين والستّون في البوس إسراف عند البعض * هذا كلامه المصرَّح به في ديوانه انتهى

Ibn Sūdūn⁵⁹ claims that abū, the construct form of ab, is really a perfect-tense defective verb,⁶⁰ being originally abūsu (“I would kiss”), and he cites as evidence the verse that says:

“They said, ‘Your sweetie hides his mouth affectedly from view;

What would you attempt, if he should show it?’ Said I, ‘abū. . .’⁶¹

“that is, abūs (‘I would kiss’), the s having been dropped for two reasons, the first being to deceive the listener, this being the proper thing to do in literary opinion and the more conducive to safety from tattletales and nosy parkers, and the second because its numerical value is sixty,⁶² and sixty kisses, according to some, is excessive.”

These are his words as explicitly stated in his collected works. End.

١١،١،١١11.1.11

قلت وكلام هذا البعض الذي نقله ابن سودون مردود لأنّ المحبّ إذا ظفِر بمحبوبه فلا يستفي فؤاده بستّين قُبْلة ولا بمائة خصوصًا إذا كان ذلك المحبوب لطيف الذات * حسن الصفات * مطيع للعاشق * مصافيًا مصادق * وانطبع بقَدّه المأنوس * وانضمّ لعاشقه انضمام العروس * وتملّى المحبّ بالحبيب * وخلا المجلس من الواشي والرقيب * هنالك لا ينحصر البوس بعدّ * ولا يكون له غاية ولا حدّ * قال الشاعر [سريع]

سَأَلتُ بَدرَ التَّمِّ في قُبْلةٍ	أَجابَ أَنْ يوفِي ومُنْشِي السَّحابْ
لمّا اختَلَينا واجتَمَعنا بِهِ	غَلِطتُ في العَدِّ وضاعَ الحِسابْ

Personally, I would say that the opinion of such people, as transmitted by Ibn Sūdūn, is invalid, because, once the lover succeeds in winning his beloved, his heart will never be satisfied with sixty or even a hundred kisses, especially if the beloved in question is graceful of form, comely of feature, to his lover obedient, sincere, and compliant, whose genial body has not been denied, and who to his lover has been gathered like a bride, the lover of his beloved being thus fully possessed, the place free of tattletale, nosy parker or other pest. Then for kissing there is no number firm—it knows no bounds nor any term. As the poet says:

“One kiss!” I asked the full moon high in the sky.

“By Him who draped the clouds,”⁶³ he said, “I will comply!”

But when we met with none about,

I reckoned wrong and lost all count!

١٢،١،١١11.1.12

وقلت في المعنى [طويل]

رَأيتُ لَه شَرْطًا عَلى الخَدِّ قَد حَوَى	جَمالًا وَقَد زانَ المَلاحَةَ بالقُرْطِ
فَقُلتُ مُرادي اللَّثْمُ قالّ بخَلْوَةٍ	فَقَبَّلتُهُ أَلفًا عَلَى ذلك الشَّرْطِ

اللهمّ إلّا أن يكون المحلّ غير قابل للمحبّ والحبيب * بأن يكون ثَمَّ خوف من واشٍ أو رقيب * فيكون الضمّ في تلك الحالة والتقبيل * بحسب أمن العاشق في الكثرة والتقليل * ومنهم من لا يعتريه في ذلك وَهْمٌ ولا إلباس * ويقبّل محبوبه ولو بحضرة الناس * ولو نفر منه وفرّ * ربّما مال نحوه ومرّ * قال الشاعر [رمل]

لو تراني وحبيبي عِندَما	فَرَّ مِثلَ الظَبْيِ مِن بَينِ يَدَيْ
وغَدا يَعدو وأعدو١ خَلْفَهُ	وكِلانا قَد طَوَينا الأرضَ طَيْ
قالَ ما تَرجِعُ عنّي قُلتُ لا	قالَ ما تَطلُبُ منَي قُلتُ شَيْ
فَنَأى عنَي وَوَلّى خَجَلًا	وانثَنَى بالتّيهِ عنّي لا إلَيْ
كِدتُ بَينَ النّاسِ أنْ ألْثِمَهُ	آهِ لَو أفعلُ ما كان علَيْ

١ بي: يغدو وأغدو.

