نِظامٌ يُحاكِي الدُّرَّ أَهْدَتْهُ نَحْوَنا

نِظامٌ يُحاكِي الدُّرَّ أَهْدَتْهُ نَحْوَنا

قَريحَةُ مَنْ يُروِي الفُهُومَ بِما يَرْوي

قَريحَةُ مَنْ يُروِي الفُهُومَ بِما يَرْوي

A string of verse resembling pearls, offered to us

A system that emulates pearls, its gift towards us

by the poetic genius of one who quenches minds with what he recounts.

The talent of one who nurtures minds with what it nurtures

وفي طَيِّهِ بَحْثٌ يَدِقُّ بَيانُهُ

وفي طَيِّهِ بَحْثٌ يَدِقُّ بَيانُهُ

إذا رامَهُ فِكْرُ البَيانِيِّ والنَّحْوِي

إذا رامَهُ فِكْرُ البَيانِيِّ والنَّحْوِي

Within its folds lies an inquiry whose exposition is subtle

And in its folding is research that precise in its rhetoric

when the thought of rhetorician and grammarian pursues it.

When the mind of the rhetorician and the grammarian desires it

وَرُبَّتَما قالَ البَيَانِيُّ مَنْصِبي

وَرُبَّتَما قالَ البَيَانِيُّ مَنْصِبي

أُكَشِّفُ أَسْرارَ الَكلامِ ولا أطْوِي

أُكَشِّفُ أَسْرارَ الَكلامِ ولا أطْوِي

And at times the rhetorician says: 'My task is

And many a time the rhetorician attributes to me

to unveil the secrets of speech, not fold them away.

I reveal the secrets of speech and do not fold

ومَنْ قَدَّمَ التّالي فذلِكَ مَهْيَعٌ

ومَنْ قَدَّمَ التّالي فذلِكَ مَهْيَعٌ

لَهُ مَنْهَجُ القانُونِ مِنْ نَحْوِنا يَحْوي

لَهُ مَنْهَجُ القانُونِ مِنْ نَحْوِنا يَحْوي

And whoever preposes the consequent—there is a clear path

And whoever puts the following this is confused

for him, encompassed by the rule-based approach of our grammar.

For him is the approach of law from our grammar it contains

وما تَرْكِيَ التَّقْدِيرَ إلاّ لأَنّني

وما تَرْكِيَ التَّقْدِيرَ إلاّ لأَنّني

إلى غَيْرِ مَحْضِ اللّفْظِ في مَقْصِدي آوِي

إلى غَيْرِ مَحْضِ اللّفْظِ في مَقْصِدي آوِي

And I forgo supplying implicit words only because I

And I only left the interpretation because I

turn, in pursuing my purpose, to something beyond mere wording.

Incline to other than the mere word in my purpose shelter

وقَدْ قَدَّرَ النَّحْوِيْ وذلِكَ فَنُّهُ

وقَدْ قَدَّرَ النَّحْوِيْ وذلِكَ فَنُّهُ

وأَمَّا فُنُوني فَهْيَ عَنْ مِثْلِهِ تَلْوِي

وأَمَّا فُنُوني فَهْيَ عَنْ مِثْلِهِ تَلْوِي

The grammarian has indeed supplied implicit words; that is his craft,

And the grammarian interpreted and that is his art

whereas my arts turn aside from anything of that kind.'

As for my arts they shy away from the like of it

عَلَى أَنَّ أَهْلَ النَّحْوِ يَذْهَبُ بَعْضُهُمْ

عَلَى أَنَّ أَهْلَ النَّحْوِ يَذْهَبُ بَعْضُهُمْ

إلى أَنَّهُ نَفْسُ الجَزاءِ بلا سَهْوِ

إلى أَنَّهُ نَفْسُ الجَزاءِ بلا سَهْوِ

Yet some of the grammarians hold

Given that the people of grammar some of them go

that it is the conditional response itself, with no oversight.

To that it is the very retribution without lapse

فَقَدْ قالَ أَهْلُ الكُوفَةِ الكُلُّ رُتْبَةُ ال

فَقَدْ قالَ أَهْلُ الكُوفَةِ الكُلُّ رُتْبَةُ ال

حَزاءُ قبيل الشرط في كل ما تروي

حَزاءُ قبيل الشرط في كل ما تروي

For all the people of Kufa have said: 'The position of the

So the people of Kufa, the whole group, the position of

conditional response is just before the condition, in all that you recount.'

