اللَفظ إِن أريدَ مِنهُ الظاهِرُ
حَقيقة مجازُه مغاير
If I want the apparent meaning from a word
Its metaphorical meaning is different
لا بُدّ مِن عَلاقةٍ تَكون
بَينَهما تقرب أَو تَبين
There must be a relationship that is
Between them, bringing together or separating
مثالُه مقال بعض العُربان
صارَ الثَريدُ في رُؤوس العيدان
For example, some Bedouins said
The grains are in the heads of the stalks
أَرادَ بِالثَريدِ حَبَّ السُنبُلَه
سَماه بِالشَيءِ الَّذي يَؤولُ لَه
He meant by "grains" kernels of wheat
He named it by that which it leads to
وَفي الأَعمِّ جعلوا مَدارَه
كِنايةً تَمثيلاً اِستعارَه
And in general they made its basis
Metonymy, metaphor, personification
كِناية أَن تثبت المَعنى لَما
يَكونُ عَن وجوهِهِ قَد لزما
Metonymy is to affirm a meaning for what
Is necessarily related to it
كَقولهم يتعبُ هنداً رِدفُها
كَمثل ما يريح دَعداً عِطفُهما
As they say, "India tires its litter-bearer"
Similar to, "What comforts the forearms comforts the burdens they carry"
وَذا رَمادُ قَدره جَليلُ
وَذا نجادُ سيفِهِ طَويل
"That one has abundant ashes in his cooking-pot"
"And that one, his sword is long"
دَلا عَلى الجودِ وَطولِ القامه
كِلاهُما لذا وَذا علامه
Indicating generosity and tall stature
Both are signs of this and that
وَرُبما يُنسَبُ ما يرادُ
لشاملٍ لِمَن لَهُ المراد
And sometimes what is intended
Is attributed to an inclusive term
نَحوَ رقاشُ الحُسن في بُردَيها
وَحَبَّذا التُفاحُ في خَدّيها
Such as, "Daintiness of beauty is in her cloak"
And, "How splendid are the apples in her cheeks"
وَالنَحوُ وَاللُغى لسيبويه
في قُبةٍ مَضروبةٍ عَلَيه
And grammar and lexicography are for Sibawayh
In a dome erected over him
تَمثيله كَنحو إِنّ بشرا
مُقَدِّمٌ رجلاً مُؤخر أُخرى
His metaphor is like, "Indeed, Bashar
Puts ahead one man, and delays another"
إِذا يَكونُ فعلُه تردُّدا
في فعلهِ أَو تَركه ما قَد بَدا
When his action is hesitation
In doing it or leaving it as it appears
وَنَحو لَم يَبرح أَبو المَناقِب
يفتل في ذروته والغارب
And like, "Abu al-Manaqib did not budge
Storming its peak while the sun set"
إِذا غَدا مُستسهلاً ما استصعبا
كَيما يَنال مِنه ما قَد طَلَبا
When what was formidable becomes easy
So that he gets from it what he sought
وَجَعلك اسم مُشبِه عباره
عَن مشبه ذَلِكَ الاستعاره
And makes you an object of comparison expression
About the metaphor, that comparison
بِشَرط فقدانِ أَداةٍ للشَّبه
وَجَعلك الشَيء لشيء لَيسَ لَه
On condition that the tool of similarity is lost
And makes the thing for a thing not for it
نَحو محت خُطا الدُجى كَف الصَباح
وَقَد جَرى ريق النَدى عَلى الأَقاح
Like, "The darkness erased the lines of dawn by the palm of morning"
And "The saliva of dew flowed on the stubbles"