And I myself said on the same theme:⁶⁴

I saw upon his cheek a stippled mark that beauty held—

He whom an earring had made yet sweeter to behold.

“I want a kiss,” I said. Said he, “When we’re alone!”

And on that “stipulation” I kissed a thousandfold!

—unless the place be unsuitable for a lover and the object of his adoration, in that there’s a fear of tattletales or of observation, in which case any hugging and kissing will depend on how comfortable the lover feels—as to whether it be quite a lot or almost completely missing—though there are a few who have, in this regard, no doubt or fear and will kiss their loved ones in front of anyone who’s there, and, even though the latter turn and flee, chase after him relentlessly. As the poet says:

Would that you’d seen me and my darling

When, like a deer, he from me fled

And ran away, and I gave chase;

Would you’d seen us when after hot pursuit he said,

“Will you not leave me be?” and I said, “No!”

And he, “What would you of me?” and I, “You know!”

And he then stayed aloof and shyly turned his back,

And proudly turned, not to me, but away—

For then I almost kissed him, right in front of everyone.

Ah, would I now could do what then I should have done!

١٣،١،١١11.1.13

ومن اللطائف أنّ أبا نواس مرّ يومًا في شوارع بغداد فرأى غلامًا جميلًا فقبّله عِيانًا فترافع الغلام هو وإيّاه على يد القاضي يحيى بن أكثم وادّعى عليه بما وقع قال فأطرق القاضي ساعة وأنشد يقول [طويل]

إذا كنتَ للتَّجميشِ والبَوسِ مانِعا	فلا تَدخلِ الأسواقَ إلّا منقَّبا
ولا تُرْخِيَ الأهدابَ مِن فَوقِ طُرّةٍ	ولا تُظْهِرَنْ مِن فَوقِ صُدغِكَ عَقربا
فتَقتُلَ مِسْكيناً وتُهْجِرَ عاشِقًا	وتَتركَ قاضِي المسلمينَ معذَّبا

قال فأطرق الغلام ساعة وأنشد يقول [طويل]

وكُنّا نرجّي أن نَرَى العَدلَ بَينَنا١	فأَعْقَبَنَا بَعدَ الرَّجاءِ قُنوطُ
مَتى تَصلُح الدُّنيا ويَصلُحُ أَهلُها	إِذا كان قاضي المسلِمين يَلوطُ

١ بي: وكنا إذا نرجو انتهاء العدل بيننا؛ ب: وكنا اذا نرجوك للعدل بيننا؛ ك با م: وكنا اذا نرجوك انتها للعدل بيننا.

An amusing story has it that Abū Nuwās was one day walking in the streets of Baghdad when he saw a beautiful youth and kissed him in front of everyone. He and the youth were brought before the judge Yaḥyā ibn Aktham, and the youth brought charges against Abū Nuwās. After bowing his head in silence for a moment, the judge recited:⁶⁵

If you object to being groped and kissed

Don’t go to market without a veil;

Don’t lower lashes o’er a forelock

And don’t display upon your temple a scorpion curl,

For as you are, you slay the weak, drive the lover to delirium,

And leave the Muslims’ judge in dire travail!

The youth in turn bowed his head in silence for a while and then recited:⁶⁶

We had hoped to see justice between us,

But after hope there followed despair.

When will the world and its people go right

If the judge of the Muslims fucks boys in the rear?