Retribution before the condition in all that it nurtures

وقالوا جميعاً والمبرد إنه ال

وقالوا جميعاً والمبرد إنه ال

جزاء مَعَ التَّقْدِيمِ لَيْسَ الذي يَنْوِي

جزاء مَعَ التَّقْدِيمِ لَيْسَ الذي يَنْوِي

And they all, along with al-Mubarrad, said that it is the

And they all said, and Al-Mubarrid, that it is not

conditional response even when preposed, not the one supplied in thought.

Retribution with the advancement, it is not what intends

وخالَفَهُمْ جُمْهُورُ سُكّانِ بَصْرَةٍ

وخالَفَهُمْ جُمْهُورُ سُكّانِ بَصْرَةٍ

فَقالوا دَليلٌ للجَزَا وَهُوَ الْمَطْوِي

فَقالوا دَليلٌ للجَزَا وَهُوَ الْمَطْوِي

But the majority of Basra's inhabitants disagreed with them,

And the majority of residents of Basra opposed them

saying: 'It indicates the conditional response, which is folded away.'

So they said an indication of retribution and it is the folded

ولا شَكَّ أَنَّ الأَصْلَ يَأْبَى مَقالَهُمْ

ولا شَكَّ أَنَّ الأَصْلَ يَأْبَى مَقالَهُمْ

ومَنْ خالَفَ التَّأصيلَ عَنْ راجِحٍ يَهْوِي

ومَنْ خالَفَ التَّأصيلَ عَنْ راجِحٍ يَهْوِي

And there is no doubt that the basic principle rejects their claim;

And there is no doubt that the origin refuses their saying

whoever contradicts foundational principles falls away from a sounder view.

And whoever opposed tracing from a preponderant plunges

وما قَالَ مَنْ قَالَ الجَزاءُ مُقَدَّرٌ

وما قَالَ مَنْ قَالَ الجَزاءُ مُقَدَّرٌ

بِضَعْفِ مَقالٍ للمُخالِفِ في الْمَنْوِي

بِضَعْفِ مَقالٍ للمُخالِفِ في الْمَنْوِي

And those who say, 'The conditional response is implicit,' do not

And whoever said the retribution is interpreted

claim weakness in their opponent's account of what is intended.

With the weakness of saying to the opponent in the intended

وقَدْ قالَ سَعْدُ الدِّينِ في الضَّعْفِ إنَّهُ

وقَدْ قالَ سَعْدُ الدِّينِ في الضَّعْفِ إنَّهُ

بِمَنْعٍ لَهُ قالَ الجَماهيرُ في النَّحْوِ

بِمَنْعٍ لَهُ قالَ الجَماهيرُ في النَّحْوِ

And Saʿd al-Din has said, concerning the weakness, that

And Saad Al-Deen said in the weakness that it

the majority in grammar have declared it inadmissible.

Is by preventing it, the masses said in grammar

وما مَنَعُوا الْمَسْؤُولَ عَنْهُ وإنَّما

وما مَنَعُوا الْمَسْؤُولَ عَنْهُ وإنَّما

تَفاوَتَ في التَّقْدِيرِ قَوْلُهُمُ الْمَرْوِي

تَفاوَتَ في التَّقْدِيرِ قَوْلُهُمُ الْمَرْوِي

But they did not disallow the matter asked about; rather,

And they did not prevent the questioned about it, but

their reported views differed in supplying implicit words.

There was a difference in interpretation, their speech nurtures

وَدُمْ في نَعيمٍ ما بَقيتَ وسُؤْدُدٍ

وَدُمْ في نَعيمٍ ما بَقيتَ وسُؤْدُدٍ

تُرَوِّحُ أَرْواحُ العُلومِ بما تَحْوي

تُرَوِّحُ أَرْواحُ العُلومِ بما تَحْوي

And remain in bliss and eminence as long as you live,

And stay in bliss as long as you remain and consolation

as the spirits of the sciences bring refreshment through what you hold.

The spirits of sciences nurture what you contain

وحَرْفُ الرَّوِي ما ذَلَّ يَوْماً لِرائِضٍ

وحَرْفُ الرَّوِي ما ذَلَّ يَوْماً لِرائِضٍ

ولَكِنَّهُ يَطْوِي إذا طالَ أَوْ يُقْوِي

ولَكِنَّهُ يَطْوِي إذا طالَ أَوْ يُقْوِي

And the rhyme-letter has never once yielded to a tamer,

And the letter of the composer never weakened for a lead

but it folds up when drawn out, or lapses into mismatched rhyme-vowels.

But it folds when prolonged or strengthens