١٤،١،١١11.1.14

وقوله (من عظمِ ما شكا) أي من عظيم أمر أو أمور يشكو منها وصرّح بشكواه راجيًا من الله تعالى أن يَفْرِج عنه ويعيد له ما سلف من أيّام النعيم الّتي كان فيها فإنّ الأمر إذا اشتدّ هان وإذا ضاق اتّسع قال الشاعر [كامل]

وَلَرُبَّ ليلٍ في الهُمومِ كَدُمَّلٍ	عالَجتُهُ حتّى ظَفَرتُ بفَجرِهِ
وَلْقَدْ تَمرُّ النائِباتُ عَلَى الفتى	وتَزولُ حتّى لا تَجولُ بِفِكرِهِ

والشكوى على أقسام شكوى لله وهي محمودة وشكوى للمخلوق وهي مذمومة اللهمّ إلّا أن يكون في حال شكواه معتمدًا على الله تعالى متّكلًا عليه مستعينًا به في دفع ما نابه من الشدائد فلا بأس بذلك وإذا صبر واحتسب كان أولى وفرّج الله عنه قال تعالى {وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّابِرِينَ} وقال تعالى {فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا} ومن كلام الأستاذ يحيى البهلول نفعنا الله تعالى بركاته [هزج]

إِذا ضاقَتْ بِكَ الأحوالْ	تَفَكَّرْ في {أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ}
تَجِدْ يُسْرَيْنِ بينْ عُسْرَيْنْ	ولا تَحْزُنْ ولا تَفْرَحْ

min ʿuẓmi mā shakā (“from all that he has suffered”): that is, from the thing, or indeed the things, he has to complain of. He expresses his complaint out loud in the hope that the Almighty will release him from his sufferings and restore him to his former life of ease, for when things are at their worst they are not far from getting easier, and though the gate be strait, it opens onto larger spaces. Says the poet:

How many a night of woes like ulcers

I have tended, till I won through to day!

The blows of fate pass young men lightly by

And dissipate, and in their thoughts they do not stay.

There are different categories of complaint. There is the complaint to God, which is praiseworthy, and the complaint to one of His creation, which is blameworthy, unless the complainer place his trust entirely in the Almighty and rely on Him, seeking His help to repel whatever misfortunes may have befallen him—in which case there is no harm, though it is preferable for him to have patience and resign himself to God’s will, in which case God will grant him relief. The Almighty has said, «And give good tidings to the patient!»⁶⁷ and also, «Verily, along with hardship there shall be ease.»⁶⁸ Among the verses of Master Yaḥyā al-Buhlūl,⁶⁹ may the Almighty benefit us through him, are:

When things get tough,

Think on «Have we not dilated . . .?»!⁷⁰

Remember one “hardship” between two “eases”⁷¹

And neither mourn nor feel elated!

١٥،١،١١11.1.15

ثمّ إنّ الناظم أراد تعداد الأمور الّتي ترادفت عليه مبتدئًا بأعظمها وأهمّها فقال

Next the poet decided to enumerate the things that had befallen him, one after another, beginning with the worst and the most important, so he says:

١٦،١،١١11.1.16

(من القلّ) بكسر القاف وسكون اللام أي إنّ أهمّ شكواي وأعظمها أوّلًا من القِلّ وهي قلّة المأكل والمشرب حُذِفَتْ تاء الكلمة لضرورة النظم وأيضًا عدم الميسرة في اللبس وشدّة التعب والنصب في كدّ المعيشة وفي الحديث كاد الفقر أن يكون كُفْرًا أي قارب أن يُوقِع في الكفر لأنّه يحمل على عدم الرضاء بالقضاء وسُخُط الرزق وذلك يجرّ إلى الكفر وفي الفقر قال ابن دقيق العيد رحمه الله [طويل]

لَعَمْري لَقَد قاسيتُ بالفَقرِ شِدَّةً	وَقَعتُ بِها في حَيْرَةٍ وشَتاتِ
فإِنْ بُحْتُ بالشَّكوى هَتَكتُ سَريرتي	وإِنْ لم أَبُحْ بالفَقرِ خِفْتُ مَماتي

(وقيل) وُجِدَ مكتوب على تاج كِسْرى أنوشِرْوان أربع كلمات وهي العدل إن دام عمّر * والظلم إن دام دمّر * والأعمى ميّت وإن لم يُقْبَر * والفقر هو الموت الأحمر * وهذه الكلمة يعاير بها أهل الأرياف الرجل الفقير فيقولوا فلان في قِلّ وربّما زادوا كلمة أخرى فقالوا في قِلّ وعَتْرَه أي في حالة كدّ وتعب وارتكاب أمور شنيعة وأحوال مكربة وهي من ألفاظ أهل الريف قال بعض شعرائهم [هزج]

أَبُو جَامُوسْ صِبِحْ حَالُو	يُبَكِّي ٱلنَّاسْ وَهُوْ شُهْرهْ
بِيَجْرِي مَا بِيَلْقَاشِي	وَفِي قِلَّهْ وَفِي عَتْرَهْ

min al-qilli (“of want”), with an i after the q and no vowel after the l;⁷² that is, my gravest and greatest complaint is of qill (“want”), which is a paucity (qillah) of food and drink (the ah having being dropped for the meter)⁷³ and also of inadequate clothing and of the great toil and exhaustion required by the struggle to make a living. In the Tradition it says, “Poverty may bring one to the verge of denying one’s faith,” meaning that it may come close to forcing one to deny his faith because it leads to dissatisfaction with providence and displeasure with his material state and this may drag him into denying his faith. Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd, God have mercy upon him, said of poverty:

By my life, poverty has dealt me a cruel stroke,

And reduced me with it to confusion and dismay.

If I go public with my plaint, I violate my privacy;

But if I don’t confess my need, I fear I’ll die!

And it is said that four sayings were written on the crown of Chosroes Anūshirwān: “Justice If It Lasts Brings Prosperity”; “Injustice If It Lasts Brings Ruin”; “The Blind Man Is as Dead Though He Be Not Buried”; and “Poverty Is the Red Death.”⁷⁴ The people of the countryside use the word to cast aspersions on a poor man. They say that so-and-so is fī qill (“in a state of want”), and sometimes they add another word and say fī qill wa-ʿatrah, that is, in a state of struggle and exhaustion and the performance of foul deeds and awful doings. It is an expression used by the people of the countryside. One of their poets says:

Abū Jāmūs—his state

Makes people weep; he’s quite lost face:

He runs around and finds nothing,

And lives in want and disgrace (fī qillah wa-fī ʿatrah).

١٧،١،١١11.1.17

(والقلّ) على وزن الغِلّ أو الظِلّ مشتقّ من القَلْقَلة أو من القُلّة بضمّ القاف أو القولق وعَتْره بفتح العين المهملة وجزم الهاء في آخرها على وزن زُبْرَه فخذ زبره وَزِنْها على عتره لا تختلف أبدًا ومعناها ارتكاب المفاسد وقلّة الدين ونحو ذلك ومن هذا المعنى قالوا فلان عتر أي مرتكب هذه الأمور وأمّا بالثاء المثلَّثة فهي واحدة العثرات وهي اللغة الفصحى بمعنى أنّ المتلبّس بهذه الحالة عثراته كثيرة فالمعنى واحد وقد ورد لفظ القلّ في كلام العرب (وهو ما حكي) أنّ رجلًا حضريًّا عزم على رجل بدويّ فأخرج له صحنًا من الطعام وشيئًا يسيرًا من الخبز فصار البدويّ كلّما أخذ لقمة يقول له الحضريّ قل بسم الله الرحمٰن الرحيم يا بدويّ ولم يزل يكرّر عليه التسمية فاستحى البدويّ وقام ولم يشبع من الطعام ومضى ثمّ بعد أيّام خرج البدويّ من منزله فرأى صاحبه الحضريّ فأخذه وأجلسه في داره وأخرج له قصعة كبيرة ملآنة من الثريد واللحم وقال له كل يا حضريّ وسفّ ما في القِلّة بركة أي ما فى قِلّة الطعام مع الشُحّ بركة ودَعْك تسمِّي الله أو تترك التسمية وإن كان محلّ ذلك البركة فالمدار على سماحة النفس وإن كان صاحبها فقيرًا فالكرم فيه راحة القلوب وستر العيوب قال الشاعر [وافر]

إِذا كَثُرت عُيوبُكَ في البَرايا	وسَرَّكَ أنْ يَكونَ لها غِطاءُ
تستَّرْ بالسَّخاءِ فَكُلُّ عَيبٍ	يُغَطّيهِ كَما قيل السَّخاءُ

وفي الأثر كلّ عيبٍ الكرم يغطّيه

The word qill is of the measure of ghill (“rancor, spite”) or ẓill (“shadow”) and derives from qalqalah (“agitation, convulsion”) or from qullah (“water pitcher”), with u after the q, or from qawlaq (“leather money pouch”). The word ʿatrah, with a after the ʿ and no inflectional vowel at the end, is of the measure of zubrah (“small penis”); take a zubrah and weigh it against a ʿatrah, and you’ll see there’s no difference at all. The word means “the performance of acts of corruption and deficiency in religion” and so on. They say, “So-and-so is an ʿitr,” that is, one who does such things.⁷⁵ As for ʿathrah, with th, it is the singular of ʿatharāt (“slips, mistakes, sins”), which belongs to the chaste language, in which case the meaning would be that the sins of one who is mired in such a state are many; thus the sense is the same. Qill occurs in the language of the Arabs, as in the anecdote that a city man invited a Bedouin to a meal, and brought him out a bowl of food and a little bread. As often as the Bedouin took a mouthful, the city man would say to him, “Say, Bedouin, ‘In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!’” and he kept repeating the same until the Bedouin was abashed and got up without eating his fill and left. Then, a few days later, the Bedouin left his dwelling and saw his city friend, so he took him and sat him down in his house and brought out a large bowl full of bread and meat with broth and said to him, “Eat, city man, and knock it back! There’s no blessing in paucity (qillah)!” that is, “there’s no blessing in paucity of food when accompanied by stinginess, whether you say ‘In the name of God’ or not, even though He be the source of that blessing, for what matters is an ungrudging spirit, even though its owner be poor,” for generosity comforts the heart and covers many a flaw. As the poet says: ⁷⁶

If your flaws are become well known to men,

And you’re inclined to find for them a cover,

Assume a mantle of liberality, for any flaw,

They say, by liberality may be covered over

—and, as the common saying has it, “Whatever the flaw, generosity covers it.”

١٨،١،١١11.1.18

(مسألة هباليّة) ما الحكمة في اشتقاق القلّ من القولق أو من القُلّة أو من القَلْقَلة وما المناسبة لذلك وما معنى هذه الألفاظ (الجواب الفشرويّ) أنّ القولق اسم لشيء من الجلد يُصْنَع لحفظ الدراهم ويُرْبَط في الحزام على الفخذ الأيمن يفعله بعض سقاة القهوة وغيرهم فاشتقاقه منه لضيقه وعدم اتّساعه كما أنّ القلّ هو ضيق المعيشة وعدم اليسرة فناسب المعنى في ذلك وأمّا اشتقاقه من القُلّة بضمّ القاف فلأحد أمور إمّا لحصر الماء فيها فكذلك حكم القِلّة وعدم البركة حكم وجود الماء وعدمه أو أنّ المناسبة في ذلك لضيقها في حدّ ذاتها وأنّ الماء لا ينزل منها إلّا من خروم ضيّقة وأنّها إذا وُضِعَت في الماء بقبقت وصارت حكم الّذي يشكو إلى الماء قال الشاعر [بسيط]

ما بَقْبَقَ الكوزُ إِلّا مِن تَأَلّمِهِ

يَشكو إلى الماءِ ما قاسَى مِنَ النَّارِ

فكان في ذلك مشقّة وشدّة تعب فناسب اشتقاق القلّ من هذا المعنى والقول الثالث إنّه من القَلْقَلة فهو كذلك من قلقلة الأمور أي سرعة حركاتها وشدّتها وارتكاب المشقّات ونحو ذلك قال الشاعر [كامل]

قَلْقِلْ رِكابَكَ في الفَلا	وَدَعْ الغَواني في القُصورِ
القاطِنينَ بِأَرضِهِمْ	عِندي كَسُكّانِ القُبورِ

أي حرّك ركابك في الفلا وهو الفضاء المتّسع والمعنى سر شرقًا وغربًا واكتسب ما يُغْنِيك عن سؤال الناس ولا تكن عَيْلة عليهم ولا تذلّ نفسك لهم ودع الغواني جمع غانية وهي ذات الجمال أي اتركها ولا تشتغل بها عن طلب رزقك فربّما اشتغالك بها يتولّد منه البطالة والكسل فلا تجد ما تنفقه عليها فتميل نفسها إلى غيرك ويترتّب على هذا مفاسد كثيرة فإذا سعيت وتركتها وأتيت لها بما يسدّ جوعتها ويستر عورتها ممّا تحتاج إليه دامت معك على أتمّ مراد وأحسن حال وإن كان لا يفيدك من السعي والسفر إلّا اليسير فهو أَوْلى من عدمه بالكليّة قال الشاعر [طويل]

على المَرءِ أَنْ يَسعَى لِما فيه نَفعُهُ

ولَيسَ عَليه أَنْ يُساعِدَهُ الدَّهرُ

(وفي بعض الكتب المُنْزَلة) يقول الله تعالى يا عبدي خلقتك من حركة تحرّكْ أَرْزَقُك وفي المثل الحركة فيها بركة وقال الإمام الشافعيّ رضي الله تعالى عنه شعر [طويل]

تَغَرَّبْ عَنِ الأوطانِ في طَلَبِ العُلَى	وسافرْ ففي الأسفار خَمسُ فَوائِدِ
تفرُّج١ هَمٍّ واكتسابُ مَعيشَةٍ	وعِلْمٌ وآدابٌ وصُحْبةُ ماجِدِ
فإنْ قيل في الأسفارِ ذُلٌ وغُرْبَةٌ	وتَشتيتُ شَمْلٍ واجتِماعُ شَدائِدِ
فَمَوتُ الفَتَى خَيرٌ لَه مِن حَياتِهِ	بِدارِ هَوانٍ بَينَ واشٍ وحاسَدِ

فاتّضح الجواب باتّفاق * عن وجه هذا الاشتقاق * وقوله

١ بي: تفريج.

A Silly Debate: What is the wisdom in deriving qill from qawlaq, or from qullah, or from qalqalah, and how do they fit with one another, and what do these words mean? The fatuous response: qawlaq⁷⁷ is the name for a leather thing that is made to keep money in and tied onto the belt on the right thigh; some coffee waiters and others use it. The derivation of qill from qawlaq comes from the latter’s crampedness and its lack of room, since qill denotes a cramped life and lack of ease; thus it fits the meaning from that perspective. As for its derivation from qullah (“water pitcher”), with u after the q, this could be for one of several reasons. It may be because water is retained within it, in which case want and lack of good fortune are analogous to the presence or absence of the water. Alternatively, the fit may lie in the actual narrowness of the qullah and the fact that the water has to pass through narrow holes in order to come out,⁷⁸ and that, when submerged in water, it makes a gurgling sound, as though it were complaining to the water. As the poet says:

The mug makes a gurgle because it’s in pain:

It protests to the water what it suffered from the flame.

This process of firing implies distress and hardship, so it fits with the derivation of qill from that perspective. The third opinion states that it is derived from qalqalah (“agitation, convulsion”). From this point of view qill would be from the agitatedness (qalqalah) of events, that is, the speed with which they move, their intensity, and the distressing circumstances to which they give rise and so on. As the poet⁷⁹ says:

Stir (qalqil) your stirrups in the steppes (falā)

And leave the pretty girls at home.

Like dwellers in the grave to me are those

Who never from their homelands roam.

—that is, move your stirrups “in the falā,” which means the wide-open spaces. The meaning is: Go east and west, and acquire whatever will relieve you of having to beg from others, and be not a burden upon them, and do not humiliate yourself before them, and leave the ghawānī—plural of ghāniyah, which means “a female possessed of beauty”; that is, abandon any such and do not allow yourself to be distracted by her from seeking your livelihood, for that distraction may lead to inactivity and idleness, in which case you will not find the wherewithal to spend on her and her heart will turn to someone else, with all sorts of evil consequences. If, on the other hand, you bestir yourself and leave her and then come back with all the things she needs to assuage her hunger and clothe her nakedness, she will stay with you just as your heart would desire and in perfect felicity. And even if you benefit little from your efforts and journeys, what you get will still be better for you than doing nothing. As the poet says:

Man must work for what he needs,

And Fate is not obliged to help.

In one of the Revealed Books, the Almighty says, “My slave, I created you from motion; move and I will provide for you!” and the proverb says, “In activity is blessing,”⁸⁰ and the Imam al-Shāfiʿī,⁸¹ may the Almighty be pleased with him, says:

Leave your lands and seek advancement!

Go abroad, for there are five good things in travel:

Escape from care and a way to earn your living,

Knowledge, savoir faire, and the friendship of the noble.

Though some say travel means abjection in exile,

And loss of one’s friends and meeting with trouble,

Still better a young man die than live

In ignominy ’midst jealousy and tittle-tattle.

Thus the answer now is clear, all can agree, and the nature of this derivation’s plain to see.

١٩،١،١١11.1.19

(جسْمو) الضمير راجع للناظم أي جسمه وهو ذاته مشتقّ من التَجَسُّم أو من المُجَسِّمَة وهم طائفة يقولون بالحلول والتجسيم قبّحهم الله تعالى أو من جسم العاشق إذا أنحله بُعْد الحبيب ولم يجد له دواء ولا طبيب وقوله

jismū (“his body”): the pronoun suffix refers to the poet, that is, “his body” means “his person,” the word being derived from tajassum (“corporeality”) or from al-mujassimah (“the Corporealists”), which is a sect that holds to the doctrine of incarnation and corporealization,⁸² may the Almighty disfigure them, or from jism al-ʿāshiq (“the body of the lover”), when the latter is worn thin by separation from the beloved and the poet can find neither medicine nor doctor for it.

٢٠،١،١١11.1.20

(ما يضال) كلمة ريفيّة ومعناها ما يزال كما تقدّم في الجزء الأوّل أي لم يزل جسمه من القلّ والتعب وعدم اليسرة

mā yaḍāl (“is ever”): a rural phrase, meaning mā yazālu, as discussed in Part One.⁸³ That is, his body is never free of want, toil, and discomfort.

٢١،١،١١11.1.21

(نحيف) على وزن رغيف وأصله نحيفا بالألف المقصورة وحُذِفَت لضرورة النظم والمعنى أنّ جسمه ضَعُفَ ورقّ من كثرة توارد الهموم عليه وتحمّل الأذى والكدّ في تعب المعيشة ونحو ذلك فإنّ الهمّ يُضْعِف الجسد ويُمْرِضه بخلاف الراحة وكثرة النعم ومن هنا يظهر أنّ أصحاب المال والرفاهيّة في الغالب أنّ أجسامهم في نضارة وملاحة وطلاوة من حسن المآكل والمشارب ونظافة الملابس ورقّتها فلا يرون بذلك للهمّ تأثيرًا وقد قال الإمام الشافعيّ رضي الله تعالى عنه من نَظُفَ ثوبه قلّ همّه وفي الحديث الثوب يسبّح الله فإذا اتّسخ انقطع تسبيحه فالجسد مثل الزرع ما دام صاحبه يتعهّده بالسقي والإصلاح وتنظيف الغَلَت عنه دام في نضارة زائدة وملاحة زاهية ومتى تركه اعترته الآفات وتغيّرت عليه الأحوال وأمّا رقّة الجسد ورشاقته من غير مرض فهو ممدوح في النساء والرجال ويقال لصاحبه أهيف قال الشاعر [رجز]

وأَهْيَفانِ لعبا	بالنَّرْدِ أُنثى وذَكَرْ
قالَتْ أنا قُمْرِيَّةٌ	قلتُ اسْكُتي أنتِ قَمَرْ

وأبلغ من هذا قول بعضهم [بسيط]

هَيفاءُ لَو خَطَرَت في جَفْنِ ذي رَمَدٍ	لما أَحَسَّ له مِن وطئِها أَلَما
خَفيفَةُ الرُّوحِ لَوْ رامَت لِخِفَّتِهَا	رَقْصًا على الماءِ ما بلّت لها قَدَما

naḥīf (“thin”): of the measure of raghīf (“loaf”); it is properly naḥīfan, with an alif of prolongation, the latter having been dropped for the meter.⁸⁴ The meaning is that his body became weak and thin from the succession of cares that afflicted it, and the injury and hardship that it had to put up with in the course of making a living and so on—for care weakens and sickens the body, unlike ease and abundance of comforts, from which it will be evident that the bodies of the rich and affluent are in general vigorous, attractive, and graceful, because of the excellence of their food and drink and the cleanliness and fineness of their clothes, and they do not, as a result, suffer any of the ill effects of care. Imam al-Shāfiʿī, may the Almighty be pleased with him, said, “He whose garments are clean has few worries,” and it says in the Tradition, “One’s garments should give glory to God”; if they get dirty, this glorification is brought to a halt. The body, in fact, is like a crop of plants: so long as its owner is careful to water it and tend it and clean out the weeds, it remains full of vigor and glows with good looks, but when he ceases to attend to it, diseases attack it and things take a turn for the worse. In the absence of sickness, on the other hand, slenderness and trimness of the body are desirable characteristics in both women and men, and one possessed of such characteristics is referred to as ahyaf (“slender waisted”). As the poet⁸⁵ says:

Two slender-waisted creatures,

One girl, one boy,

At backgammon played.

Said she, “I am a turtledove!”

“Hush!” said I. “You are the moon above!”

—and even more expressive are the words of the poet who said:

A slender-waisted lass—should she tread on the lids of one with eyes inflamed,

No pain from her footfall would he feel.

Light-spirited—should she, of her levity, desire

To dance on water, not a drop would wet her heel.

٢٢،١،١١11.1.22

(مسألة هباليّة) لأيّ شيء قال الناظم نحيف ولم يقل سقيم لكونه أنسب في المعنى وأفصح في العبارة وقد وردت في القرآن العظيم في قوله تعالى {فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِي ٱلنُّجُومِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} أي من عبادتكم الأصنام (قلنا الجواب الفشرويّ) أنّ الناظم عدَل عن هذه اللفطة لتضمّنها معنى اللفظة الّتي على وزنها وهي قطيم والقطيم بلغة الريّافة هو صاحب الأبنة وبلغة أخرى هو الخالي من الزواج فلو فرض أنّه أتى بها في النظم لربّما نسبوه أنّه كان به أبنة فيحصل من ذلك الضرر أو يقال إنّه راعى في ذلك قوافي الشعر فلا إشكال * فاتّضح المقول عن وجه هذا الهبال *

A Silly Topic for Debate: “Why did the poet say naḥīf rather than saqīm (‘sick’), though the latter is more appropriate in meaning and more elegant in expression and is found in the Mighty Qurʾan, in the words of the Almighty, «And he cast a glance at the stars, then said, ‘Lo! I feel sick (saqīm)!’»⁸⁶ that is, ‘I feel sick at your worship of idols’?” We declare, the fatuous response is that the poet avoided the latter word because it includes the meaning of the word that rhymes with it, namely, qaṭīm, and qaṭīm is, in the language of the country people, a passive sodomite, and, in another dialect, an unmarried man;⁸⁷ if he had used the word in the verse, they might have attributed passive sodomy to him, with harmful consequences. Or it may be said that, in this, he was following the rules of rhyme for poetry, so there is no problem. Our words are now clear, the silliness made to appear.

٢٣،١،١١11.1.23

ثمّ إنّ الناظم أراد الإخبار عن بليّة ابتلى بها أيضًا نشأت من القلّ والعترة وعدم ما في اليد كما تقدّم فقال

Next the poet sought to tell of a further misfortune by which he was smitten and which was a product of the aforementioned want, abasement, and lack of wherewithal. He says: