ما جاء في تفضيل أبي تمّام

The Superiority of Abū Tammām

٢٩29

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وهو حبيب بن أوس الطائيّ صليبة ومولده بقرية يقال لها جاسِم سيمرّ ذكرها في أخباره إن شاء الله.

In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate

His name was Ḥabīb ibn Aws of Ṭayy and he was of pure Arabian descent. He was born in a village called Jāsim, which will be mentioned in the accounts below,⁵⁸ God willing.

٣٠30

حدّثني محمّد بن يزيد بن عبد الأكبر النحويّ قال

قدم عُمارة بن عَقيل بغداد فاجتمع الناس إليه وكتبوا شعره وسمعوا منه وعرضوا عليه الأشعار فقال له بعضهم هاهنا شاعر يزعم قوم أنّه أشعر الناس طرًّا ويزعم غيرهم ضدّ ذلك فقال أنشدوني له فأنشدوه [الطويل]

غَدَتْ تَسْتَجِيرُ ٱلدَّمْعَ خَوْفَ نَوَى غَدِ	وَعَادَ قَتَادًا عِنْدَهَا كُلُّ مَرْقَدِ
وَأَنْقَذَهَا مِنْ غَمْرَةِ ٱلْمَوْتِ أَنَّهُ	صُدُودُ فِرَاقٍ لَا صُدُودُ تَعَمُّدِ
فَأَجْرَى لَهَا ٱلْإشْفَاقُ دَمْعًا مُوَرَّدًا	مِنَ ٱلدَّمِ يَجْرِي فَوْقَ خَدٍّ مُوَرَّدِ
هِيَ ٱلْبَدْرُ يُغْنِيهَا تَوَدُّدُ وَجْهِهَا	إِلَى كُلِّ مَنْ لَاقَتْ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَوَدَّدِ

ثمّ قطع المنشد فقال عُمارَة زدنا من هذا فوصل وقال

وَلٰكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَحْوِ وَفْرًا مُجَمَّعًا	فَفُزْتُ بِهِ إِلَّا بِشَمْلٍ مُبَدَّدِ
وَلَمْ تُعْطِنِي ٱلْأَيَّامُ نَوْمًا مُسَكَّنًا	أَلَذُّ بِهِ إِلَّا بِنَوْمٍ مُشَرَّدِ

فقال عمارة لله درّه لقد تقدّم صاحبكم في هذا المعنى جميع من سبقه على كثرة القول فيه حتّى لحبّب الاغتراب هيه. فأنشده

وَطُولُ مُقَامِ ٱلمَرْءِ فِي ٱلْحَيِّ مُخْلِقٌ	لِدِيبَاجَتَيْهِ فَٱغْتَرِبْ تَتَجَدَّدِ
فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ ٱلشَّمْسَ زِيدَتْ مَحَبَّةً	إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ إِذْ لَيْسَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَرْمَدِ

فقال عُمارة كمل والله إن كان الشعر بجودة اللفظ وحسن المعاني واطّراد المراد واستواء الكلام فصاحبكم هذا أشعر الناس وإن كان بغيره فلا أدري.

I cite Muḥammad ibn Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Akbar al-Mubarrad the Grammarian as follows:

The poet ʿUmārah ibn ʿAqīl came to Baghdad, and people flocked to him. They recorded his poetry, studied it with him, and showed him their own poetry for comment. One day, someone said, “There is a poet who some claim is the very best, while others claim the opposite.” ʿUmārah said, “Recite some of his verse to me.” So they recited the following:

She took protection in tears from her anguish at tomorrow’s separation.

Every bed turned into thorns for her.

What saved her from the throes of death

was that my turning away was reluctant, and not by choice.

Compassion made tears of blood

run down rosy cheeks.

She is a full moon, her dear face is enough for everyone she meets,

so she need not endear herself . . .

Then the reciter stopped, and ʿUmārah said, “Let’s have more!” So he continued:

But I possess no amassed wealth

to call my own, just a few scattered things

Nor did the days grant me restful slumber

to enjoy, only slumber chased. . .

“Excellent!” said ʿUmārah, “Your poet has outdone all previous poets who used this motif, though much has been composed with it, to the point of making exile appealing. Go on!” The reciter continued:

If a man lingers too long at home, it shows

on his face—so travel and refresh it!

People like the sun more, I know,

for not shining upon them perpetually.⁵⁹

ʿUmārah said, “By God, he’s perfect! If good wording, beautiful motifs, sustained intent, and balanced speech constitute true poetry, then this poet of yours is the very best. And if poetry is something else, well then I just don’t know!”

٣١31

حدّثني محمّد بن موسى قال

سمعت عليّ بن الجَهْم ذكر دعبلًا فكفّره ولعنه وطعن على أشياء من شعره وقال كان يكذب على أبي تمّام ويضع عليه الأخبار ووالله ما كان إليه ولا مقاربًا له وأخذ في وصف أبي تمّام فقال له رجل والله لو كان أبو تمّام أخاك ما زاد على مدحك له فقال إلّا يكن أخًا بالنسب فإنّه أخ بالأدب والدين والمودّة أما سمعت ما خاطبني به [الكامل]

إِنْ يُكْدِ مُطَّرَفُ ٱلْإِخَاءِ فَإِنَّنَا	نَغْدُو وَنَسْرِي فِي إِخَاءٍ تَالِدِ
أَوْ يَخْتَلِفْ مَاءُ ٱلْوِصَالِ فَمَاؤُنَا	عَذْبٌ تَحَدَّرَ مِنْ غَمَامٍ وَاحِدِ
أَوْ يَفْتَرِقْ نَسَبٌ يُؤَلِّفْ بَيْنَنَا	أَدَبٌ أَقَمْنَاهُ مَقَامَ ٱلْوَالِدِ

I cite Muḥammad ibn Mūsā l-Barbarī, who said:

I heard ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm talk about Diʿbil and call him ungrateful, curse him, and malign features of his poetry. Muḥammad added: ʿAlī used to lie about Abū Tammām and invent stories about him, even though, by God, he meant nothing to Abū Tammām and did not have any ties to him. ʿAlī began to describe Abū Tammām, and someone said, “By God, if Abū Tammām were your brother you could not praise him better.” “Even though he is not my real brother,” ʿAlī said, “he is my brother in refinement, faith, and affection. Didn’t you hear him address me as follows:

If a brother, recently met, skimps on affection,

ours is an ancient brotherhood we share, night and day

Or if the water of companionship alters,

ours, sweet, drips from a single cloud⁶⁰

Or if a family bond is broken,

refinement is like a father to us.”⁶¹

٣٢32

سمعت أبا إسحاق الحَرّيّ رحمه الله يذكر عليّ بن الجهم وخبرًا له مع أبي تمّام أظنّه هذا أو ما^١ يصحّحه ولست أحفظه جيّدًا ولم أجده لأنّي كتبته فيما أظنّ في كتب الحديث. وسمعته يقول كان عليّ بن الجهم من كملة الرجال. وكان يقال علمه بالشعر أكثر من شعره.

فانظر إلى تفضيل هذا الرجل لأبي تمّام مع تقدّمه في الشعر والعلم به وتفضيل عمارة بن عقيل له والعلماء يقولون جاء عمارة بن عقيل على ساقة الشعراء.

١ ا: وما.

I once heard Abū Isḥāq al-Ḥarrī (God show him mercy) talk about ʿAlī and relate an account about him and Abū Tammām—which I believe to be this one, or another along the same lines, though I do not remember it very well, nor can I find it; I think I wrote it down in one of my hadith books. I heard Abū Isḥāq say, “ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm is one of the most accomplished men. It is said, ‘His knowledge of poetry is even superior to his poetry.’”

Consider then his high regard for Abū Tammām, given ʿAlī’s preeminence in poetry and knowledge of it; and consider ʿUmārah ibn ʿAqīl’s high regard for Abū Tammām, when scholars say, “ʿUmārah formed the last of the rearguard of poets.”

٣٣33

ويصحّح علم عليّ بالشعر ما جاء به عبد الله بن الحسين قال لي البحتريّ

دعاني عليّ بن الجهم فمضيت إليه فأفضنا في أشعار المحدثين إلى أن ذكرنا أَشجعَ السُّلَميّ فقال لي إنّه يخلي وأعادها مرّات ولم أفهمها وأنفت أن أسأله عن معناها فلمّا انصرفت فكّرت في الكلمة ونظرت في شعر أشجع السلميّ فإذا هو ربّما مرّت له الأبيات مغسولةً ليس فيها بيت رائع فإذا هو يريد هذا بعينه أنّه يعمل الأبيات فلا يصيب فيها ببيت نادر كما أنّ الرامي إذا رمى برشْقه فلم يصب فيه بشيء قيل أخلى. قال وكان عليّ بن الجهم عالمًا بالشعر.

ʿAlī’s knowledge of poetry is further confirmed by what ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Saʿd said. ʿAbd Allāh said that al-Buḥturī told him:

ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm sent me an invitation to his home, which I accepted. We talked at length about the poetry of the Moderns. When Ashjaʿ al-Sulamī came up, ʿAlī said, “He misses.” He repeated this several times. I didn’t understand the phrase, but I shied from asking what he meant. When I left, I thought about the phrase. I looked into the poetry of Ashjaʿ al-Sulamī, and saw that his verse was largely bland and devoid of even one outstanding verse. This is exactly what ʿAlī meant, that Ashjaʿ came up with verses without hitting a superb one, the same way one says “He misses” about an archer who shoots without hitting anything. Al-Buhturī added: ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm was a connoisseur of poetry.

١،٣٤34.1

حدّثني أبو بكر هارون بن عبد الله المهلّبيّ قال

كنّا في حلقة دعبل فجرى ذكر أبي تمّام فقال دعبل كان يتتبّع معانيّ فيأخذها فقال له رجل في مجلسه ما من ذاك أعزّك الله؟ قال قلت [الطويل]

إِنَّ ٱمْرَأً أَسْدَى إِلَيَّ بِشَافِعٍ	إِلَيْهِ وَيَرْجُو ٱلشُّكْرَ مِنِّي لَأَحْمَقُ
شَفِيعَكَ فَٱشْكُرْ فِي ٱلْحَوَائِجِ إِنَّهُ	يَصُونُكَ عَنْ مَكْرُوهِهَا وَهْوَ يُخْلِقُ

فقال له الرجل فكيف قال أبو تمّام؟ قال قال [الكامل]

فَلَقِيتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ حُلْوَ عَطَائِهِ	وَلَقِيتَ١ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مُرَّ سُؤَالِهِ
وَإذَا ٱمْرُؤٌ أَسْدَى إِلَيَّ صَنِيعَةً	مِنْ جَاهِهِ فَكَأَنَّهَا مِنْ مَالِهِ

فقال الرجل أحسن والله فقال كذبت قبّحك الله فقال والله لئن كان أخذ هذا المعنى وتبعته فما أحسنت وإن كان أخذه منك لقد أجاده فصار أولى به منك فغضب دعبل وقام.

١ ا: فلقيتُ.

I cite Abū Bakr Hārūn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muhallabī, who said:

We were at one of Diʿbil’s gatherings when the subject of Abū Tammām came up. Diʿbil said, “He used to seek out my motifs and lift them.” Someone at the gathering asked, “Which one, for example—God support you?” Diʿbil replied, “Mine is

A man who grants me a favor through an intermediary

and hopes for gratitude from me is foolish.

Give thanks to one who intercedes for you in time of need!

He shields you from adversity by giving of himself.”⁶²

The man then asked him, “And what did Abū Tammām compose?” Diʿbil replied, “He said:

I found sweet gifts in your presence,

while in my presence you found a bitter request.

When a man makes me a gift of his dignity

it is as if he is giving me all his wealth.”⁶³

The man said, “Abū Tammām excelled.”

“You lie—God disfigure you!” replied Diʿbil.

And the man said, “By God, had Abū Tammām used this motif first and you followed him, you would not have excelled. If he has borrowed it from you he has done well and deserves it more than you.”

Diʿbil got angry and upped and left.

٢،٣٤34.2

قال أبو بكر وشعرُ أبي تمّام أجود فهو مبتدئًا ومتّبعًا أحقّ بالمعنى ولدعبل خبر في شعره هذا مشهور أذكره بسبب ما قبله. حدّثني محمّد بن داود قال حدّثني يعقوب بن إسحاق الكِنديّ قال

كانت على القاسم بن محمّد الكِنديّ وظيفة لدعبل في كلّ سنة فأبطأت عليه فكلّمني فأذكرته بها فما برح حتّى أخذها فقال دعبل إِنَّ ٱمْرَأً أَسْدَى إِلَيَّ بِشَافِعٍ وذكر البيتين.

وقد تبع البحتريّ أبا تمّام فقال في هذا المعنى [الطويل]

وَعَطَاءُ غَيْرِكَ إِنْ بَذَلْ‍

‍تَ عِنَايَةً فِيهِ عَطَاؤُكْ

Al-Ṣūlī: The verses of Abū Tammām are better, so he is more entitled to the motif, whether he was the first to devise it or copied it. There is a famous account about Diʿbil and these very verses, which I will mention because of the preceding account. I cite Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd ibn al-Jarrāḥ, who cites Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq al-Kindī, who said:

Al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad al-Kindī used to pay Diʿbil a yearly stipend, but was late with it one time, so Diʿbil spoke to me about it. I reminded al-Qāsim. Diʿbil received it soon thereafter and said, “When a man gives me his dignity as a gift.” Muḥammad then quoted the couplet.

Al-Buḥturī followed Abū Tammām, and used the same motif:

The gifts from another are gifts from you,

if you make an effort for them.⁶⁴

٣٥35

حدّثني أبو جعفر المهلّبيّ قال حدّثني ابن مِهْرَوَيْه قال حدثّني عبد الله بن محمّد بن جرير قال

سمعت محمّد بن حازم الباهليّ الشاعر يصف أبا تمّام ويقدّمه في الشعر والعلم والفصاحة ويقول ما سمعت لمتقدّم ولا محدث بمثل ابتدائه في مرثيته

أَصَمَّ بِكَ ٱلنَّاعِي وَإِنْ كَانَ أَسْمَعَا

ولا مثل قوله في الغزل [الكامل]

مَا إِنْ رَأَى ٱلْأَقْوَامُ شَمْسًا قَبْلَهَا	أَفَلَتْ فَلَمْ تُعْقِبْهُمُ بِظَلَامِ
لَوْ يَقْدِرُونَ مَشَوْا عَلَى وَجَنَاتِهِمْ	وَعُيُونِهِمْ فَضْلًا عَنِ ٱلْأَقْدَامِ

I cite Abū Jaʿfar al-Muhallabī, who cites Ibn Mihrawayh, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī as follows:

I heard the poet Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥāzim al-Bāhilī describe Abū Tammām as first in poetry, knowledge, and eloquence, and say, “I have heard no opening to a lament by either an ancient or a modern poet like this one by him:

The herald of death deafens you as he forces you to hear.⁶⁵

“or any love poetry⁶⁶ like these lines:

Before her, people had never seen a sun set

that did not leave them in darkness . . .

If they could, they would crawl to her, face to the ground,

rather than walk on their feet.”⁶⁷

١،٣٦36.1

حدّثني سَوّار بن أبي شُراعَة قال حدّثني البحتريّ قال

كان أوّل أمري في الشعر ونباهتي فيه أنّي صرت إلى أبي تمّام وهو بحِمْص فعرضت عليه شعري وكان يجلس فلا يبقى شاعر إلّا قصده وعرض عليه شعره فلمّا سمع شعري أقبل عليّ وترك سائر الناس فلمّا تفرّقوا قال أنت أشعر من أنشدني فكيف حالك؟ فشكوت خلّةً فكتب لي إلى أهل معرّة النعمان وشهد لي بالحذق وقال امتدحْهم فصرت إليهم فأكرموني بكتابه ووظّفوا لي أربعة آلاف درهم فكانت أوّل ما أصبته.

I cite Sawwār ibn Abī Shurāʿah, who cites al-Buḥturī as follows:

My career and my fame as a poet started when I sought out Abū Tammām in Homs and I showed him my verse. He held regular gatherings, and every poet sought him out and showed him his poetry for comment. When he heard my poetry, he left the others and approached me. When everyone dispersed, he said, “Out of all those who have recited to me, you are the best. How are you faring?” I complained of my penury. So he wrote a letter on my behalf to the people of Maʿarrat al-Nuʿmān, attesting to my skill and said, “Go eulogize them.” When I got there, they treated me with respect because of his letter and allotted me a stipend of four thousand dirhams. This was the first money I ever earned.

٢،٣٦36.2

حدّثني أبوعبد الله العبّاس بن عبد الرحيم الأَلوسيّ قال حدّثني جماعة من أهل مَعَرّة النعمان قال^١

ورد علينا كتاب أبي تمّام للبحتريّ يصل كتابي على يدي الوليد بن عُبادة وهو على بذاذته شاعر فأكرموه.

١ كذا في ا.

I cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Alūsī, who cites a group of people from Maʿarrat al-Nuʿmān as follows:

We received Abū Tammām’s letter regarding al-Buḥturī. It went, “My letter reaches you through al-Walīd ibn ʿUbādah.⁶⁸ Despite his threadbare clothes, he is a true poet. Treat him with respect.”

٣٧37

وسمعت أبا محمّد عبد الله بن الحسين بن سعد يقول للبحتريّ وقد اجتمعا في داره بالخُلْدِ وعنده محمّد بن يزيد النحويّ وذكروا معنى تعاوره البحتريّ وأبو تمّام أنت في هذا أشعر من أبي تمّام فقال كلّا والله ذاك الرئيس الأستاذ والله ما أكلت الخبز إلّا به.

فقال له محمّد بن يزيد يا أبا الحسن تأبى إلّا شرفًا من جميع جوانبك.

I heard Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Saʿd speak to al-Buḥturī when they met in his mansion in the Khuld quarter, with al-Mubarrad the Grammarian in attendance. They mentioned a motif both al-Buḥturī and Abū Tammām had used in their poetry, and Abū Muḥammad said, “Your version is better than Abū Tammām’s.”

“Absolutely not, by God!” al-Buḥturī protested, “He is the leader and master. He is the sole reason I can earn my daily bread.”

“Abū l-Ḥasan,” al-Mubarrad chimed in, “you show everyone respect.”

٣٨38

حدّثني أبو عبد الله الحسين بن عليّ قال

قلت للبحتريّ أيّما أشعر أنت أو أبو تمّام؟ فقال جيّده خير من جيّدي ورديئي خير من رديئه.

قال أبو بكر وقد صدق البحتريّ في هذا. جيّد أبي تمّام لا يتعلّق به أحد في زمانه وربّما اختلّ لفظه قليلًا لا معناه والبحتريّ لا يختلّ.

I cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, who said:

I asked al-Buḥturī, “Who is the better poet, you or Abū Tammām?”

“His good poetry is better than my good poetry,” al-Buḥturī answered, “but my bad poetry is better than his bad poetry.”

Al-Ṣūlī: In this al-Buḥturī is absolutely correct, nobody came close to the poetry of Abū Tammām in his time, but here and there his formulation—though not his content—was less than perfect. With al-Buḥturī, however, this never occurred.

٣٩39

حدّثني أبو الحسن الكاتب قال

كان إبراهيم بن الفرج البَنْدَنِيجيّ الشاعر يجيئنا كثيرًا وكان أعلم الناس بالشعر ويجيئنا البحتريّ وعليّ بن العبّاس الروميّ وكانوا إذا ذكروا أبا تمّام عظّموه ورفعوا مقداره في الشعر حتّى يقدّموه على أكثر الشعراء وكلّ يُقرّ بأستاذيّته وأنّه منه تعلّم.

وقال هؤلاء أعلم أهل زمانهم بالشعر وأشعر من بقي.

I cite Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kātib as follows:

The poet Ibrāhīm ibn al-Faraj al-Bandanījī was a great expert in poetry and used to visit us often, as did al-Buḥturī and ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Rūmī. At the mention of Abū Tammām, they would extol him and rate him highly as a poet, placing him ahead of most other poets. Everyone acknowledged Abū Tammām’s leadership and agreed that they had all learned from him.

Abū l-Ḥasan commented: These were the greatest poetry experts of their day and the best poets.

١،٤٠40.1

حدّثني أبو الحسن عليّ بن محمّد الأنباريّ قال سمعت البحتريّ يقول

أنشدني أبو تمّام لنفسه [البسيط]

وَسَابِحٍ هَطِلِ ٱلتَّعْدَاءِ هَتَّانِ	عَلَى ٱلْجِرَاءِ أَمِينٍ غَيْرِ خَوَّانِ
أَظْمَى ٱلْفُصُوصِ وَلَمْ تَظْمَأْ قَوَائِمُهُ	فَخَلِّ عَيْنَيْكَ فِي ظَمْآنَ رَيَّانِ
فَلَوْ تَرَاهُ مُشِيحًا وَٱلْحَصَى زِيَمٌ	بَيْنَ ٱلسَّنَابِكِ مِنْ مَثْنًى وَوُحْدَانِ
أَيْقَنْتَ إِنْ لَمْ تَثَبَّتْ أَنَّ حَافِرَهُ	مِنْ صَخْرِ تَدْمُرَ أَوْ مِنْ وَجْهِ عُثْمَانِ

ثمّ قال لي ما هذا من الشعر؟

قلت لا أدري

قال هذا المستطرد أو قال الاستطراد.

قلت وما معنى ذلك؟

قال يُري أنّه يريد وصف الفرس وهو يريد هجاء عثمان.

I cite Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Anbārī, who heard al-Buḥturī say:

Abū Tammām recited to me his verses:

A galloping horse, smooth and flowing in his run,

trusted, not letting you down in the race,

His joints throbbing, his legs unweary;⁶⁹

let your eyes roam over one both thirsty and saturated.⁷⁰

If you were to see him advance and

place his hoofs carefully between heaps of stones, one by one, or in pairs,

You would be sure—if you didn’t look too close—

that his hoof was made of Palmyra rock or ʿUthmān’s face.⁷¹

Then he asked me, “Do you know what sort of poetry this is?”

“I don’t,” I replied.

“This is digressing” (or he said, “digression”).

“What does that mean?”

“On the face of it the poet is describing a horse, but what he really intends is to lampoon ʿUthmān.”

٢،٤٠40.2

فاحتذى هذا البحتريّ فقال في قصيدته التي مدح فيها محمّد بن عليّ القُمِّيّ ويصف الفرس أوّلها [الكامل]

أَهْلًا بِذٰلِكُمُ ٱلْخَيَالِ ٱلْمُقْبِلِ

فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِي نَهْوَاهُ أَوْ لَمْ يَفْعَلِ

ثمّ وصف الفرس فقال

وَأَغَرَّ فِي ٱلزَّمَنِ ٱلْبَهِيمِ مُحَجَّلٍ	قَدْ رُحْتُ مِنْهُ عَلَى أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلِ
كٱلْهَيْكَلِ ٱلْمَبْنِيِّ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ	فِي ٱلْحُسْنِ جَاءَ كَصُورَةٍ فِي هَيْكَلِ
يَهْوِي كَمَا تَهْوِي ٱلْعُقَابُ إِذَا رَأَتْ	صَيْدًا وَيَنْتَصِبُ ٱنْتِصَابَ ٱلْأَجْدَلِ
مُتَوَجِّسٌ بِرَقِيقَتَيْنِ كَأَنَّمَا	يُرَيَانِ مِنْ وَرَقٍ عَلَيْهِ مُوَصَّلِ
وَكَأَنَّمَا نَفَضَتْ عَلَيْهِ صِبْغَهَا	صَهْبَاءُ لِلْبَرَدَانِ أَوْ قُطْرَبُّلِ١
مَلَكَ ٱلْعُيُونَ فَإِنْ بَدَا أَعْطَيْنَهُ	نَظَرَ ٱلْمُحِبِّ إِلَى ٱلْحَبِيبِ ٱلْمُقْبِلِ
مَا إِنْ يَعَافُ قَذًى وَلَوْ أَوْرَدْتَهُ	يَوْمًا خَلَائِقَ حَمْدَوَيْهِ ٱلْأَحْوَلِ

١ ا: قُطرُبُلّ.

Al-Buḥturī imitated this in his description of a horse in his praise poem for Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Qummī. It begins:

Welcome, approaching apparition,

whether you do our bidding or not.

Then he describes the horse:

Because of a noble, splendid man

I was mounted upon a horse with noble blaze and bright white legs⁷²

A temple well built, though in beauty

like an effigy within the temple. . .

He hurls himself forward, like an eagle when it spots its prey,

holds his head high like a falcon on the fist

Listening for a faint sound with fine ears

like paper-thin sheets attached to him. . .

As if the red wine of Baradān or Quṭrabull⁷³

has spread its color over him. . .

He commands all eyes; when he appears they look at him

like a lover at an approaching sweetheart . . .

With eyes untroubled by dust motes,

even if one day you gave him the squinty eyes of Ḥamdawayh.⁷⁴

٣،٤٠40.3

وكان هذا عدوًّا للذي مدحه. فحدّثني عبد الله بن الحسين وقد اجتمعنا بقِرْقِيسياءَ قال

قلت للبحتريّ إنّك احتذيت في شعرك يعني الذي ذكرناه أبا تمّام وعملت كما عمل من المعنى وقد عاب هذا عليك قوم.

فقال لي أيعاب عليّ أن أتبع أبا تمّام وما عملت بيتًا قطّ حتّى أُخطِر شعره ببالي؟ ولكنّني أُسقِط بيت الهجاء من شعري.

قال فكان بعد ذلك لا ينشده وهو ثابت في أكثر النسخ.

This Ḥamdawayh was an enemy of the person al-Buḥturī was praising. ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn related the following to me when we met in Qirqīsiyāʾ:

I said to al-Buḥturī, “In your poem (the one from which we just cited) you imitated Abū Tammām and produced a motif like his. Some people have faulted you for this.”

“Am I to be faulted for following Abū Tammām?” al-Buḥturī asked me. “I have not uttered a single verse without having his poetry in mind. But I will go ahead and drop the lampoon from my poem.”

He did not recite it thereafter, though it remains in most copies of his poetry.

١،٤١41.1

حدّثني محمّد بن سعيد أبو بكر الأصمّ قال حدّثني أحمد بن أبي فَنَن قال

حضرت أبا تمّام وقد وُصل بمائتي دينار فدفع إلى رجل عنده منها مائة وقال خذها. ثمّ قيل لي إنّه صديق له واستبنت منه خلّة فعذلته على إعطائه ما أُعطي وقلت لو كان شقيقك ما عذرتك مع اضطراب حالك فقال [البسيط]

ذُو ٱلْوُدِّ مِنِّي وَذُو ٱلْقُرْبَى بِمَنْزِلَةٍ	وَإِخْوَتِي أُسْوَةٌ عِنْدِي وَإِخْوَانِي
عِصَابَةٌ جَاوَرَتْ آدَابُهُمْ أَدَبِي	فَهُمْ وَإِنْ فُرِّقُوا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ جِيرَانِي
أَرْوَاحُنَا فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ وَغَدَتْ	أَجْسَامُنَا لِشَآمٍ أَوْ خُرَاسَانِ

قال ابن أبي فَنَن وكان أبو تمّام أحضر الناس خاطرًا.

I cite Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd Abū Bakr al-Aṣamm, who cites Aḥmad ibn Abī Fanan, who said:

I visited Abū Tammām, who had just received two hundred dinars and given one hundred away to a man who was with him, saying, “Take it.” Later I was told that he was a friend of his, but I knew Abū Tammām was hard up and reprimanded him for giving away what he had been given: “Even if he had been your brother, I would not excuse you, in view of how dire your circumstances are.” Abū Tammām responded in verse:

Friend and relative are equally dear to me;

brothers and brethren are one ideal to me.

A group whose refinement is a close neighbor of mine,

though they be spread out across the earth, they remain my neighbors.

Our spirits inhabit one place,

though our bodies may travel to Syria or Khurasan.⁷⁵

Aḥmad ibn Abī Fanan commented: Abū Tammām had the quickest wit of all.

٢،٤١41.2

وقد أجاد هذا المعنى إبراهيم بن العبّاس الصوليّ فقال [الوافر]

أَمِيلُ مَعَ ٱلذِّمَامِ عَلَى ابْنِ عَمِّي	وَأَقْضِي لِلصَّدِيقِ عَلَى ٱلشَّقِيقِ
أُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ مَعْرُوفِي وَمَنِّي	وَأَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مَالِي وَٱلْحُقُوقِ
وَإِمَّا تَلْقَنِي حُرًّا مُطَاعًا	فَإِنَّكَ وَاجِدِي عَبْدَ ٱلصَّدِيقِ

Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ṣūlī excelled with this motif when he said the following:

I side with friendship’s ties against my cousin

and judge in favor of my friend against my brother.

I make a distinction between giving and mentioning my gifts

and use my wealth to meet my obligations.

If you don’t find me a free man to be obeyed,

you find me the servant of a friend.

١،٤٢42.1

حدّثني أبو الحسن الأنصاريّ قال حدّثني ابن الأعرابيّ المنجّم قال

كان أبو تمّام إذا كلّمه إنسان أجابه قبل انقضاء كلامه كأنّه كان علم ما يقول فأعدّ جوابه فقال له رجل يا أبا تمّام لم لا تقول من الشعر ما يُعرف؟ قال وأنت لم لا تعرف من الشعر ما يقال؟ فأفحمه.

I cite Abū l-Ḥasan al-Anṣārī, who cites Ibn al-Aʿrābī the Astrologer as follows:

When spoken to, Abū Tammām used to reply before the speaker had finished his words, as if he knew what the other person was going to say and had readied his response. Someone said to him once, “Abū Tammām, why don’t you compose poetry that can be understood?”

“And you,” Abū Tammām retorted, “why can’t you understand the poetry that is composed?” reducing him to silence.

٢،٤٢42.2

وحدّثني أبو الحسين الجُرجانيّ قال

الذي قال له هذا أبو سعيد الضرير بخراسان وكان هذا من علماء الناس وكان متّصلًا بالطاهريّة.

I cite Abū l-Ḥusayn al-Jurjānī as follows:

It was Abū Saʿīd the Blind who made this comment, in Khurasan. He was a scholar and connected to the Ṭāhirids.

١،٤٣43.1

ولا أعرف أحدًا بعد أبي تمّام أشعر من البحتريّ ولا أغضّ كلامًا ولا أحسن ديباجةً ولا أتمّ طبعًا وهو مستوي الشعر حلو الألفاظ مقبول الكلام يقع على تقديمه الإجماع وهو مع ذلك يلوذ بأبي تمّام في معانيه. فأيّ دليل على فضل أبي تمّام ورياسته يكون أقوى من هذا؟

قال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

يَسْتَنْزِلُ ٱلْأَمَلَ ٱلْبَعِيدَ بِبِشْرِهِ	بُشْرَى ٱلْمُخيِلَةِ بِٱلرَّبِيعِ ٱلْمُغْدِقِ
وَكَذَا ٱلسَّحَائِبُ قَلَّمَا تَدْعُو إِلَى	مَعْرُوفِهَا ٱلرُّوَّادَ مَا لَمْ تَبْرُقِ

فحسَّن هذا المعنى وكمَّله.

After Abū Tammām I know of no poet whose expression was more vigorous, whose embellishment more beautiful, whose talent more innate, or who was more gifted as a poet than al-Buḥturī. His verse is balanced, his wording sweet, his expression apposite. By consensus he is first. Nonetheless he does lean on Abū Tammām for his motifs. What stronger proof can there be for the preeminence and superiority of Abū Tammām?

For instance, Abū Tammām said:

He calls down far-flung hope with his shining face;

the good tidings of a cloud, promising copious spring rains.

Such are clouds. Rarely do they call scouts to their gifts of rain

without flashing lightning.⁷⁶

Abū Tammām embellished and perfected this motif.⁷⁷

٢،٤٣43.2

ثمّ أوضحه في مكان آخر واختصره فقال [الخفيف]

إِنَّمَا ٱلْبِشْرُ رَوْضَةٌ فَإِذَا أَعْـ‍

‍قَبَ بَذْلًا فَرَوْضَةٌ وَغَدِيرُ

Then he rendered it plainer and pithier on another occasion, when he said:

A smiling face is but a garden:

if gifts follow, it becomes a garden with a lake.⁷⁸

٣،٤٣43.3

فما زال البحتريّ يردّد هذا المعنى في شعره ويتّبع أبا تمّام فيه ويقع في أكثره دونه. قال في قصيدة يمدح بها رافعًا [البسيط]

كَانَتْ بَشَاشَتُكَ ٱلْأُولَى ٱلَّتِي ٱبْتَدَأَتْ	بِٱلْبِشْرِ ثُمَّ ٱقْتَبَلْنَا بَعْدَهَا ٱلنِّعَمَا
كَٱلْمُزْنَةِ ٱسْتَوْبَقَتْ أُولَى مَخِيلَتِهَا	ثُمَّ ٱسْتَهَلَّتْ بِغُزْرٍ تَابَعَ ٱلدِّيَمَا

فاحتذى معانيه واقتصّها فجذبته المعاني واضطرّته إلى أن حكى لفظه في هذا فصار يشبه لفظَ أبي تمّام ولفظُ البحتريّ في أكثر هذه أسهل.

Al-Buḥturī often repeated this motif in his poetry, following Abū Tammām, but still coming in second in most cases. In a poem praising Rāfiʿ he said:

Your smiling face announced the good news first,

then we received gifts,

Like a cloud that holds back its water at the first promise

but then, after steady rain, pours down in streams.⁷⁹

He thus followed Abū Tammām’s motifs closely. They attracted him and compelled him to imitate Abū Tammām’s phrasing, and so al-Buḥturī’s formulation ended up being quite similar, though as a rule it is easier.

٤،٤٣43.4

ثمّ ردّد هذا المعنى البحتريّ فقال واستعاره للسيف [الخفيف]

مُشْرِقٌ لِلنَّدَى وَمِنْ حَسَبِ ٱلسَّيْ	فِ لِمُسْتَلِّهِ ضِيَاءُ حَديدِهْ
ضَحَكَاتٌ فِي إثْرِهِنَّ ٱلْعَطَايَا	وبُرُوقُ ٱلسَّحَابِ قَبْلَ رُعُودِهْ

Al-Buḥturī then repeated this motif, but borrowed it to describe a sword:

A bright signal of generosity,

for the sword’s iron must shine for him who draws it;

Laughter with gifts in its wake,

for the lightning of clouds comes before the thunder.⁸⁰

٥،٤٣43.5

ثمّ ردّد المعنى وأسقط البشر منه وصيّر مكانه الرعد فقال في أبي الصقر [الكامل]

يُولِيكَ صَدْرَ ٱلْيَوْمِ قَاصِيَةَ ٱلْغِنَى	بِفَوَائِدٍ قَدْ كُنَّ أَمْسِ مَوَاعِدَا
سَوْمَ ٱلسَّحَائِبِ مَا بَدَأْنَ بَوَارِقًا	فِي عَارِضٍ إلَّا ثَنَيْنَ رَوَاعِدَا

Then al-Buḥturī repeated the motif. He dropped the smiling face and replaced it with thunder in a poem composed for Abū l-Ṣaqr Ismāʿīl ibn Bulbul:

At the start of day he gives you the limit of wealth

with favors that yesterday were but promises,

As morning clouds cross your path, and the thunder

booms as the lightning flashes.⁸¹

٦،٤٣43.6

ثمّ ردّد المعنى الأوّل بحاله فقال في المعتزّ بالله وأحسن [الكامل]

مُتَهَلِّلٌ طَلْقٌ إِذَا وَعَدَ ٱلْغِنَى	بِٱلْبِشْرِ أَتْبَعَ بِشْرَهُ بِٱلنَّائِلِ
كَٱلْمُزْنِ إِنْ سَقَطَتْ لَوَامِعُ بَرْقِهِ	أَجْلَتْ لَنَا عَنْ دِيمَةٍ أَوْ وَابِلِ

He then repeated the former motif as it was and composed a brilliant verse about al-Muʿtazz:

Joyous and laughing, when he promises wealth with a smiling face

his gifts follow,

Like a cloud, when its bolts of lightning flash

they give us a steady rain or a downpour.⁸²

٧،٤٣43.7

وهذا المعنى فإنّما ابتدأه أبو نواس فقال يمدح قومًا من قريش في أرجوزة وصف فيها الحمام [الرجز]

بِشْرُهُمُ قَبْلَ ٱلنَّوَالِ ٱللَّاحِقِ	كَٱلْبَرْقِ يَبْدُو قَبْلَ جُودٍ دَافِقِ
وَٱلْغَيْثُ يَخْفَى وَقْعُهُ للرَّامِقِ	مَا لَمْ تَجِدْهُ بِدَلِيلِ ٱلْبَارِقِ

It was Abū Nuwās who first devised this motif. He composed a rajaz poem in praise of members of the Quraysh, in which he described carrier pigeons as follows:

Their joyfulness precedes the arrival of gifts

Like the appearance of lightning before rain.

Rainfall is hidden to the observer

Without lightning to guide you to it.⁸³

١،٤٤44.1

ومن تبحّر شعر أبي تمّام وجد كلّ محسن بعده لائذًا به كما أنّ كلّ محسن بعد بشّار لائذ ببشّار ومنتسب إليه في أكثر إحسانه قال أبو تمّام [الخفيف]

فَسَوَاءٌ إِجَابَتِي غَيْرَ دَاعٍ

وَدُعَائِي بِٱلْقَاعِ غَيْرَ مُجِيبِ

فقال البحتريّ نسخًا له [الكامل]

وَسَأَلْتَ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ فَكُنْتَ فِي ٱس‍ْ

ـتِخْبَارِهِ كَمُجِيبِ مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُ

Anyone who immerses himself in Abū Tammām’s poetry will find that the poets who excelled after him relied on him, in the same way that every poet who excelled after Bashshār relied on him and traced his achievement back largely to him. Abū Tammām said:

My answer to one who did not call

and my call from the depths to one who does not answer are the same.⁸⁴

Al-Buḥturī copied him:

You asked one who does not answer, so your asking was

like giving an answer to one who did not ask.⁸⁵

٢،٤٤44.2

وقال أبو تمّام [البسيط]

إِذَا ٱلْقَصَائِدُ كَانَتْ مِنْ مَدَائِحِهِمْ

يَوْمًا فَأَنْتَ لَعَمْرِي مِنْ مَدَائِحِهَا

فقال البحتريّ [البسيط]

وَمَنْ يَكُنْ فَاخِرًا بِٱلشِّعْرِ يُذْكَرُ فِي

أَصْنَافِهِ فَبِكَ ٱلْأَشْعَارُ تَفْتَخِرُ

Abū Tammām said:

Odes may, one day, become the praise of people

but you, by my life, are the praise of odes.⁸⁶

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Let others boast about all the kinds of poetry they are mentioned in—

it is you poems boast about.⁸⁷

٣،٤٤44.3

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

وَإِذَا أَرادَ ٱللهُ نَشْرَ فَضِيلَةٍ

طُوِيَتْ أَتَاحَ لَهَا لِسَانَ حَسُودِ

فقال البحتريّ [الطويل]

وَلَنْ تَسْتَبِينَ ٱلدَّهْرَ مَوْضِعَ نِعْمَةٍ

إِذَا أَنْتَ لَمْ تُدْلَلْ عَلَيْهَا بِحَاسِدِ

Abū Tammām said:

When God wants to spread a hidden virtue

he predestines it for the tongue of an envious man.⁸⁸

Then al-Buḥturī said:

You will see where a favor was placed only

when guided to it by an envious man.⁸⁹

٤،٤٤44.4

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

بُخْلٌ تَدِينُ بِحُلْوِهِ وَبِمُرِّهِ

فَكَأنَّهُ جُزْءٌ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْحِيدِ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

وَتَدَيُّنٌ١ بِٱلْبُخْلِ حَتَّى خِلْتُهُ

فَرْضًا يُدَانُ بِهِ ٱلإِلٰهُ وَيُعْبَدُ

١ ا: تدينُ.

Abū Tammām said:

You worship miserliness, bitter or sweet,

as if it were part of God’s oneness.⁹⁰

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Miserliness is worshipped so much that I imagine it

a duty by which God is worshipped and adored.⁹¹

٥،٤٤44.5

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

أَوْ يَخْتَلِفْ مَاءُ ٱلْوِصَالِ فَمَاؤُنَا

عَذْبٌ تَحَدَّرَ مِنْ غَمَامٍ وَاحِدِ

Abū Tammām said:

Or, if the water of companionship changes,

ours drips sweetly from a single cloud.⁹²

٦،٤٤44.6

وإنّما أخذه أبو تمّام من قول الفرزدق [الكامل]

يَا بِشْرُ أَنْتَ فَتَى قُرَيْشٍ كُلِّهَا

رِيشِي وَرِيشُكَ مِنْ جَنَاحٍ وَاحِدِ

However, he took this from the words of al-Farazdaq:

Bishr,⁹³ you are the hero of all Quraysh;

we are both feathers on the same wing.

٧،٤٤44.7

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

وَأَقَلُّ مَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ أَنَّنَا

نَرْمِي ٱلْقَبَائِلَ عَنْ قَبِيلٍ وَاحِدِ

Al-Buḥturī then said:

The very least that unites both you and me

is that we attack the tribes from the same side.⁹⁴

٨،٤٤44.8

وقال أبو تمّام [الوافر]

ثَوَى بٱلْمَشْرِقَيْنِ لَهُمْ ضَجَاجٌ

أَطَارَ قُلُوبَ أَهْلِ ٱلْمَغْرِبَيْنِ

Abū Tammām said:

They produced a noise that boomed in the east

and frightened the hearts of those in the west.⁹⁵

٩،٤٤44.9

وإنّما أخذه أبو تمّام من قول مُسلم [البسيط]

لَمَّا نَزَلْتَ عَلَى أَدْنَى بِلَادِهِمُ

أَلْقَى إِلَيْكَ ٱلْأَقَاصِي بِٱلْمَقَالِيدِ

He took this, however, from the words of Muslim:

When you settle in the nearest border of their land,

the furthest borders open up to you.

١٠،٤٤44.10

فقال البحتريّ [الطويل]

غَدَا غَدْوَةً بَيْنَ ٱلْمَشَارِقِ إذْ غَدَا

فَبَثَّ حَرِيقًا فِي أَقَاصِي ٱلْمَغَارِبِ

Then al-Buḥturī said:

When he rose at forenoon in the lands of the east

he caused a conflagration in the farthest west.⁹⁶

٤٥45

وجاذبني يومًا بعض من يتعصّب على أبي تمّام بالتقليد لا بالفهم ويقدّم غيره بلا دراية فقال أيحسن أبو تمّام أن يقول كما قال البحتريّ [الطويل]

تَسَرَّعَ حَتَّى قَالَ مَنْ شَهِدَ ٱلْوَغَى

لِقَاءُ أَعَادٍ أَمْ لِقَاءُ حَبَائِبِ

فقلت له وهل افتضّ هذا المعنى قبل أبي تمّام أحد في قوله [البسيط]

حَنَّ إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ حَتَّى ظَنَّ جَاهِلُهُ

بِأَنَّهُ حَنَّ مُشْتَاقًا إِلَى وَطَنِ

One day I engaged in a debate with a person who preferred other poets to Abū Tammām without understanding anything, and was prejudiced against him, as a result not of his own comprehension but of accepting someone else’s opinion. “Can Abū Tammām,” he asked, “compose like al-Buḥturī, who said:

He rushed forward so hastily that a witness to the mêlée wondered,

‘Is it a meeting of foes or of lovers?’”⁹⁷

I retorted, “Did anyone possess⁹⁸ this motif before Abū Tammām said:

He longed for death so much that anyone who did not know him

thought he was yearning passionately for home.”⁹⁹

١،٤٦46.1

ولولا أنّ بعض أهل الأدب ألّف في أخذ البحتريّ من أبي تمّام كتابًا لكنت قد سُقتُ كثيرًا مثل ما ذكرنا ولكنّني أكره إعادة ما أُلّف وأجتنب أن أجتذب من الأدب ما مُلك قبلي إلّا أنّني سآتي بأبيات من جملة ذلك تدلّ على جميعه إن شاء الله.

قال أبو تمّام [الطويل]

شَهِدْتُ جَسِيمَاتِ ٱلْعُلَا وَهْوَ غَائِبٌ

وَلَوْ كَانَ أيْضًا شَاهِدًا كَانَ غَائِبَا

فقال البحتريّ [الطويل]

نَصَحْتُكُمُ لَوْ كَانَ لِلنُّصْحِ سَامِعٌ

لَدَى شَاهِدٍ عَنْ مَوْضِعِ ٱلْفَهْمِ غَائِبِ

If a book about al-Buḥturī’s borrowings from Abū Tammām had not already been composed by a man of letters, I would have adduced a lot more of this sort of material. But I hate to repeat what has been written and abstain from appropriating¹⁰⁰ literary knowledge that has been laid claim to before me. But, God willing, I will cite some verses from this collection that give an impression of the whole work.

Abū Tammām said:

Despite his absence, I witnessed mighty deeds;

had he been present, he could have been absent.¹⁰¹

Then al-Buḥturī said:

I would advise you, but does anyone listen to advice

in the presence of someone whose understanding is absent.¹⁰²

٢،٤٦46.2

على أنّ محمّد بن عبيد الله العُتْبيّ قد قال [الكامل]

قَوْمٌ حُضُورٌ غَائِبُو

ٱلْأَذْهَانِ لَيْسَ لَهَا قُفُولُ

Although Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-ʿUtbī had earlier said:

A people who are present but absent in their minds

for which there are no padlocks.

٣،٤٦46.3

وقال أبو تمّام [الطويل]

فَإِنْ أَنَا لَمْ يَحْمَدْكَ عَنِّيَ١ صَاغِرًا

عَدُوُّكَ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّنِي غَيْرُ حَامِدِ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

لَيُوَاصِلَنَّكَ ذِكْرُ شِعْرٍ سَائِرٍ

يَرْوِيهِ فِيكَ لِحُسْنِهِ ٱلْأَعْدَاءُ

وكأنّ هذا المعنى من قولهم من فضل فلان أنّ أعداءه مجمعون على فضله وقولهم خير المدح ما رواه العدوّ والصديق.

١ ا: عندي.

Abū Tammām said:

If your foe does not praise you humbly on my behalf,

then know that I am not truly praising you.¹⁰³

Then al-Buḥturī said:

May you always be celebrated in famous poetry,

of such beauty your foes transmit it about you.¹⁰⁴

This motif seems to derive from the saying, “A man’s excellence consists in the fact that his enemies agree upon it,” and the saying, “The best praise is that transmitted by friend and foe alike.”

٤،٤٦46.4

وقال أبو تمّام [الوافر]

وَنَغْمَةُ مُعْتَفِي جَدْوَاهُ أَحْلَى

عَلَى أُذُنَيْهِ مِنْ نَغَمِ ٱلسَّمَاعِ

قال البحتريّ [الكامل]

نَشْوَانُ يَطْرَبُ لِلسُّؤَالِ كَأَنَّمَا

غَنَّاهُ مَالِكُ طَيِّءٍ أَوْ مَعْبَدُ

Abū Tammām said:

The sound of someone asking his favor

is sweeter to his ears than sung melodies.¹⁰⁵

Then al-Buḥturī said:

He is intoxicated by requests,

as if they were songs by Mālik of Ṭayy or Maʿbad.¹⁰⁶

٥،٤٦46.5

وأوّل من أتى بفرح المسؤول وطلاقة وجهه ثمّ أخذه الناس فولّدوه فقالوا السؤال أحلى عنده من الغناء وراجيه أحبّ إليه من معطيه زُهَيْرٌ قال [الطويل]

تَرَاهُ إِذَا مَا جِئْتَهُ مُتَهَلِّلًا

كَأَنَّكَ تُعْطِيهِ ٱلَّذِي أَنْتَ سَائِلُهْ

Zuhayr was the first to portray the joy and laughter of someone receiving a petition. Then others borrowed and developed the motif and said, “The request of a favor is sweeter to him than song, and the petitioner dearer to him than the benefactor.” Zuhayr said:

You find him joyous when you come to him,

as if you are giving him what you are requesting.

٦،٤٦46.6

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

وَمُجَرَّبُونَ سَقَاهُمُ مِنْ بَأْسِهِ

فَإِذَا لَقُوا فَكَأَنَّهُمْ أَغْمَارُ

فأخذه البحتريّ فقال [الكامل]

مَلِكٌ لَهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ كَرِيهَةٍ

إِقْدَامُ غِرٍّ وَٱعْتِزامُ مُجَرِّبِ

Abū Tammām said:

He served up his boldness to seasoned men—

but when they met in battle, they were like novices.¹⁰⁷

Then al-Buḥturī borrowed it and composed the following verse:

A king who, in every adversity, possesses

the novice’s impetuousity and the seasoned man’s resolve.¹⁰⁸

١،٤٧47.1

فأمّا الذي نقله البحتريّ نقلًا فأخذ اللفظ والمعنى فقول أبي تمّام يصف شعره [الوافر]

مُنَزَّهَةٌ عَنِ ٱلسَّرَقِ ٱلْمُوَرَّى

مُكَرَّمَةٌ عَنِ ٱلْمَعْنَى ٱلْمُعَادِ

فقال البحتريّ يصف بلاغة [الكامل]

لَا يَعْمَلُ ٱلْمَعْنَى الْمُكَرَّ

رَ فِيهِ وَٱللَّفْظَ ٱلْمُرَدَّدْ

Al-Buḥturī copied verses of Abū Tammām wholesale, that is, taking both the wording and the meaning, such as Abū Tammām’s following line describing his poetry:¹⁰⁹

Free from hidden theft,

too noble to be derivative.¹¹⁰

Then al-Buḥturī described eloquence as follows:

He does not employ repeated meaning in it

or reuse words.¹¹¹

٢،٤٧47.2

وقال أبو تمّام [البسيط]

اَلْبِيدُ وَٱلْعِيسُ وَٱللَّيْلُ ٱلتِّمَامُ مَعًا

ثَلَاثَةٌ أَبَدًا يُقْرَنَّ فِي قَرَنِ١

قال البحتريّ [الخفيف]

اُطْلُبَا ثَالِثًا سِوَايَ فَإِنِّي

رَابِعُ ٱلْعِيسِ وَٱلدُّجَى وَٱلْبِيدِ

١ ا: في قرْن.

Abū Tammām said:

Deserts, camels, and the long night,

three things forever yoked together.¹¹²

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Search for a third besides me:

after camels, darkness, and desert, I am the fourth.¹¹³

٣،٤٧47.3

وأخذه أبو تمّام من قول ذي الرمّة [الطويل]

وَلَيْلٍ كَجِلْبَابِ ٱلْعَرُوسِ ٱدَّرَعْتُهُ	بِأَرْبَعَةٍ وَٱلشَّخْصُ فِي ٱلْعَيْنِ وَاحِدُ
أَحَمُّ عِلَافيٌّ وَأَبْيَضُ صَارِمٌ	وَأَعْيَسُ مَهْرِيٌّ وَأَرْوَعُ مَاجِدُ

Abū Tammām had borrowed this motif from the words of Dhū l-Rummah:

I dressed in robes of night like a bride’s gown

with four things that are one to the eye:

A black ʿIlafian saddle, a sharp blade,

a Mahrian mount, and an awe-inspiring hero.

٤،٤٧47.4

وقال أبو تمّام [الوافر]

تَفِيضُ سَمَاحَةً وَٱلْمُزْنُ مُكْدٍ

وَتَقْطَعُ وَٱلْحُسَامُ ٱلْعَضْبُ نَابِي

فقال البحتريّ [الخفيف]

يَتَوَقَّدْنَ وَٱلْكَوَاكِبُ مُطْفَا

ةٌ ويَقْطَعْنَ وَٱلسُّيُوفُ نَوَابِي

Abū Tammām said:

His generosity overflows when the cloud skimps,

and he cuts when the sharp saber rebounds.¹¹⁴

Then al-Buḥturī said:

They burn when stars have faded

and cut when swords rebound.¹¹⁵

٥،٤٧47.5

وقال الطائيّ [الكامل]

لا تَدْعُوَنْ نُوحَ بْنَ عَمْرٍو دَعْوَةً

لِلْخَطْبِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ جَلِيلَا

فقال البحتريّ [الخفيف]

يَا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِالمَدْ

عُوِّ إِلَّا لِكُلِّ أَمْرٍ كُبَارِ١

١ ا: لكلّ خطب جليل.

Abū Tammām said:

They only call out to Nūḥ ibn ʿAmr for assistance

when fate deals a mighty blow.¹¹⁶

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Abū Jaʿfar, you are only called on

for a momentous affair.¹¹⁷

٦،٤٧47.6

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

وَلَقَدْ أَرَدْتُمْ مَجْدَهُ وَجَهَدْتُمُ

فَإِذَا أَبَانٌ قَدْ رَسَا وَيَلَمْلَمُ١

فقال البحتريّ ونقله لفظًا ومعنى [الطويل]

وَلَنْ يَنْقُلَ ٱلْحُسَّادُ مَجْدَكَ بَعْدَمَا

تَمَكَّنَ رَضْوَى وَٱطْمَأَنَّ مُتَالِعُ

١ ا: ومتالع.

Abū Tammām said:

You sought his glory and strove;

but it was as lofty as Mount Abān and Mount Yalamlam.¹¹⁸

Then al-Buḥturī copied both wording and meaning:

Enviers will not take your glory away

after Mount Raḍwā stands firm, Mount Mutāliʿ immutable.¹¹⁹

٧،٤٧47.7

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

وَتُشَرِّفُ ٱلْعُلْيَا وَهَلْ مِنْ مَذْهَبٍ

عَنْهَا وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ٱلْمَعَالِي قَيِّمُ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

مُتَقَلْقِلُ ٱلْأَحْشَاءِ فِي طَلَبِ ٱلْعُلَا

حَتَّى يَكُونَ عَلَى ٱلْمَعَالِي قَيِّمَا

Abū Tammām said:

You bring honor to great deeds. Can it be any other way

when you are their guardian?¹²⁰

Then al-Buḥturī said:

His body is restless in quest of great deeds,

so that he becomes their guardian.¹²¹

٨،٤٧47.8

وقال أبو تمّام [الطويل]

وَيَلْبَسُ أَخْلَاقًا كِرَامًا كَأَنَّهَا

عَلَى ٱلْعِرْضِ مِنْ فَرْطِ ٱلْحَصَانَةِ أَذْرُعُ

فقال البحتريّ ولم يستوفِ وكذلك هو في أكثر ما ذكرت يقع دونًا [الكامل]

قَوْمٌ إِذَا لَبِسُوا ٱلدُّرُوعَ لِمَوْقِفٍ

لَبِسَتْهُمُ ٱلْأَخْلَاقُ١ فِيهِ دُرُوعَا

١ ا: الأحلاق.

Abū Tammām said:

He dons noble traits so virtuous

they protect his honor like armor.¹²²

Then al-Buḥturī composed this verse without fully capturing the motif—just as he falls short in most of the cases that I have cited:

When they don armor for battle,

they are armor for noble traits.¹²³

٩،٤٧47.9

وقال أبو تمّام [الطويل]

وَقَدْ كَانَ فَوْتُ ٱلْمَوْتِ سَهْلًا فَرَدَّهُ

إِلَيْهِ ٱلْحِفَاظُ ٱلْمُرُّ وَٱلْخُلُقُ ٱلْوَعْرُ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

وَلَوَ ٱنَّهُ ٱسْتَامَ ٱلْحَيَاةَ لِنَفْسِهِ

وَجَدَ ٱلْحَيَاةَ رَخِيصَةَ ٱلْأَسْبَابِ

Abū Tammām said:

To escape death had been simple—

but grim resolve and rugged character brought him back to face death.¹²⁴

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Had he intended life for himself

he would have found it cheap.¹²⁵

١٠،٤٧47.10

وهذا أيضًا من قول الآخر [الطويل]

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَرُّوا لَكَانُوا أَعِزَّةً

وَلَكِنْ رَأَوْا صَبْرًا عَلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ أَكْرَمَا

This also goes back to another poet’s words:

Had they fled, they would have remained powerful

but they thought it more noble to face death.

١١،٤٧47.11

وقال أبو تمّام [الطويل]

وَمَا ٱلْعُرْفُ بِٱلتَّسْوِيفِ إِلَّا كَخُلَّةٍ

تَسَلَّيْتَ عَنْهَا حِينَ شَطَّ مَزَارُهَا

فقال البحتريّ [الطويل]

وَكُنْتُ وَقَدْ أَمَّلْتُ مُرًّا لِنَائِلٍ

كَطَالِبِ جَدْوَى خُلَّةٍ لَا تُوَاصِلُ

Abū Tammām said:

Kindness delayed is like a sweetheart you get over

when she is too far to visit.¹²⁶

Then al-Buḥturī said:

I hoped for a gift from Murr,

like one asking for generosity from a sweetheart who refuses to meet.¹²⁷

١،٤٨48.1

وممّا احتذى فيه البحتريّ أبا تمّام وقدّر مثل كلامه فعمل معناه عليه ما أخذه من قول أبي تمّام [الخفيف]

هِمَّةٌ تَنْطِحُ ٱلنُّجُومَ وَجَدٌّ

آلِفٌ لِلْحَضِيضِ فَهْوَ حَضِيضُ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

مُتَحَيِّرٌ يَغْدُو بِعَزْمٍ قَائِمٍ

فِي كُلِّ نَازِلَةٍ وَجَدٍّ قَاعِدِ

The following borrowings of Abū Tammām’s words are compositions by al-Buḥturī in the style of Abū Tammām, matching his speech and modeling his content, such as Abū Tammām’s line:

An ambition that touches the stars

and luck habitually low to the ground.¹²⁸

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Disoriented, he has a resolve that stands up to every blow of fate

and luck that sits down.¹²⁹

٢،٤٨48.2

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

مُتَوَطِّئُو عَقِبَيْكَ فِي طَلَبِ ٱلْعُلَا

وَٱلْمَجْدِ ثُمَّتَ تَسْتَوِي ٱلْأَقْدَامُ

فقال البحتريّ [الكامل]

حُزْتَ ٱلْعُلَا سَبْقًا وَصَلَّى ثَانِيًا

ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَتْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ٱلْأَقْدَامُ

Abū Tammām said:

You are followed on your heels in pursuit of great deeds and glory

while the feet of other men fall in step.¹³⁰

Then al-Buḥturī said:

You won the race for great deeds, others came second;

after him the feet of other men fall in step.¹³¹

٣،٤٨48.3

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

تَنْدَى عُفَاتُكَ لِلْعُفَاةِ وَتَغْتَدِي

رُفَقًا إِلَى زُوَّارِكَ ٱلزُّوَّارُ

فقال البحتريّ على تقديره [الكامل]

ضَيْفٌ لَهُمْ يَقْرِي ٱلضُّيُوفَ وَنَازِلٌ

مُتَكَفِّلٌ فِيهِمْ بِبِرِّ ٱلنُّزَّلِ

Abū Tammām said:

Your petitioners give to petitioners,

and every morning your visitors befriend visitors.¹³²

Then al-Buḥturī matched him:

Their guest entertains guests,

and their visitor shows kindness to visitors.¹³³

٤،٤٨48.4

وقال أبو تمّام [الكامل]

عَطَفُوا ٱلْخُدُورَ عَلَى ٱلْبُدُورِ وَوَكَّلُوا

ظُلَمَ ٱلسُّتُورِ بِنُورِ حُورٍ نُهَّدِ

فقال البحتريّ [الطويل]

وَبِيضٍ أَضَاءَتْ فِي ٱلْخُدُورِ كَأَنَّهَا

بُدُورُ دُجًى جَلَّتْ سَوَادَ ٱلْحَنَادِسِ

Abū Tammām said:

They lowered tents over full moons

and confined behind dark curtains the light of shapely houris.¹³⁴

Then al-Buḥturī said:

Bright women lit up the tents

like full moons at night chasing away black darkness.¹³⁵

١،٤٩49.1

حدّثني عبد الله بن المعتزّ قال حدّثني أبو سعيد النحويّ المعروف بصَعُوداء عن أبي تمّام الطائيّ قال

خرجت يومًا إلى سُرَّ مَن رأى حين ولى الواثق فلقيني أعرابيّ وقد قربتُ منها فأردت أن أسأله عن شيء من أخبار الناس بها فخاطبته فإذا أفصح الناس وأفطنهم فقلت ممّن الرجل؟

قال من بني عامر

قلت كيف علمك بأمير المؤمنين؟

قال قتل أرضًا عالمُها

قلت فما تقول فيه؟

قال وثق بالله فكفاه وأشجى العاصية وقمع العادية وعدل في الرعيّة وأرهب^١ كلّ ذي قلم خيانتَه.

قلت فما تقول في أحمد بن أبي دؤاد؟

قال هضبة لا تُرام وجندلة لا تُضام تُشحذ له المُدى وتُحبل له الأشراك وتُبغى له الغوائل حتّى إذا قيل كأنْ قد وثب وثبة الذئب وختل ختل الضبّ.

قلت فما تقول في محمّد بن عبد الملك؟

قال وسع الداني شرُّه وقتل البعيد ضرّه له كلّ يوم صريع لا يُرى فيه أثر ناب ولا ندب مخلب.

قلت فما تقول في عمر بن فَرَج؟

قال ضخم لِهَمٌّ مستعذِب للذمّ.

قلت فما تقول في الفضل بن مروان؟ واستعذبتُ خطابه.

قال ذاك رجل نُشر بعد ما قُبر فعليه حياة الأحياء وخفتة الموتى.

قلت فما تقول في أبي الوزير؟

قال كبش الزنادقة الذي تعرف ألا ترى أنّ الخليفة إذا أهمله سنح ورتع فإذا هزّه أمطر فأمرع؟

قلت فابن الخَصِيب؟

قال أكل أكلة نَهِم فذرق ذرقة بَشِم.

قلت فما تقول في إبراهيم أخيه؟

قال {أَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَاءٍ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ}.

قلت فما تقول في أحمد بن إسرائيل؟

قال لله درّه أيّ قُلْقُل هو. غُرس في منابت الكرَم حتّى إذا اهتزّ لهم حصدوه.

قلت فما تقول في إبراهيم بن رَباح؟

قال أوبقه كرمُه وأسلمه حسَبه وله معروف لا يُسلِمه وربّ لا يخذُله وخليفة لا يظلمه.

قلت فما تقول في نَجاح بن سَلَمة؟

قال لله درّه أيّ طالب وتر ومدرك ثأر. يتلهّب كأنّه شعلة نار له من الخليفة جَلسة تُزيل نِعَمًا وتُحِلّ نِقَمًا.

قلت يا أعرابيّ أين منزلك؟

قال اللهمّ غفرًا. إذا اشتمل الظلام فحيثما أدركني الرقاد رقدت.

قلت فكيف رضاك عن أهل العسكر؟

قال لا أُخلِق وجهي بمسألتهم أوَما سمعتَ قول هذا الفتى الطائيّ الذي قد ملأ الدنيا شعره [البسيط]

وَمَا أُبَالِي وَخَيْرُ ٱلْقَوْلِ أَصْدَقُهُ

حَقَنْتَ لِي مَاءَ وَجْهِي أَوْ حَقَنْتَ دَمِي

قلت فأنا الطائيّ قائل هذا الشعر.

فدنا مبادرًا فعانقني وقال لله أبوك ألست الذي يقول [البسيط]

مَا جُودُ كَفِّكَ إِنْ جَادَتْ وَإِنْ بَخِلَتْ

مِنْ مَاءِ وَجْهِي إِذَا أَخْلَقْتُهُ عِوَضُ

قلت نعم.

قال أنت والله أشعر أهل الزمان.

١ ا: أرعف، ولعلّه تصحيف (أرهب) الذي أثبتُّ وفاقا للسياق.

I cite Ibn al-Muʿtazz, who cites Abū Saʿīd the Grammarian, known as Ṣaʿūdāʾ, who cites Abū Tammām of Ṭayy as his authority for the following:

Once I was traveling to Samarra during the reign of al-Wāthiq. As I drew near I met a Bedouin. I was curious to ask him about the people of Samarra. He turned out to be extremely astute and articulate. “Which tribe are you from?” I asked.

“The tribe of ʿĀmir,” he replied.

“How come you know so much about the Commander of the Faithful?”¹³⁶

“To know is to control.”¹³⁷

“What say you about him?”

“He trusted God, who sufficed him: he caused rebels misery, crushed his every enemy, treated his subjects justly, and made pen-wielding officials fear death for their treachery.”¹³⁸

“What about Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād?”

“A high plain one dare not tread, a hard wood that cannot be harmed. Knives are whetted for him, nets are laid for him, calamities are wished on him, but when one says ‘Done deal!’ he lunges like a jackal and pounces like a lizard.”

“What about Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik?”

“His evil engulfs the near, and his harm kills the distant. Every day he strikes men down with no sign of bite or claw marks.”

“What about ʿUmar¹³⁹ ibn Faraj?”

“Big in giving, all-devouring, one who relishes reprimand.”¹⁴⁰

“What about al-Faḍl ibn Marwān?” I continued, since I found his language pleasing.

“A man resurrected after burial; life and violent death are both against him.”¹⁴¹

“What about Abū l-Wazīr?”

“The ram in the herd of heretics, as you know. Whenever the caliph paid him no heed, he paraded and caroused. Whenever the caliph roused him, he produced rain and herbage.”

“And Ibn al-Khaṣīb?”

“He ate like a glutton and shat in revulsion.”

“What about his brother Ibrāhīm?”

“«Dead, not alive, and they are not aware when they shall be raised.»”¹⁴²

“What about Aḥmad ibn Isrāʾīl?”¹⁴³

“How excellent he is! What a prompt helper! He was nurtured in the nurseries of nobility, and when he grew to youthful vigor, they cut him down.”

“What about Ibrāhīm ibn Rabāḥ?”

“His nobility ruined him and his glorious deeds ruled him, but he does not give up his kindness.¹⁴⁴ His Lord does not forsake him; his caliph does not mistreat him.”

“What about Najāḥ ibn Salamah?”

“What an excellent man! What a mighty avenger! He burns like a firebrand. He holds a seat near the caliph from which he cancels grace and inflicts retribution.”

“Bedouin, where is your home?”

“Heavens above, what a question!—when darkness spreads, I sleep wherever sleep overcomes me.”

“How satisfied are you with the army?”

“I do not humble my face by asking them for aid.¹⁴⁵ Haven’t you heard the words of the Ṭayyite whose poetry fills the world:

The best speech is the truest. I do not care

whether you spare my lustrous face or spare my blood.”¹⁴⁶

“I am the Ṭayyite who composed this poetry,” I said, and he rushed to embrace me. “God reward the father who made you!”¹⁴⁷ he exclaimed, “Are you not the one who said:

The generosity of your palm, whether it gives or withholds,

is no substitute for my lustrous face when I humble myself.”¹⁴⁸

“I am,” I replied,

“By God, you are the best poet alive,” he exclaimed.¹⁴⁹

٢،٤٩49.2

فرجعت بالأعرابيّ معي إلى ابن أبي دؤاد وحدّثته بحديثه فأدخله إلى الواثق فسأله^١ عن خبره معي فأخبره به فأمر له بمال وأحسن إليه ووهب له أحمد بن أبي دؤاد فكان يقول لي قد عظّم الله بركتك عليّ.

١ ا: فسايله.

I took the Bedouin back with me to Ibn Abī Duʾād the Judge and told him his story. He introduced him to al-Wāthiq, who asked him about his encounter with me. The Bedouin narrated it to him. The caliph ordered that he be given money¹⁵⁰ and showed him generosity. Ibn Abī Duʾād gave him a gift too.

“God has made you a great blessing to me,” the Bedouin acknowledged.

١،٥٠50.1

حدّثني محمّد بن القاسم بن خلّاد قال

انصرفت يومًا من عند ابن أبي دؤاد فدخلت إلى محمّد بن منصور فوجدت عنده عمارة بن عقيل وكان خلًّا له وهو ينشده قصيدة له في الواثق أوّلها [الكامل]

عَرَفَ ٱلدِّيَارَ رُسُومُهَا قَفْرُ

لَعِبَتْ بِهَا ٱلْأَرْوَاحُ وَٱلْقَطْرُ

فلمّا فرغ منها قلنا له ما سمعنا أحسن من هذه الرائيّة أحسن الله إليك يا أبا عقيل. فقال والله لقد عصفتْ رائيّة طائيّكم هذا بكلّ شعر في لحنها.

قلنا له وما هي؟

قال كلمته التي هجا بها الأفشين

فقال محمّد بن يحيى بن الجهم أنا أحفظها

فقال هاتها فأنشده [الكامل]

اَلْحَقُّ أَبْلَجُ وَٱلسُّيُوفُ عَوَارِ

فَحَذَارِ مِنْ أَسَدِ ٱلْعَرِينِ حَذَارِ

فقال له عمارة أنشِدْنا ذكر النار فأنشد

مَا زَالَ سِرُّ ٱلْكُفْرِ بَيْنَ ضُلُوعِهِ	حَتَّى ٱصْطَلَى سِرَّ ٱلزِّنَادِ ٱلْوَارِي
نَارًا يُسَاوِرُ جِسْمَهُ مِنْ حَرِّهَا	لَهَبٌ كَمَا عَصْفَرْتَ نِصْفَ إِزَارِ
طارَتْ لها شُعَلٌ يُهَدِّمُ لَفْحُهَا	أَرْكَانَهُ هَدْمًا بِغَيْرِ غُبَارِ
فَفَصَلْنَ مِنْهُ كُلَّ مَجْمَعِ مَفْصِلٍ	وَفَعَلْنَ فَاقِرَةً بِكُلِّ فَقَارِ

I cite Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim ibn Khallād Abū l-ʿAynāʾ, who said:

One day I left the home of Ibn Abī Duʾād and went to see Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr, finding his close friend ʿUmārah ibn ʿAqīl there. He was reciting to Muḥammad one of his poems about al-Wāthiq, which begins:

He recognized their habitations, their traces decayed,

winds and raindrops at play there.

When he had finished we told him, “We never heard a poem better than this one rhyming in R. God favor you, ʿUmārah!”

“By God,” he said, “the R poem by this Ṭayyite of yours has blown away any poem in its style.”

“Which one?” we asked.

“His classic lampoon of al-Afshīn,” ʿUmārah replied.

“I know it by heart,” Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn al-Jahm interjected.

“Let’s hear it!” ʿUmārah exclaimed, and Muḥammad recited:

Truth shines bright and swords are bared,

beware the lion of the thicket, beware!

ʿUmārah interrupted, “Recite his description of fire,” so Muḥammad recited:

Unbelief remained a secret within his ribs

until it ignited the hidden fire-stick:

A fire, whose hot flames like one half of a coat dyed red

devoured his body.

Sparks flew and consumed his being in a blaze,

that left no ashes behind . . .

They disjointed him, bit by bit,

and wreaked calamity upon each vertebra.

٢،٥٠50.2

قال أبو بكر إنّما قال وَفَعَلْنَ فخصّ هذه اللفظة لقول الله جلّ وعز {تَظُنُّ أَنْ يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ} ولقول الناس فعل به الفَواقِرُ أيْ الدواهي.

رَمَقُوا أَعَالِيَ جِذْعِهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا

وَجَدُوا ٱلْهِلَالَ عَشِيَّةَ ٱلْإِفْطَارِ

Al-Ṣūlī: Abū Tammām used “wreaked,” specifically choosing this word, because God (Mighty and Glorious) said, «Thou mightest think the calamity has been wreaked on them,»¹⁵¹ and people say, “Calamities have been wreaked on him,” that is, time’s vicissitudes.

They stared at the top of his gibbet, as if they were looking for

the crescent moon on the eve of breaking the fast.

٣،٥٠50.3

ثمّ ذكر المصلَّبين فقال

سُودُ ٱللِّبَاسِ كَأَنَّمَا نَسَجَتْ لَهُمْ	أَيْدِي ٱلشُّمُوسِ مَدَارِعًا مِنْ قَارِ
بَكَرُوا وَأَسْرَوْا فِي مُتُونِ ضَوَامرٍ	قِيدَتْ لَهُمْ مِنْ مَرْبَطِ ٱلنَّجَّارِ
لَا يَبْرَحُونَ ومَن رآهُمْ خَالَهُمْ	أَبَدًا عَلَى سَفَرٍ مِنَ ٱلْأَسْفَارِ
جَهِلُوا فَلَمْ يَسْتَكْثِرُوا مِنْ طَاعَةٍ	مَعْرُوفَةٍ بِعِمَارَةِ ٱلْأَعْمَارِ

فقال عمارة لله درّه لقد وجد ما أضلّته الشعراء حتّى كأنّه كان مخبوءًا له.

قال محمّد بن القاسم فاعتقدت في أبي تمّام من ذلك اليوم أنّه أشعر الناس وما كان ذا رأيي من قبل.

Then Abū Tammām referred to those who were gibbeted:

With black garments, as if the sun

had woven shirts of tar with its own hands,

Mounted day and night on spindly steeds

with halters tied by the carpenter.

They do not stop, and he who sees them

imagines them forever on a journey. . .

They did not realize, no, they didn’t bother

to build long lives through proper obedience.¹⁵²

“How brilliant, by God,” said ʿUmārah, “he found what had been lost to other poets, as if it had been set aside for him.”

Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim said: From that day on I was convinced that Abū Tammām was the best poet. I had not thought so before.

١،٥١51.1

حدّثني أبو العبّاس عبد الله بن المعتزّ قال

جاءني محمّد بن يزيد المبرّد يومًا فأفضنا في ذكر أبي تمّام وسألته عنه وعن البحتريّ فقال لأبي تمّام استخراجات لطيفة ومعان طريفة لا يقول مثلها البحتريّ وهو صحيح الخاطر حسن الانتزاع. وشعر البحتريّ أحسن استواءً وأبو تمّام يقول النادر والبارد وهو المذهب الذي كان أعجب إلى الأصمعيّ. وما أشبّه أبا تمّام إلّا بغائص يخرج الدرّ والمَخْشَلَبة. ثمّ قال والله إنّ لأبي تمّام والبحتريّ من المحاسن ما لو قيس بأكثر شعر الأوائل ما وُجد فيه مثله.

I cite Abū l-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz as follows:

Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Mubarrad visited me one day. We discussed Abū Tammām, and I asked al-Mubarrad about Abū Tammām and al-Buḥturī. “Abū Tammām,” he responded, “has developed with great subtlety novel motifs the likes of which al-Buḥturī does not compose, though al-Buḥturī has sound ideas and a good intuition. Al-Buḥturī’s poetry is more balanced, while Abū Tammām composes unusual and refreshing material. This is the style that impressed al-Aṣmaʿī. I would compare Abū Tammām with a diver who dives for pearls and nacre. Abū Tammām and al-Buḥturī have so many beautiful verses that if they were to be measured against most of the poetry of the Ancients, there would be no match.”

٢،٥١51.2

قال أبو بكر وقول أبي العبّاس المبرّد ما أشبّهه إلّا بغائص فإنّما أخذه من قول الأصمعيّ في النابغة الجعديّ تجد في شعره مطرفًا بآلاف وكساءً بوافٍ.

Al-Ṣūlī: Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Mubarrad took his words “I would compare him with a diver” from those of al-Aṣmaʿī about al-Nābighah al-Jaʿdī, “You will find in his poetry both robes worth thousands and cloaks worth a dime.”¹⁵³

١،٥٢52.1

حدّثني عبد الله بن المعتزّ قال

كان إبراهيم بن المُدَبِّر يتعصّب على أبي تمّام ويحطّه عن رتبته فلاحاني فيه يومًا فقلت له أتقول هذا لمن يقول [الطويل]

غَدَا ٱلشَّيْبُ مُخْتَطًّا بِفَوْدَيَّ خُطَّةً	سَبِيلُ ٱلرَّدَى مِنْهَا إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ مَهْيَعُ
هُوَ ٱلزَّوْرُ يُجْفَى وَٱلْمُعَاشِرُ يُجْتَوَى	وَذُو ٱلْإِلْفِ يُقْلَى وَٱلْجَدِيدُ يُرَقَّعُ
لَهُ مَنْظَرٌ فِي ٱلْعَيْنِ أَبْيَضُ نَاصِعٌ	وَلٰكِنَّهُ فِي ٱلْقَلْبِ أَسْوَدُ أَسْفَعُ

I cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz for the following:

Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mudabbir was prejudiced against Abū Tammām and used to put him down. One day he had an argument with me about him. “Are you saying this,” I asked, “about the person who said:

White hair drew a line on my temples:

the path of mortality, the road to death.

It is an apparition¹⁵⁴ one drives away, a companion one dislikes,

an acquaintance one hates, a new gown that’s already been patched.

Radiant white to the eye

but black and stained in the heart.¹⁵⁵

٢،٥٢52.2

ولمن يقول [الطويل]

فَإِنْ تُرْمَ عَنْ عُمْرٍ تَدَانَى بِهِ ٱلْمَدَى	فَخَانَكَ حَتَّى لَمْ يَجِدْ فِيكَ مَنْزَعَا
فَمَا كُنْتَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّيْفَ لَاقَى ضَرِيبَةً	فَقَطَّعَهَا ثُمَّ ٱنْثَنَى فَتَقَطَّعَا

“And who said:

If a life, whose span draws to a close, betrays you,

wants you no more, and dispatches you,¹⁵⁶

You are a sword that strikes a victim and cuts him to pieces,

then bends and falls to pieces.¹⁵⁷

٣،٥٢52.3

ولمن يقول [الكامل]

خَشَعُوا لِصَوْلَتِكَ ٱلَّتِي هِيَ عِنْدَهُمْ	كَٱلْمَوْتِ يَأْتِي لَيْسَ فِيهِ عَارُ
فَٱلمَشْيُ هَمْسٌ وَٱلنِّدَاءُ إِشَارَةٌ	خَوْفَ ٱنْتِقَامِكَ وَٱلْحَدِيثُ سِرَارُ
أَيَّامُنَا مَصْقُولَةٌ أَطْرَافُهَا	بِكَ وَٱللَّيَالِي كُلُّهَا أَسْحَارُ
تَنْدَى عُفَاتُكَ لِلْعُفَاةِ وَتَغْتَدِي	رُفَقًا إِلَى زُوَّارِكَ ٱلزُّوَّارُ

قال وأنشدته أيضًا غير ذلك فكأنّي والله ألقمته حجرًا.

“And about him who said:

They submit to your power, which to them resembles

approaching death; there is no shame in this.

People tread softly, call out with silent gestures,

and talk in hushed tones for fear of your reprisal.

Our days, from dawn to dusk, are illuminated by you,

and our nights are daybreak.

Your petitioners give to petitioners,

and every morning your visitors befriend visitors.”¹⁵⁸

I recited other things as well and, by God, I shut him up.¹⁵⁹

٤،٥٢52.4

قال أبو بكر أمّا قوله فَقَطَّعَهَا ثُمَّ ٱنْثَنَى فَتَقَطَّعَا فهو مأخوذ من قول البَعِيث [الطويل]

وَإِنَّا لَنُعْطِي ٱلْمَشْرَفِيَّةَ حَقَّهَا

فَتَقْطَعُ فِي أَيْمَانِنَا وَتَقَطَّعُ

Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī commented: Abū Tammām’s words “and cuts him to pieces, then bends and goes to pieces” are borrowed from the words of al-Baʿīth:

We give the Mashrafī swords their due;

in our right hands they cut and are cut to pieces.

٥،٥٢52.5

ومن قوله أيضًا [البسيط]

أَوْفَى بِهِ ٱلدَّهْرُ مِنْ أَحْدَاثِهِ شَرَفًا

وَٱلسَّيْفُ يَمْضِي مِرَارًا ثُمَّ يَنْقَصِدُ

Al-Baʿīth also said:

Fate brought him honor through his feats:

But a sword strikes time and again, till finally it breaks.

٦،٥٢52.6

وأَمّا قوله وَٱللَّيَالِي كُلُّهَا أَسْحَارُ فهو من قول عبد الملك بن صَالِح وسأله الرشيد كيف ليل مَنبِج؟ فقال سَحَرٌ كلُّه.

His words “our nights are daybreak” derive from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Ṣāliḥ. When al-Rashīd asked him, “What is night like in Manbij?” he responded, “Perpetual daybreak.”

٧،٥٢52.7

وقد أخذه ابن المعتزّ فقال [السريع]

يَا رُبَّ لَيْلٍ سَحَرٍ كُلُّهُ

مُفْتَضِحِ ٱلْبَدْرِ عَلِيلِ ٱلنَّسِيمِ

Ibn al-Muʿtazz had borrowed this and said:

Many a night was continuous daybreak

the full moon bright, the breeze lazy.

٨،٥٢52.8

ولو جاز أن يُصرف عن أحد من الشعراء سرقة لوجب أن يصرف عن أبي تمّام لكثرة بديعه واختراعه واتّكائه على نفسه ولكنّ حُكم النقّاد للشعر العلماء به قد مضى بأنّ الشاعرين إذا تعاورا معنىً ولفظًا أو جمعاهما أن يُجعل السبق لأقدمهما سنًّا وأوّلهما موتًا ويُنسب الأخذ إلى المتأخّر لأنّ الأكثر كذا يقع وإن كانا في عصر أُلحق بأشبههما به كلامًا فإن أشكل ذلك تركوه لهما.

If it were permissible to forgive any one poet his plagiarism, then it would have to be Abū Tammām in view of his great novelty, inventiveness, and self-reliance. But the ruling of critics of poetry, the experts, dictate that when two poets exchange or share motif and wording, precedence is given to the older of the two, the one who died first, while the later poet is deemed to have borrowed, because this is the way it usually occurs. If they are contemporaries, then precedence is given to the one with the more appropriate wording, and if this proves difficult to decide, they concede authorship to both.

٥٣53

حدّثنا عبيد الله بن عبد الله بن طاهر قال

جاءني فضلٌ اليزيديّ بشعر أبي تمّام فجعل يقرؤه عليّ ويعجّبني ممّن جهل مقداره. فقلت له الذين جهلوه كما قال [البسيط]

لَا يَدْهَمَنَّكَ مِنْ دَهْمَائِهِمْ عَدَدٌ

فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ أَوْ جُلَّهُمْ بَقَرُ

فقال لي قد عابه جماعة من الرواة للشعر.

فقلت الرواة يعلمون تفسير الشعر ولا يعلمون ألفاظه وإنّما يميّز هذا منهم القليل.

فقال هذه العلّة في أمرهم.

I cite ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir as follows:

Faḍl al-Yazīdī brought me poems by Abū Tammām, read them to me, and made me wonder about those who do not understand his worth. “Those who do not understand this,” I said to Faḍl, “are as Abū Tammām says himself:

No crowd of theirs, however great, shall grieve you,

for most of them, nay, all of them, are cattle.”¹⁶⁰

“Abū Tammām was criticized by a clique of poetry transmitters,” he said to me.

“Transmitters know how to explain poetry,” I concurred, “but they do not know its formulations. Only a few of them possess this discernment.”

“That explains their behavior,” he said.

٥٤54

وكنّا عند أبي عليّ الحسين بن محمّد^١ بن فَهْم فجرى ذكر أبي تمّام فقال رجل أيّما أشعر البحتريّ أو أبو تمّام؟

فقال سمعت بعض العلماء بالشعر ولم يسمّه قد سُئل عن مثل هذا فقال وكيف يقاس البحتريّ بأبي تمّام وهو به وكلامه منه وليس أبو تمّام بالبحتريّ ولا يلتفت إلى كلامه؟

١ (بن محمّد) زيادة لتصحيح الاسم.

We were at the home of Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad ibn Fahm and the subject of Abū Tammām came up.

“Who is the better poet,” one man asked, “al-Buḥturī or Abū Tammām?”

“I heard an expert of poetry being asked this same question,” al-Ḥusayn responded, without giving the expert’s name, “and he answered, ‘How can al-Buḥturī be measured against Abū Tammām? He needs Abū Tammām to survive and his words belong to Abū Tammām, but Abū Tammām neither needs al-Buḥturī to survive nor pays any attention to his words.’”

١،٥٥55.1

حدّثني القاسم بن إسماعيل أبو ذكوان قال

سمعت عمّك إبراهيم بن العبّاس الصوليّ يقول ما اتّكلتُ في مكاتبتي إلّا على ما يجيله خاطري ويجيش به صدري إلّا قولي وصار ما كان يُحْرِزهم يُبْرِزهم وما كان يُعْقِلهم يعتقلهم وقولي في رسالة أخرى فأنزلوه من مَعْقِل إلى عُقَّال وبدّلوه آجالًا من آمال فإنّي ألممت في قولي آجالًا من آمال بقول مسلم بن الوليد [البسيط]

مُوفٍ عَلَى مُهَجٍ فِي يَوْمِ ذِي رَهَجٍ

كَأَنَّهُ أَجَلٌ يَسْعَى إِلَى أَمَلِ

وفي المَعْقِل والعُقَّال بقول أبي تمّام.

I cite al-Qāsim ibn Ismāʿīl Abū Dhakwān as follows:

I heard your uncle Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ṣūlī say, “In my letter writing I relied solely on my ideas and impulses, except when I said, ‘What once shielded them exposed them, and their barricades turned into their prison bars,’¹⁶¹ and when I said in another letter, ‘They forced them in shackles from their stronghold and gave them death for hope.’ I borrowed my words ‘death for hope’ from those of Muslim ibn al-Walīd:

Descending on hearts’ blood on a day of strife

like death attacking hope.

“And with ‘stronghold’ and ‘in shackles’ I borrowed from the words of Abū Tammām.”

٢،٥٥55.2

ثمّ أنشد [الطويل]

فَإِنْ بَاشَرَ ٱلْإِصْحَارَ فٱلْبِيضُ وَٱلْقَنَا	قِرَاهُ وَأَحْوَاضُ ٱلْمَنَايَا مَنَاهِلُهْ
وَإِنْ يَبْنِ حِيطَانًا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّمَا	أُولَئِكَ عُقَّالَاتُهُ لَا مَعَاقِلُهْ
وَإِلَّا فَعَلِّمْهُ بِأَنَّهُ سَاخِطٌ١	وَدَعْهُ فَإِنَّ ٱلْخَوْفَ لَا شَكَّ قَاتِلُهْ
بِيُمْنِ أَبي إسْحَاقَ طالَتْ يَدُ ٱلْهُدَى	وَقَامَتْ قَنَاةُ ٱلدِّينِ وَٱشْتَدَّ كَاهِلُهْ
هُوَ ٱلْبَحْرُ مِنْ أَيِّ ٱلنَّوَاحِي أَتَيْتَهُ	فَلُجَّتُهُ ٱلْمَعْرُوفُ وَٱلْجُودُ سَاحِلُهْ
تَعَوَّدَ بَسْطَ ٱلْكَفِّ حَتَّى لَوَ ٱنَّهُ	ثَنَاهَا لِقَبْضٍ لَمْ تُجِبْهُ أَنَامِلُهْ

ثمّ قال لي أما تسمع يا قاسم؟

قلت بلى والله يا سيّدي.

قال إنّه اختُرم وما استمتع بخاطره ولا نزح رُكِيَّ فكره حتّى انقطع رشاء عمره.

١ ا: ساخط عليه.

Ibrāhīm then recited:

If he heads for the desert, you welcome him

with blades and spears, and his watering holes are pools of death.¹⁶²

If he builds walls around himself,

he is not protected but confined by them.¹⁶³

Otherwise, tell him how angry you are,

and abandon him, for, no doubt, fear will finish him off.

Guidance has a long reach in the hand of Abū Isḥāq,¹⁶⁴

the backbone of religion is straight, its shoulder sturdy.

From whichever direction you approach him, he is the sea:

his depths are gifts, and his shores munificence.

So accustomed is he to opening his hands that if he tried

to close them, his fingertips would rebel.¹⁶⁵

Then he asked, “Aren’t you listening, Qāsim?”

“By God, I am my lord.”

“Death cut him down before he had realized all his ideas. The wells of his thought had not run dry before his life’s thread¹⁶⁶ was cut.”

٥٦56

حدّثني أبو الحسين بن السَخيّ قال حدّثني الحسن بن عبد الله قال

سمعت إبراهيم بن العبّاس يقول لأبي تمّام وقد أنشده شعرًا له في المعتصم يا أبا تمّام أمراء الكلام رعيّة لإحسانك فقال له أبو تمّام ذاك لأنّي أستضيء برأيك وأرد شريعتك.

I cite Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Sakhī, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd Allāh as follows:

After Abū Tammām had recited some of his poetry about al-Muʿtaṣim, I heard Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās say to him, “Abū Tammām, the princes of speech are governed by your excellence.”

“This is so,” Abū Tammām returned, “because I take my light from your insight and draw water from your spring.”

٥٧57

حدّثني أبو عبد الله الحسين بن عليّ قال حدّثني سليمان بن وهب قال

رآني أبو تمّام وأنا أكتب كتابًا فأطّلع فيه ثمّ قال لي يا أبا أيّوب كلامك ذوب شعري.

I cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Huṣayn ibn ʿAlī, who cites Sulaymān ibn Wahb as follows:

Abū Tammām saw me write a letter. He studied it carefully and said, “Abū Ayyūb, your prose is my poetry in molten form.”

٥٨58

حدّثني أحمد بن يزيد المهلّبيّ قال

سألت أبي عن أبي تمّام أو قال سمعني أبي وأنا ألاحي إنسانًا في أبي تمّام فقال لي ما كان أحد من الشعراء يقدر أن يأخذ درهمًا واحدًا في أيّام أبي تمّام فلمّا مات أبو تمّام اقتسم الشعراء ما كان يأخذه.

I cite Aḥmad ibn Yazīd al-Muhallabī, who said:

I asked my father about Abū Tammām, or he said, My father heard me argue with someone about Abū Tammām, and he said to me, “No poet could earn a single dirham in the days of Abū Tammām. On his death, the poets each took a share of what he used to earn.”

٥٩59

حدّثني أبو الحسن علي بن إسماعيل قال قال لي البحتريّ

أوّل ما رأيت أبا تمّام مرّة ما كنت عرفته قبلها أنّي دخلت على أبي سعيد محمّد بن يوسف وقد امتدحته بقصيدتي التي أوّلها [الكامل]

أَأَفَاقَ صَبٌّ مِنْ هَوًى فَأُفِيقَا

أَوْ خَانَ عَهْدًا أَوْ أَطَاعَ شَفِيقَا

فأنشدته إيّاها فلمّا أتممتها سرّ أبو سعيد بها وقال أحسن الله إليك يا فتى فقال له رجل في المجلس هذا أعزّك الله شعر لي عَلِقَه هذا فسبقني به إليك فتغيّر وجه أبي سعيد وقال يا فتى قد كان في نسبك وقرابتك ما يكفيك أن تمتّ به إلينا ولا تحمل نفسك على هذا.

فقلت هذا شعر لي أعزّك الله.

فقال الرجل سبحان الله يا فتى لا تقل هذا ثمّ ابتدأ فأنشد من القصيدة أبياتًا.

فقال لي أبو سعيد نحن نبلغ ما تريد ولا تحمل نفسك على هذا فخرجت متحيّرًا لا أدري ما أقول ونويت أن أسأل عن الرجل من هو فما أبعدت حتّى ردّني أبو سعيد ثمّ قال جنيت عليك فاحتمل أتدري من هذا؟

قلت لا.

قال هذا ابن عمّك حبيب بن أوس الطائيّ أبو تمّام فقم إليه.

فقمت إليه فعانقته ثمّ أقبل يقرّظني ويصف شعري وقال إنّما مزحت معك فلزمته بعد ذلك وكثر عجبي من سرعة حفظه.

I cite Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Ismāʿīl, to whom al-Buḥturī told the following:

The first time I saw Abū Tammām—whom I did not know before—was when I appeared before Abū Saʿīd Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf to praise him with a poem, which begins:

Does a man in love recover from passion? Perhaps I too can recover!

Does he betray a bond or obey a brother?¹⁶⁷

I recited it to him, and when I had finished, Abū Saʿīd exclaimed with delight, “God favor you, young man!” Then someone in the gathering said, “God support you, this is my poetry. This man memorized it and came to you first.” Abū Saʿīd turned pale. “With your ancestry and family connections you don’t need to try to get access to us like this,” he said. “Don’t do this to yourself!”

“God support you,” I said, “this is my poetry.”

“Glory be to God, don’t say that,” the man insisted and then began to recite verses from the poem.

“We will do whatever you want,” Abū Saʿīd said to me, “just don’t do this to yourself!”

I left speechless and confused and resolved to find out the man’s identity. But I had not gone far before Abū Saʿīd called me back. “I have wronged you,” he said. “Be brave, do you know who this is?”

“No.”

“This is your cousin, Ḥabīb ibn Aws of Ṭayy. Stand up and greet him.”

I rose and embraced him, upon which he started to commend me and compliment my poetry. “I was only joking with you,” he said. Thereafter I remained close to him. I was regularly amazed by how quickly he could commit things to memory.

٦٠60

حدّثني علي بن إسماعيل قال

كنت عند البحتريّ فأنشدته وهو كالمفكّر [الكامل]

أَحْلَى ٱلرِّجَالِ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَاءِ مَوَاقِعًا	مَنْ كَانَ أَشْبَهَهُمْ بِهِنَّ خُدُودَا
فَٱطْلُبْ هُدُوءًا فِي ٱلتَّقَلْقُلِ وَٱسْتَثِرْ١	بٱلْعِيسِ مِنْ تَحْتِ ٱلسُّهَادِ هُجُودَا
مِن كُلِّ مُعْطِيَةٍ عَلَى عَلَلِ ٱلسُّرَى	وَخْدًا٢ يَبِيتُ ٱلنَّوْمُ فِيهِ شَرِيدَا
طَلَبَتْ رَبِيعَ رَبِيعَةَ ٱلْمُمْهَى لَنَا	وَوَرَدْنَ ظِلَّ رَبِيعَةَ ٱلْمَمْدُودَا
ذُهْلِيَّهَا٣ مُرِّيَّهَا مَطَرِيَّهَا	يُمْنَى يَدَيْهَا خَالِدَ بْنَ يَزِيدَا
نَسَبٌ كَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ شَمْسِ ٱلضُّحَى	نُورًا وَمِنْ فَلَقِ ٱلصَّبَاحِ عَمُودَا
عُرْيَانَ لَا يَكْبُو دَلِيلٌ مِنْ عَمًى	فِيهِ وَلَا يَبْغِي عَلَيْهِ شُهُودَا
شَرَفٌ عَلَى أُولَى ٱلزَّمَانِ وَإِنَّمَا	خَلَقُ ٱلْمَناسِبِ أَنْ يَكُونَ جَدِيدَا
مَطَرٌ أَبُوكَ أَبو أَهِلَّةِ وائِلٍ	مَلَأَ ٱلْبَسِيطَةَ عُدَّةً وَعَدِيدَا
وَرِثُوا ٱلْأُبُوَّةَ وَٱلْحُظُوظَ فَأَصْبَحُوا	جَمَعُوا جُدُودًا فِي ٱلْعُلَا وَجُدُودَا
إِنَّ ٱلْقَوَافِيَ وَٱلْمَسَاعِيَ لَمْ تَزَلْ	مِثْلَ ٱلنِّظَامِ إِذَا أَصَابَ فَرِيدَا
هِيَ جَوْهَرٌ نَثْرٌ فَإِنْ ألَّفْتَهُ	بِٱلنَّظْمِ صَارَ قَلَائِدًا وَعُقُودَا

فقال ما هذا؟ وهو فزع.

فقلت له ألا تعرفه؟ هذا لأبي تمّام.

فقال أذكرتَني والله وسررتني لا يحسن هذا الإحسان أحد غيره.

١ ا: واستتر. ٢ ا: خدّا. ٣ ا: هُذليّها.

I cite Aḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl as follows:

I was at al-Buḥturī’s home, reciting poetry, but he seemed pensive:

Women like best

men whose cheeks most resemble theirs.

Find calmness in motion,

and sleep awake on reddish she-camels

That give you night after night

a pace¹⁶⁸ that banishes all sleep. . .

They were headed for the lush spring camp of Rabīʿah

and arrived at Rabīʿah’s lengthening shade. . .

Rabīʿah of Dhuhl,¹⁶⁹ of Murrah, of Maṭar,¹⁷⁰

their right hand—Khālid ibn Yazīd.

His ancestry is bright as the light of the morning sun

and the beam¹⁷¹ of breaking dawn

Clear as a bare tract where no guide stumbles out of blindness

or needs pathfinders.

An honor as old as time

(it is shabby for one’s ancestry to be recent). . .

Your forefather Maṭar is father to the crescent moons of Wāʾil¹⁷²;

he fills the flat earth with weaponry and numbers. . .

They inherited pedigree and good fortune,

thus their glory combined forebears and fortune. . .

Rhymes and great deeds last forever

like a string when fitted with a center pearl.

They are scattered jewels; when strung into verse

they become necklaces and ornate chokers.¹⁷³

“What is this?” al-Buḥturī asked anxiously.

“Don’t you know it?” I replied, “It’s by Abū Tammām.”

“You’ve made me happy by reminding me of it. Only he can achieve such excellence.”

١،٦١61.1

حدّثني محمّد بن موسى بن حمّاد قال

كنت عند الحسن بن وَهْب فدخل إليه أبو سليمان داود بن الجرّاح كاتب أبي إسحاق إبراهيم بن العبّاس فسأله عن خبره فأخبره بما أراده ثم قال ناظر اليوم أبو إسحاق رجلًا في دولة بني أميّة ودولة بني العبّاس مدّها الله.

فقال له الرجل أين مثل شعراء بني أميّة الذين كانوا في زمانهم؟

فقال له أبو إسحاق إنْ كانت دولة بني أميّة حلبة الشعراء فدولة بني هاشم حلبة الكتّاب.

فقال الحسن ما يترك أبو إسحاق عصبيّته للأوائل من الشعراء والله ما كان في دولة بني أميّة مثله هلاّ قال أنا أعدّ شعراء هذه الدولة فعُدّ كتّاب تلك الدولة؟ ثمّ أقبل علينا الحسن قال أمّا البلاغة في الكِتبة فما يُنازع أهل هذه الدولة فيها وأمّا الشعر فلا أعرف مع كثرة مدحي له وشغفي به في قديمه ولا حديثه أحسن من قول أبي تمّام في المعتصم بالله ولا أبدع معاني ولا أكمل مدحًا ولا أعذب لفظًا ثمّ أنشد [البسيط]

فَتْحُ ٱلْفُتُوحِ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُحِيطَ بِهِ

نَظْمٌ مِنَ ٱلشِّعرِ أَوْ نَثْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْخُطَبِ

قال أبو بكر ما سمعت تَعَالَى إلّا في هذا الخبر والناس يروونه ٱلْمُعَلَّى^١

١ أثبت ع (المُعَلَّى) زيادة يقتضيها السياق.

I cite Muḥammad ibn Mūsā ibn Ḥammād al-Barbarī as follows:

I was in the company of al-Ḥasan ibn Wahb when Abū Sulaymān Dāwūd ibn al-Jarrāḥ, the scribe of Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās, came to see him. Al-Ḥasan inquired about Abū Isḥāq. Dāwūd answered his queries and then said, “Abū Isḥāq had a debate with a man about the relative merits of Umayyads and Abbasids (God prolong their rule) today.

“‘Who nowadays can match the poets the Umayyads had in their time?’ the man had said.

“‘If the Umayyad dynasty was the time of poets,’ Abū Isḥāq retorted, ‘the dynasty of the Banū Hāshim is the time of scribes.’”

“Abū Isḥāq will never give up his partiality for the early poets,” al-Ḥasan said, “even though, by God, the Umayyad dynasty had no one like him. Isn’t he the one who said, ‘I can enumerate the poets of the Abbasid dynasty, but you try and count the scribes of the previous dynasty!’” Al-Ḥasan turned toward us, “The people of this dynasty are unrivaled for eloquence in prose writing. For all the love and praise I have for the ancient over the modern poet, I know of no verses more beautiful than Abū Tammām’s words on al-Muʿtaṣim, with their novel motifs, perfect praise, and fluid wording.” Then he recited the following verses:

Conquest of conquests: beyond the grasp

of compositions in poetry or sermons in prose

(Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī commented: The only version of this account I know uses the word “beyond,” though normally people transmit it as “elevated above.”)¹⁷⁴

٢،٦١61.2

فَتْحٌ تَفَتَّحُ أَبْوَابُ ٱلسَّمَاءِ لَهُ	وَتَبْرُزُ ٱلْأَرْضُ فِي أَبْرَادِهَا ٱلْقُشُبِ
يَا يَوْمَ وَقْعَةِ عَمُورِيَّةَ ٱنْصَرَفَتْ	عَنْكَ ٱلْمُنَى حُفَّلًا مَعْسُولَةَ ٱلْحَلَبِ
أَبْقَيْتَ جَدَّ بَنِي ٱلْإسْلَامِ فِي صَعَدٍ	وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَدَارَ ٱلشِّرْكِ فِي صَبَبِ
أُمٌّ لَهُمْ لَوْ رَجَوْا أنْ تُفْتَدى جَعَلُوا	فِدَاءَها كُلَّ أُمٍّ مِنْهُمُ وَأَبِ
وَبَرْزَةُ ٱلْوَجْهِ قَدْ أَعْيَتْ رِيَاضَتُهَا	كِسْرَى وَصَدَّتْ صُدُودًا عَنْ أَبِي كَرِبِ
مِنْ عَهْدِ إِسْكَنْدَرٍ أَوْ قَبْلَ ذٰلِكَ قَدْ	شَابَتْ نَوَاصِي ٱللَّيَالِي وَهْيَ لَمْ تَشِبِ
بِكْرٌ فَمَا ٱفْتَرَعَتْهَا كَفُّ حَادِثَةٍ	وَلَا تَرَقَّتْ إِلَيْهَا هِمَّةُ ٱلنُّوَبِ
جَرَى لَهَا ٱلْفَأْلُ بَرْحًا يَوْمَ أَنْقِرَةٍ	إِذْ غُودِرَتْ وَحْشَةَ ٱلسَّاحَاتِ وَٱلرَّحَبِ
لَمَّا رَأَتْ أُخْتَهَا بِٱلْأَمْسِ قَدْ خَرِبَتْ	كَانَ ٱلْخَرَابُ لَهَا أَعْدَى مِنَ ٱلْجَرَبِ
لَقَدْ تَرَكْتَ أَمِيرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِهَا	لِلنَّارِ يَوْمًا ذَلِيلَ ٱلصَّخْرِ وَٱلْخَشَبِ
غَادَرْتَ فِيهَا بَهِيمَ ٱللَّيْلِ وَهْوَ ضُحًى	يَشُلُّهُ وَسْطَهَا صُبْحٌ مِنَ ٱللهَبِ
حَتَّى كَأَنَّ جَلَابِيبَ ٱلدُّجَى رَغِبَتْ	عَنْ لَوْنِهَا وَكَأَنَّ ٱلشَّمْسَ لَمْ تَغِبِ
ضَوْءٌ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَٱلظَّلْمَاءُ عَاكِفَةٌ	وَظُلْمَةٌ مِنْ دُخَانٍ فِي ضُحًى شَحِبِ

قال أبو بكر كذا قال أبو مالك ضَوْءٌ والرواية صُبْحٌ.

A conquest for which the gates of heaven open wide

and the earth comes out in new attire

O Battle of Amorium,

hope leaves you replete with honeyed milk.

You have raised high the fortune of the children of Islam

and lowered the polytheists’ fortune and their territory.

She was their mother: if they ever expected to redeem her,

they would do so with their own mothers and fathers.

Cheekily she shows her face;¹⁷⁵ the quest to tame her has baffled Chosroes;

from Abū Karib¹⁷⁶ she turned away in scorn.

From the age of Alexander or even before,

the forelocks of time had turned white but hers had not.¹⁷⁷

A virgin, not deflowered by misfortune’s hand,

nor were the calamities not ambitious enough to attain her. . .

At the battle of Ankara the auguries were ominous:

Ankara’s courtyards and open spaces were left devastated.

She saw her sister destroyed yesterday:

destruction passed on to her faster than mange. . .¹⁷⁸

You gave her over to fire, Commander of the Faithful,

a battlefield of burst rock and wood.

You left dark night behind as forenoon—

driven away by a dawn of flames in its midst,

The robes of darkness seemed to crave

a different color; the sun seemed not to have set.

Fire shone bright as darkness hovered bewildered,

dark smoke in a pallid forenoon.

(Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī commented: Abū Mālik has “shone bright” here but the correct reading is “made morning.”)

٣،٦١61.3

فَٱلشَّمْسُ طَالِعَةٌ مِنْ ذَا وَقَدْ أَفَلَتْ	وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَاجِبَةٌ مِنْ ذَا وَلَمْ تَجِبِ
مَا رَبْعُ مَيَّةَ مَعْمُورًا يُطِيفُ بِهِ	غَيْلَانُ أَبْهَى رُبًى مِنْ رَبْعِهَا ٱلْخَرِبِ
وَلَا ٱلْخُدُودُ وَلَوْ أُدْمِينَ مِنْ خَجَلٍ	أَشْهَى إِلَى نَاظِرٍ مِنْ خَدِّهَا ٱلتَّرِبِ
سَمَاجَةٌ غَنِيَتْ مِنْهَا ٱلْعُيُونُ بِهَا	عَنْ كُلِّ حُسْنٍ بَدَا أَوْ مَنْظَرٍ عَجَبِ
وَحُسْنُ مُنْقَلَبٍ تَبْقَى عَوَاقِبُهُ	جَاءَتْ بَشَاشَتُهُ مِنْ سُوءِ مُنْقَلَبِ
تَدْبِيرُ مُعْتَصِمٍ بٱللهِ مُنْتَقِمٍ	للهِ مُرْتَقِبٍ فِي ٱللهِ مُرْتَغِبِ
لَمْ يَرْمِ١ قَوْمًا وَلَمْ يَنْهَدْ إِلَى بَلَدٍ	إِلَّا تَقَدَّمَهُ جَيْشٌ مِنَ ٱلرُّعُبِ
لَوْ لَمْ يَقُدْ جَحْفَلًا يَوْمَ ٱلْوَغَى لَغَدَا	مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَحْدَهَا فِي جَحْفَلٍ لَجِبِ
لَمَّا رَأَى ٱلْحَرْبَ رَأْيَ ٱلْعَيْنِ تَوْفَلِسٌ	وَٱلْحَرْبُ مُشْتَقَّةُّ ٱلْمَعْنَى مِنَ ٱلْحَرَبِ
وَلَّى وَقَدْ أَلْجَمَ ٱلْخَطِّيُّ مَنْطِقَهُ	بِسَكْتَةٍ تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَحْشَاءُ فِي صَخَبِ
بَصُرْتَ بِٱلرَّاحَةِ ٱلْكُبْرَى فَلَمْ تَرَهَا	تُنَالُ إِلَّا عَلَى جِسْرٍ مِنَ ٱلتَّعَبِ
إِنْ كَانَ بَيْنَ مُرُورِ ٱلدَّهْرِ مِنْ رَحِمٍ	مَوْصُولَةٍ وَذِمَامٍ غَيْرِ مُنْقَضِبِ
فَبَيْنَ أَيَّامِكَ ٱللَّائِي نُصِرْتَ بِهَا	وَبَيْنِ أَيَّامِ بَدْرٍ أَقْرَبُ ٱلنَّسَبِ

ثمّ قال هل وقع في لفظة من هذا الشعر خلل؟ كان يمرّ للقدماء بيتان يستحسنان في قصيدة فيُجَلّون بذلك وهذا كلّه بديع جيّد.

١ ا: لم ير.

On one side, the sun rises when it has set,

on the other, the sun sets, though it has not set. . .

The ruined site of Amorium is more splendid than the hills of Mayyah’s campsite

when they were inhabited and Ghaylān¹⁷⁹ roamed there.

The dust-smeared cheek of Amorium is more delightful to the eye

than any cheeks, burning with shame,

An ugliness that makes the eye have no need for

outward beauty or pleasing sight.

The beauty of a reversal of fate, whose repercussions will last,

derives its splendor from the reversal’s very wickedness. . .

The doing of “Protected-by-God,”¹⁸⁰ avenging God,

fearing Him, and humble before Him. . .

When he attacks a people or rises against a land

he is preceded by an army of fear:

If he did not lead an army into battle,

he would be a one-man army. . .

When Theophilos saw war for himself—

the etymology of “war” is “spoils” ¹⁸¹

He wheeled around speechless; the Khattian spears had silenced him,

and his bowels churned in turmoil. . .

You saw the great place of rest, and you saw

it could only be reached by a bridge of toil.

If the acts of fate are connected through blood,

or bound through protection unsevered,

Then there is close kinship between your victory days

and the days of Badr.¹⁸²

“Is a single word of this poem flawed?” al-Ḥasan asked. “The Ancients became famous when two verses from a poem happened to be admired, whereas this entire poem is innovative and excellent.”

٤،٦١61.4

قال أبو أحمد وما رأيت أحدًا في نفس أحد أجلّ من أبي تمّام في نفس الحسن بن وهب قال وكان الحسن يحفظ أكثر شعر أبي تمّام كأنّه يختار من القصيدة ما يحفظه.

Abū Aḥmad al-Barbarī said: I never saw anyone have greater affection for another than did al-Ḥasan ibn Wahb for Abū Tammām. Al-Ḥasan committed most of Abū Tammām’s poetry to memory, apparently selecting from each poem portions to memorize.

٦٢62

وقيل لأبي تمّام مدحت دينار بن يزيد فقال ما أردت بمدحه إلّا أن أكشف شعر عليّ بن جَبَلة فيه فقلت

مَهَاةَ ٱلنَّقَا وَلَوْلَا ٱلشَّوَى وَٱلْمَآبِضُ

ولم يمدحه بغيرها.

Abū Tammām was asked, “Did you really praise Dīnār ibn Yazīd?”¹⁸³

“I only praised him,” Abū Tammām retorted, “in order to expose ʿAlī ibn Jabalah’s poetry about him. So I said:

Oryxes of al-Naqā—were it not for their legs and the backs of their knees.”¹⁸⁴

Abū Tammām praised him with no other verses.

٦٣63

حدّثني به عليّ بن إسماعيل قال حدّثني عليّ بن العبّاس الروميّ قال حدّثني مِثقال قال

دخلت على أبي تمّام وقد عمل شعرًا لم أسمع أحسن منه وفي الأبيات بيت واحد ليس كسائرها وعلم أنّي قد وقفت على البيت فقلت له لو أسقطت هذا البيت فضحك وقال لي أتراك أعلم بهذا منّي؟ إنّما مثل هذا مثل رجل له بنون جماعة كلّهم أديب جميل متقدّم فيهم واحد قبيح متخلّف فهو يعرف أمره ويرى مكانه ولا يشتهي أن يموت ولهذه العلّة وقع مثل هذا في أشعار الناس.

I cite ʿAḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl, who cites ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Rūmī, who cites Mithqāl as follows:

I visited Abū Tammām at home, when he had just composed a poem that was the most beautiful thing I ever heard. But one of the verses was not like the others, and he knew that I had noticed this.

“Why don’t you drop that verse,” I said.

“Do you think you know more about this than I do?” he retorted with a laugh. “This is like a father who has several sons, each accomplished, handsome, and brilliant. But one of them is ugly and mediocre. The father is conscious of this and well aware, but still he does not wish him to die. A similar thing happens with poems, for the same reason.”

١،٦٤64.1

حدّثنا أبو أحمد عبيد الله بن عبد الله بن طاهر قال

لمّا قدم أبو تمّام إلى خراسان اجتمع الشعراء إليه فقالوا نسمع شعر هذا العراقيّ فسألوه أن ينشدهم فقال قد وعدني الأمير أن أنشده غدًا وستسمعون. فلمّا دخل على عبد الله أنشده [الطويل]

هُنَّ١ عَوَادِي يُوسُفٍ وَصَوَاحِبُهْ

فَعَزْمًا فَقِدْمًا أَدْرَكَ ٱلسُّؤْلَ طَالِبُهْ

فلمّا بلغ إلى قوله

وَقَلْقَلَ نَأْيٌ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ جَأْشَهَا	فَقُلْتُ ٱطْمَئِنِّي أَنْضَرُ ٱلرَّوْضِ عَازِبُهْ
وَرَكْبٍ كَأَطْرَافِ٢ ٱلْأَسِنَّةِ عَرَّسُوا	عَلَى مِثْلِهَا وَٱللَّيْلُ دَاجٍ غَيَاهِبُهْ
لِأَمْرٍ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَتِمَّ صُدُورُهُ	وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَتِمَّ عَوَاقِبُهْ
عَلَى كُلِّ رَوَّادِ ٱلْمِلَاطِ تَهَدَّمَتْ	عَرِيكَتُهُ ٱلْعَلْيَاءُ وَٱنْضَمَّ حَالِبُهْ
رَعَتْهُ ٱلْفَيَافِي بَعْدَ مَا كَانَ حِقْبَةً	رَعَاهَا وَمَاءُ ٱلرَّوْضِ يَنْهَلُّ سَاكِبُهْ

١ ا: هُنَّ، كما أثبت في الديوان أيضًا بتكسير الوزن، ويروى (أَهُنَّ) في بعض مخطوطات الديوان. ٢ ا: امثال.

I cite Abū Aḥmad ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir for the following:

When Abū Tammām arrived in Khurasan, the poets flocked to him. “Let us hear the poetry of this Iraqi,” they said and asked him for a recital.

“The governor promised that I can recite for him tomorrow,” he responded, “so you will hear it then.” When he appeared before ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir he recited to him the following verses:

They are the temptresses and companions of Joseph.

Determination! Someone who pursues a quest always achieves it.

And then he reached the words:

The long way to Khurasan shook her composure.

So I said, “Be calm, the lushest meadow is the farthest one.”

A troop like speartips, who took their rest on speartips

when the night turned pitch-black,¹⁸⁵

For a matter which they must begin,

though they need not bring it to a close.

Riding every camel mare whose shoulders move as they amble,

towering humps travel-worn, udders shriveled.

The wastelands now feed on her. For a year she had fed on them,

as heavy rain beat down on the meadows.¹⁸⁶

٢،٦٤64.2

ويروى رَعَتْهُ الصَّحَارى ويروى رَعَتْهُ ٱلْفَيَافِي جمع فَيْفَاة.

Al-Ṣūlī: Both versions are transmitted “the deserts feed on her” and “the wastelands feed on her.”¹⁸⁷

٣،٦٤64.3

فصاح الشعراء بالأمير أبي العبّاس ما يستحقّ مثل هذا الشعر إلّا الأمير أعزّه الله وقال شاعر منهم يعرف بالرِّياحيّ لي عند الأمير أعزّه الله جائزة وعدني بها وهي له جزاءً عن قوله.

فقال الأمير بل نضعفها لك ونقوم بالواجب له فلمّا فرغ من القصيدة نُثر عليه ألف دينار فلقطها الغلمان ولم يمسّ منها شيئًا فوجد عليه الأمير وقال يترفّع عن برّي ويتهاون بما أكرمته به.

قال فما بلغ بعد ذلك ما أراد منه.

The poets shouted to the governor Abū l-ʿAbbās, “The governor, God support him, merits such poetry, no else does.” One of the poets, known as al-Riyāḥī, said, “The governor, God support him, promised me a reward which is still outstanding: it should go to Abū Tammām in return for his composition.” “We will double it for you,” the governor said, “and do right by Abū Tammām.” When he had finished the poem, a thousand dinars were scattered over Abū Tammām, but he touched none of them and the servants picked them up. The governor resented this, “He scorned my kindness and belittled the riches I gave him.”¹⁸⁸ After this, Abū Tammām did not get what he wanted from the governor.

٤،٦٤64.4

قوله وَرَكْبٍ كَأَطْرَافِ ٱلْأَسِنَّةِ مأخوذ من قول البَعيث [الطويل]

أَطَافَتْ بِشُعْثٍ كَٱلْأَسِنَّةِ هُجَّدٍ

بِخَاشِعَةِ ٱلأَصْوَاءِ١ غُبْرٍ صُحُونُهَا

١ ا: الاضواء.

His words “a troop like speartips” are taken from al-Baʿīth:

Unkempt, thin as speartips, they roamed through

the dusty wastes of a desert strewn with mounds of stone.

٥،٦٤64.5

وهذان البيتان

وَرَكْبٍ كَأَطْرَافِ ٱلْأَسِنَّةِ عَرَّسُوا	عَلَى مِثْلِها وَٱللَّيْلُ دَاجٍ غَيَاهِبُهْ١
لِأَمْرٍ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَتِمَّ صُدُورُه	وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَتِمَّ عَوَاقِبُهْ

فهما منقولان من قول الشاعر [الوافر]

غُلَامُ وَغًى تَقَحَّمَهَا فَأَبْلَى	فَخَانَ بَلَاءَهُ دَهْرٌ خَؤُونُ
فَكَانَ عَلَى ٱلْفَتَى ٱلْإقْدَامُ فِيهَا	وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْه مَا جَنَتِ ٱلْمَنُونُ

١ ا: رواية (تسطو غياهبُهْ ) مكتوبة في الهامش.

And these two verses:

A troop like speartips, who took their rest on speartips

when the night turned pitch-black,

For a matter which they must begin,

though they need not bring it to a close

are copied from the words of a poet:

A man of war: he rushed in and put himself to the test.

But treacherous fate betrayed his attempt.¹⁸⁹

A brave man’s task is courage in war;

he cannot control what fate wreaks.

١،٦٥65.1

حدّثنا محمّد بن يزيد الأزديّ قال سمعت الحسن بن رجاء يقول

ما رأيت أحدًا قطّ أعلم بجيّد الشعر قديمه وحديثه من أبي تمّام.

I cite al-Mubarrad, who heard al-Ḥasan ibn Rajāʾ say:

I never saw anyone more knowledgeable about fine poetry, both ancient and modern, than Abū Tammām.

٢،٦٥65.2

حدّثني الحسين بن إسحاق قال سمعت ابن الدقّاق يقول

حضرنا مع أبي تمّام وهو ينتخب أشعار المحدثين فمرّ به شعر محمّد بن أبي عُيَيْنة المطبوع الذي يهجو به^١ خالدًا فنظر فيه ورمى به وقال هذا كلّه مختار.

وهذا أدلّ دليل على علم أبي تمّام بالشعر لأنّ ابن أبي عيينة أبعد الناس شبهًا به وذلك أنّه يتكلّم بطبعه ولا يكدّ فكره ويخرج ألفاظه مخرج نَفَسه وأبو تمّام يتعب نفْسه ويكدّ طبعه ويطيل فكره ويعمل المعاني ويستنبطها ولكنّه قال هذا في ابن أبي عُيينة لعلمه بجيّد الشعر أيّ نحو كان.

١ (به) زيادة يقتضيها السياق.

I cite al-Ḥusayn ibn Isḥāq, who heard Ibn al-Daqqāq say:

I was visiting Abū Tammām, while he was compiling a selection of modern poetry. When he came across an effortless poem by Ibn Abī ʿUyaynah in which he lampooned Khālid, Abū Tammām looked at it and put it to one side. “The whole poem is a keeper,” he said.

This is the best proof of Abū Tammām’s knowledge of poetry, for Ibn Abī ʿUyaynah could not have been more unlike him. He composed with natural talent, without too much thought; he literally breathed poetry. Abū Tammām on the other hand exhausted himself, strained his talent, and thought long and hard, crafting and developing motifs. But he made this comment about Ibn Abī ʿUyaynah because he knew good poetry, whatever its type.

١،٦٦66.1

حدّثني محمّد بن موسى قال سمعت الحسن بن وهب يقول

دخل أبو تمّام على محمّد بن عبد الملك فأنشده قصيدته التي أوّلها [الطويل]

لَهَانَ عَلَيْنَا أنْ نَقُولَ وَتَفْعَلَا^١

فلمّا بلغ إلى قوله

وَجَدْنَاكَ أنْدَى مِنْ رِجَالٍ أَنَامِلًا	وَأَحْسَنَ فِي ٱلْحَاجَاتِ٢ وَجْهًا وَأَجْمَلَا
تُضِيءُ إِذَا ٱسْوَدَّ ٱلزَّمَانُ وَبَعْضُهُمْ	يَرَى ٱلْمَوْتَ أَنْ يَنْهَلَّ أَوْ يَتَهَلَّلَا
وَوَٱللهِ ما آتِيكَ إِلَّا فَرِيضَةً	وَآتِي جَمِيعَ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَّا تَنَفُّلَا
وَلَيْسَ ٱمْرُؤٌ فِي ٱلنَّاسِ كُنْتَ سِلَاحَهُ	عَشِيَّةَ٣ يَلْقَى ٱلْحَادِثَاتِ بِأَعْزَلَا

فقال له محمّد والله ما أحبّ بمدحك مدح غيرك لتجويدك وإبداعك ولكنّك تنغّص مدحك ببذله لغير مستحقّه.

فقال لسان العذر معقول وإن كان فصيحًا. ومرّ في القصيدة فأمر له بخمسة آلاف درهم.

١ ا: عليها أنْ نَقُولَ ونفعلا. ٢ ا: الحالات. ٣ ا: عشيه.

I cite Muḥammad ibn Mūsā, who heard al-Ḥasan ibn Wahb say:

Abū Tammām appeared before Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik and recited to him his poem which begins:

Easy it is for us to speak and for you to act. . .

and then he reached the words:

We find your hands to be more generous than those of other men

and your face more handsome and appealing when we make requests.

You shine when times are black,

while some men think it death to give generously or smile.

By God, what I offer you is a religious duty,

while I offer other people only voluntary works.

No man who carries you as his weapon

faces life’s uncertainties unarmed.¹⁹⁰

“By God,” Muḥammad said, “now that I am familiar with your praise, I no longer like anyone else’s, because of your quality and novelty. But you spoil your praise by bestowing it on those who are unworthy.” “I won’t make excuses, though I could do so eloquently,”¹⁹¹ Abū Tammām replied and continued with the poem, and Muḥammad ordered that he be given five thousand dirhams.

٢،٦٦66.2

وكتب إليه بعد ذلك [الطويل]

رَأَيْتُكَ سَمْحَ ٱلْبَيْعِ سَهْلًا وَإِنَّمَا	يُغَالَى إِذَا مَا ضَنَّ بِٱلْبَيْعِ بَائِعُهْ
فَأَمَّا إِذَا هَانَتْ بَضَائِعُ مَالِهِ	فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ تَبْقَى عَلَيْهِ بَضَائِعُهْ
هُوَ ٱلْمَاءُ إِنْ أجْمَمْتَهُ طَابَ وِرْدُهُ	وَيُفْسِدُ مِنْهُ أَنْ تُبَاحَ شَرَائِعُهْ

Afterward Muḥammad wrote to the poet:

I see you are a generous and easy-going vendor,

but a high price is only achieved when a merchant hangs on to his goods.

If he gives his merchandise little value

he runs the risk that his merchandise will stay with him.

Such is water: sweet when you let it collect in a pool

but free access pollutes it.

٦٧67

حدّثني أبو بكر أحمد بن سعيد الطائيّ قال

كان ابن عبد كان وإسماعيل بن القاسم وهما علمان من أعلام الكتّاب والأدب يقولان البحتريّ أشعر من أبي تمّام.

قال فذكرت ذلك للبحتريّ فقال لي لا تفعل يا ابن عمّ فوالله ما أكلت الخبز إلّا به.

I cite Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd al-Ṭāʾī, who said:

Ibn ʿAbd Kān and Ismāʿīl ibn al-Qāsim—two paragons of secretaryship and literature—used to say, “Al-Buḥturī is a better poet than Abū Tammām.”

When I mentioned this to al-Buḥturī he said to me, “Don’t say this, cousin, by God, he is the sole reason I can earn my daily bread.”

٦٨68

حدّثنا عبد الله بن الحسين قال حدّثني البحتريّ قال

سمعت أبا تمّام يقول أوّل شعر قلتُه [الطويل]

تَقِي جَمَحَاتِي لَسْتُ طَوْعَ مُؤَنِّبِي

ومدحت بها عيّاش بن لهيعة فأعطاني خمسة آلاف درهم.

I cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn, who cites al-Buḥturī:

I heard Abū Tammām say, “The first poetry I ever said was:

Beware of my willfulness! I do not obey him who rebukes me . . .¹⁹²

“I praised ʿAyyāsh ibn Lahīʿah with it, and he paid me five thousand dirhams.”

١،٦٩69.1

حدّثني محمّد بن عبد الله التميميّ أبو عبد الله الحَزَنْبَل قال حدّثني سعيد بن جابِر الكَرْخيّ قال حدّثني أبي قال

حضرت أبا تمّام وقد أنشد أبا دُلَف قصيدته البائيّة التي امتحده بها وعنده جماعة من أشراف العرب والعجم التي أوّلها [الطويل]

عَلَى مِثْلِهَا مِنْ أَرْبُعٍ وَمَلَاعِبِ	أُذِيلَتْ مَصُونَاتُ ٱلدُّمُوعِ ٱلسَّوَاكِبِ
أمَيْدَانَ لَهْوِي مَنْ أَتَاحَ لَكَ ٱلْبِلَى	فَأَصْبَحْتَ مَيْدَانَ ٱلصَّبَا وَٱلْجَنَائِبِ

فلمّا بلغ إلى قوله

إِذَا ٱلْعِيسُ لَاقَتْ بِي أَبَا دُلَفٍ فَقَدْ	تَقَطَّعَ مَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ ٱلنَّوَائِبِ
إِذَا مَا غَدَا أَغْدَى كَرِيمَةَ مَالِهِ	هَدِيًّا وَلَوْ زُفَّتْ لِأَلْأَمِ خَاطِبِ
وأَحْسَنُ مِن نَوْرٍ يُفتِّحُه ٱلنَّدَى	بَيَاضُ ٱلْعَطَايَا فِي سَوَادِ ٱلْمَطَالِبِ
إِذَا أَلْجَمَتْ يَوْمًا لُجَيْمٌ وَحَوْلَهَا	بَنُو ٱلْحِصْنِ نَجْلُ ٱلْمُحْصَنَاتِ ٱلنَّجَائِبِ
فَإِنَّ ٱلْمَنَايَا وَٱلصَّوَارِمَ وَٱلْقَنَا	أَقَارِبُهُمْ فِي ٱلرَّوْعِ دُونَ ٱلْأَقَارِبِ
إذا ٱفْتَخَرَتْ يَوْمًا تَميمٌ بقَوْسِها	وَزَادَتْ عَلَى مَا وَطَّدَتْ مِنْ مَنَاقِبِ
فَأَنْتُمْ بِذِي قَارٍ أَمَالَتْ سُيُوفُكُمْ	عُرُوشَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَرْهَنُوا قَوْسَ حَاجِبِ
مَحَاسِنُ مِنْ مَجْدٍ مَتَى يَقْرِنُوا بِهَا	مَحَاسِنَ أَقْوَامٍ تَكُنْ كَٱلْمَعَائِبِ
مَكَارِمُ لَجَّتْ فِي عُلُوٍّ كَأَنَّمَا	تُحَاوِلُ ثَأْرًا عِنْدِ بَعْضِ ٱلْكَوَاكِبِ

I cite Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Tamīmī, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥazanbal, who cites Saʿīd ibn Jābir al-Karkhī, who cites his father as follows:

I was with Abū Tammām when he recited his praise poem rhyming in B to Abū Dulaf, in front of a group of Arab and Persian nobles. It begins:

Over encampments and places of play such as this

tears long suppressed are poured forth.

Place of my pleasure, who let you decay

and become a place for the south and east winds?

And then he reached the words—

When red camels bring me face to face with Abū Dulaf

I am safe from all vicissitudes . . .

At forenoon he makes his cherished wealth a bride

though she be led to the lowest suitor . . .

His bright gifts in response to dark requests are more beautiful

than white blossoms opened by the dew.¹⁹³

When the Lujaym¹⁹⁴ one day harness their steeds,

surrounded by the children of the fortress, offspring of chaste noblewomen,

Death, sharp swords, and spears

are their true relatives in fear . . .

When the Tamīm, one day, boast with their bow¹⁹⁵

and embellish the virtues they firmly secured,

Your swords in the Battle of Dhū Qār

toppled the throne of him who took Hājib’s bow in pledge.¹⁹⁶

When the achievements of others are held

next to their glorious achievements, they look like defects.

Noble deeds soaring ever higher as if they were

trying to exact revenge from a star.

٢،٦٩69.2

أخذ هذا عليّ بن الجهم فوصف الفوّارة فقال [المتقارب]

وَفَوَّارَةٍ ثَأْرُهَا فِي ٱلسَّمَاءِ

فَلَيْسَتْ تُقَصِّرُ عَنْ ثَأْرِهَا

Al-Ṣūlī: ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm borrowed this to describe a fountain:

A fountain which shoots high and seeks revenge in the skies

and never fails.¹⁹⁷

٣،٦٩69.3

قال فقال أبو دُلف يا معشر ربيعة ما مدحتم بمثل هذا الشعر قطّ فما عندكم لقائله؟ قال فبادروه بمطارفهم وعمائمهم يرمون بها إليه فقال أبو دلف قد قبلها وأعاركم لبسها وسأنوب في ثوابه عنكم تَمِّم يا أبا تمّام. فلمّا بلغ إلى قوله

وَلَوْ كَانَ يَفْنَى ٱلشِّعْرُ أَفْنَاهُ مَا قَرَتْ	حِيَاضُكَ مِنْهُ فِي ٱلْعُصُورِ ٱلذَّوَاهِبِ
وَلٰكِنَّهُ صَوْبُ ٱلْعُقُولِ إِذَا ٱنْثَنَتْ	سَحَائِبُ مِنْهَا أُعْقِبَتْ بِسَحَائِبِ

فقال أبو دلف ادفعوا إلى أبي تمّام خمسين ألف درهم ووالله إنّها لدون شعره.

“Clan of Rabīʿah,” Abū Dulaf cried, “never have you been praised with such poetry! What will you give the one who said this?” They grabbed their shawls and turbans and threw them toward Abū Tammām.

“He has accepted these,” Abū Dulaf said, “and lends them to you for you to wear. I will give him a good reward on your behalf. Finish, Abū Tammām!” And when Abū Tammām reached the words:

If poetry could run dry, then the abundance collected in your pools

over the passing of the ages would have made it run dry.

But poetry pours from men’s minds:

when one group of clouds departs, another follows.¹⁹⁸

Abū Dulaf said, “Pay Abū Tammām fifty thousand dirhams, though, by God, this is not enough for his poetry.”¹⁹⁹

٤،٦٩69.4

ثمّ قال له ما مثل هذا القول إلّا ما رثيتَ به محمّد بن حُمَيد قال

وأيّ ذلك أراد الأمير؟

قال قولك [الطويل]

وَمَا مَاتَ حَتَّى مَاتَ مَضْرِبُ سَيْفِهِ	مِنَ ٱلضَّرْبِ وَٱعْتَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْقَنَا ٱلسُّمْرُ
وَقَدْ كَانَ فَوْتُ ٱلْمَوْتِ سَهْلًا فرَدَّهُ	إِلَيْهِ ٱلْحِفَاظُ ٱلْمُرُّ وَٱلْخُلُقُ ٱلْوَعْرُ
فَأَثْبَتَ فِي مُسْتَنْقِعِ ٱلْمَوْتِ رِجْلَهُ	وَقَالَ لَهَا مِنْ تَحْتِ أَخْمُصِكِ ٱلْحَشْرُ
غَدَا غُدْوَةً وَٱلْحَمْدُ حَشْوُ رِدَائِهِ	فَلَمْ يَنْصَرِفْ إِلَّا وَأَكْفَانُهُ ٱلْأَجْرُ
كَأَنَّ بَنِي نَبْهَانَ يَوْمَ وَفَاتِهِ	نُجُومُ سَمَاءٍ خَرَّ مِنْ بَيْنِها ٱلْبَدْرُ
يُعَزَّوْنَ عَنْ ثَاوٍ تُعَزَّى بِهِ ٱلْعُلَا	وَيَبْكِي عَلَيْهِ ٱلْجُودُ وَٱلْبَأْسُ وَٱلشِّعْرُ

وددتُ والله أنّها لك فيّ.

فقال بل أفدي الأمير بنفسي وأهلي وأكون المقدَّم قبل.

فقال له لم يمت من رثي بمثل هذا الشعر.

He turned to Abū Tammām, “Nothing compares to this composition except your lament of Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd.”

“Which passage does the commander mean?” Abū Tammām asked.

“Your words:

He did not die before his sword edge broke²⁰⁰ from striking,

and he twice served drink to tawny spears.

To escape death would have been simple—

but grim resolve and rugged character brought him back to face death . . .²⁰¹

He placed his foot in the swamp of death

and said to it, ‘Beneath you lies the resurrection.’

In the early morning he clothed himself in praise,

and did not leave before the shrouds were his reward . . .

On the day he died, the Banū Nabhān²⁰² were like the stars

from whose midst the full moon had fallen

Consoled for a man dwelling in a tomb for whose loss Greatness too must be comforted,

and over whom Magnanimity, Bravery, and Poetry weep.²⁰³

“By God, I wish that you had said this about me!”

“I and my kin will give our lives for the commander, may death take me before him!”

“A man lamented with such poetry is not dead.”²⁰⁴

٥،٦٩69.5

قال أبو بكر ومن أعجب العجب وأفظع المنكر أنّ قومًا عابوا قوله

كَأَنَّ بَنِي نَبْهَانَ يَوْمَ وَفَاتِهِ

نُجُومُ سَمَاءٍ خَرَّ مِنْ بَيْنِها ٱلْبَدْرُ

فقالوا أراد أن يمدحه فهجاه كأنّ^١ أهله كانوا خاملين بحياته فلمّا مات أضاءوا بموته وقالوا كان يجب أن يقول كما قال الخُرَيْميّ [الطويل]

إِذَا قَمَرٌ مِنْهُمْ تَغَوَّرَ أَوْ خَبَا

بَدَا قَمَرٌ فِي جَانِبِ ٱلْأُفْقِ يَلْمَعُ

١ ا: لانّ.

Al-Ṣūlī: The most astonishing thing, the most offensive outrage, is that some people found fault with his words:

On the day he died, the Banū Nabhān were like the stars

from whose midst the full moon had fallen.²⁰⁵

“He meant to praise him but lampooned him instead,” they said. “It is as if his kin were obscure during his lifetime, and when he died they shone by virtue of his death. He should instead have said something like al-Khuraymī’s verse:

When one of their moons fades or is eclipsed

another moon appears on the horizon, shining.”

٦،٦٩69.6

ولا أعرف لمن صحّ عقله ونفذ في علم من العلوم خاطرُه عذرًا في مثل هذا القول ولا أعذر من يسمعه فلا يردّه عليه اللهمّ إلّا أن يكون يريد عيبه والطعن عليه. ولِمَ يعرض من يذهب هذا عليه لعلم الشعر والكلام في معانيه وتمييز ألفاظه؟ ولعلّه ظنّ أنّ هذا العلم ممّا يقع لأفطن الناس وأذكاهم من غير تعليم وتعب شديد ولزوم لأهله طويل فكيف لأبلدهم وأغباهم؟ وليس من أجابه طبعه إلى فنّ من العلوم أو فنّين أجابه إلى غير ذلك.

I cannot excuse a person in his right mind and master of a scholarly discipline for saying such things. Nor do I excuse anyone who listens and does not protest—unless, by God, he wanted to blame and insult Abū Tammām. In the first place, why does the person guilty of such misjudgment devote himself at all to the subject of poetry, debating its motifs, and evaluating its formulations? Perhaps he imagines that this knowledge comes to the brightest and cleverest people without any need of instruction, serious effort, and long study with its experts. But what then about a dull and slow student? Anyway, someone who is by nature suited for one or two kinds of knowledge is not necessarily suited for others.

٧،٦٩69.7

قد كان الخليل بن أحمد أذكى العرب والعجم في وقته بإجماع أكثر الناس^١ فنفذ طبعه في كلّ شيء تعاطاه ثمّ شرع في الكلام فتخلّفت قريحته ووقع منه بعيدًا فأصحابه يحتجّون عن شيء لفظ به إلى الآن.

١ ا: باكثر اجماع الناس.

Most agree that among Arabs and foreigners, al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad was the wisest scholar of his time. He was so talented that he mastered everything he took up. Then he started to write about theology, and his natural aptitude failed him. He went off track, and even now his disciples are busy defending some of his utterances.

٨،٦٩69.8

وليت شعري متى جالس هؤلاء القوم من يحسن هذا أو أخذوا عنه وسمعوا قوله؟ أتراهم يظنّون أنّ من فسّر غريب قصيدة أو أقام إعرابها أحسن أن يختار جيّدها ويعرف الوسط والدون منها ويميّز ألفاظها؟ وأيّ أئمّتهم كان يحسنه آلذي^١ يقول وهو يهجو الأصمعيّ بزعمه [البسيط]

إِنِّي لَأَرْفَعُ نَفْسِي ٱلْيَوْمَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ	مَا شَكْلُهُ لِيَ شَكْلٌ بَلْ هُوَ ٱلنَّابِي
فِيهِ ٱلْمَعَائِبُ مَا تَخْلُو وَحُقَّ لَهُ	لِأَنَّهُ كَاذِبٌ يُدْعَى لِكَذَّابِ
لَمَّا ٱلْتَقَيْنَا وَقَدْ جَدَّ ٱلْجِرَاءُ بِنَا	جَاءَ ٱلْجَوَادُ أَمَامَ ٱلْكَوْدَنِ ٱلْكَابِي

أو الذي يقول في مجلس بعض أجلّاء الكتّاب وقد حلّفه صاحب المجلس أن ينشده من شعره إن كان قال شعرًا فاستعفاه فلم يزل به إلى أن أنشده لنفسه [الرجز]

مَنْ يَشْتَرِي شَيْخًا بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ	قَدْ شَاخَ ثُمَّ دَرَّ مَرَّتَيْنِ
لَيْسَ لَهُ سِوَى ثَنِيَّتَيْنِ

١ ا: الذي.

If only I knew when these people had sat with an expert in the discipline of poetry or studied with him and listened to what he had to say. Imagine: They think that anyone who explains the rare vocabulary of a poem or supplies its case endings can pick out what is good in it, recognize the mediocre and the inferior and evaluate its formulations! Who among their authorities was an expert in this art? Was it the one who lampooned al-Aṣmaʿī and claimed:

I raise myself today above a man

who is not my match—no, he misses.

Of vices he has no lack and it serves him right,

because he is a liar whom only liars wish well.

When we meet for a fiercely contested race,

the noble steed comes in first, before the stumbling nag.

Or was it the one who attended the gathering of an illustrious scribe and was asked by the host if he composed poetry and beseeched to recite some of it? The guest asked to be excused, but the host insisted, and the guest recited his ditty:

Who will buy an old goat of a scholar²⁰⁶ for two dirhams,

Advanced in years, with only two milkings left in him,

And just two teeth?

٩،٦٩69.9

فهذه أشعار أئمّتهم وما ظننت أنّ أحدًا يتعلّق بقليل الأدب يجهل هذا الذي عابوه على أبي تمّام ولا أنّ الله عزّ وجلّ يحوجني إلى تفسير مثله أبدًا وقد قالت الحكماء لو سكت من لا يدري استراح الناس. وقالوا بكثرة لا أدري يقلّ الخطأ. وقال بعض الأوائل لقد حسنت عندي لا أدري حتّى أردت أقولها فيما أدري وقال بعض الشعراء [الطويل]

سَأَقْضِي بِحَقٍّ يَتْبَعُ ٱلنَّاسُ نَهْجَهُ	وَيَنْفَعُ أَهْلَ ٱلْجَهْلِ عِنْدَ ذَوِي ٱلْخُبْرِ
إِذَا كُنْتَ لَا تَدْرِي وَلَمْ تَسَلِ ٱلَّذِي	تُرَى أَنَّهُ يَدْرِي فَكَيْفَ إِذَنْ تَدْرِي

Such are the poems of their authorities. I do not think that anyone with a smattering of learning is in the dark about why they blame Abū Tammām. Nor had I thought that God (Mighty and Glorious) would ever put me in the position of having to explain such a thing.²⁰⁷ The philosophers said, “If the ignoramus kept quiet, people would be left in peace,” and “To keep saying ‘I do not know’ produces fewer mistakes.” One of the Ancients said: “I liked saying ‘I do not know’ so much that I even wanted to apply it to the things I do know.” A poet said:

I will convey a truth whose path people will follow:

the ignorant benefit from the informed.

If you do not know and do not ask him

who appears to know, how will you ever know?

I will explain this, God willing.²⁰⁸

١٠،٦٩69.10

وأنا مفسّر ذلك إن شاء الله.

يروى عن أمير المؤمنين عليّ بن أبي طالب صلوات الله عليه أنّ رجلًا ذكر له بعض أهل الفضل فقال له صدقت ولكنّ السراج لا يضيء بالنهار. فلم يُرِد رضوان الله عليه أنّ ضوء السراج ليس حالًّا فيه ولا أنّه زالت عنه ذاته ولكنّه بالإضافة إلى ضوء النهار لا يضيء ولم يطعن على ضوء النهار ولا على السراج ولكنّه قال فاضلٌ وأفضل منه وقال الشاعر وأحسن [الطويل]

أَصَفْرَاءُ كَانَ ٱلْوُدُّ مِنْكِ مُبَاحًا	لَيَالِيَ كَانَ ٱلْهَجْرُ مِنْكِ مُزَاحَا
وَكُنَّ جَوَارِي ٱلْحَيِّ إِذْ كُنْتِ فِيهِمُ	قِبَاحًا فَلَمَّا غِبْتِ صِرْنَ مِلَاحَا

وما أراد إلّا تفضيلها ولم يطعن على أحد والقباح لا يصرن ملاحًا في لحظة ولكنّه أراد أنّهنّ ملاح وهي أملح منهنّ فإذا اجتمعن كنّ دونها.

It is related that a person of distinction was mentioned to Caliph ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (God’s blessings upon him). ʿAlī commented, “You are right, but a lamp does not shine by day.” He (God be pleased with him) did not mean that there was no light in the lamp or that it had ceased to be what it was. The lamp is dim in comparison with the light of day.²⁰⁹ He was not attacking daylight or lamps, but he meant someone of modest distinction as opposed to someone who is more distinguished. A poet excellently said:

Ṣafrāʾ, your love was freely given

in nights when your departure was still a jest.

While you were among them, the maidens of the quarter were ugly,

but became beautiful when you were gone.²¹⁰

He wanted merely to set her above them without insulting anyone, for ugly people do not become beautiful in an instant. Rather, he meant that they were beautiful, but she was more so, and when they were all together, they were inferior to her.

١١،٦٩69.11

وقال إبراهيم بن العبّاس الصوليّ [البسيط]

مَا كُنْتِ فِيهِنَّ إِلَّا كُنْتِ وَاسِطَةً

وَكُنَّ دُونَكِ يُمْنَاهَا ويُسْرَاهَا

أنشدَناه^١ أبو العبّاس أحمد بن يحيى عن إبراهيم بن العبّاس وأملى شعر إبراهيم إملاءً وكان يستجيد هذا. ولم يُرِد إبراهيم أن يذمّهنّ وهنّ معها في نظم ولكنّه فضّلها. فأراد أبو تمّام تفضيله عليهم وإن كانوا أفاضل. وليس ضياء البدر يذهب بالكواكب جملةً ولا ينقل طبعها ولكنّ المستضيء به أبصر من المستضيء بالكواكب فإذا فقد البدر استضاء بهذه وهي دونه. فكأنّ أبا تمّام قال إن ذهب البدر منهم فقد بقيتْ فيهم^٢ كواكب.

١ ا: أنشدنا. ٢ ا: فيه.

Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ṣūlī said:

Among them you were a center pearl,

and they, left and right, were below you.

Abū l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā Thaʿlab recited these lines from Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās—Abū l-ʿAbbās used to dictate Ibrāhīm’s verses to his students, and he always praised this verse. Ibrāhīm did not want to blame the other women—they were after all strung on the string beside her—but to elevate her. Thus Abū Tammām wanted to place Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd above his clan, even if they were all excellent. The light of the full moon does not make the stars vanish altogether nor change their nature. But one sees better with moonlight than with starlight, and when there is no full moon, one uses the light of the stars, though it is not as strong. Abū Tammām appears to have meant: “Though the full moon has left them, they still have stars.”

١٢،٦٩69.12

وقد أحسن الذي يقول [الوافر]

وَلَسْتُ بِشَاتِمٍ كَعْبًا وَلٰكِنْ	عَلَى كَعْبٍ وَشَاعِرِهَا ٱلسَّلَامُ
بَنَانَا ٱللهُ فَوْقَ بِنَاءِ أَبِينَا	كَمَا يُبْنَى عَلَى ٱلثَّبَجِ ٱلسَّنَامُ
وَكَائِنْ فِي ٱلْمَعَاشِرِ مِنْ أُنَاسٍ	أَخُوهُمْ مِنْهُمُ وَهُمُ كِرَامُ

فهذا المعنى الذي غزاه أبو تمّام.

A poet composed some excellent verses:

I do not chide the Banū Kaʿb.

Peace be with the Kaʿb and their poet!

God placed us higher than the house of our fathers,

just as the camel’s hump is raised upon its back.

So it is with people who have a brother

but only they are noble.

This is the motif Abū Tammām was aiming for.

١٣،٦٩69.13

وقد نطق به النابغة بعينه فلو لزم أبا تمّام خطأ في هذا للزم النابغة لأنّه اعتذر إلى النُّعمان من ذهابه إلى آل جَفْنَةَ ولم يذمّهم ولكنّه فضّله عليهم وشكرهم فقال [الطويل]

وَلٰكِنَّنِي كُنْتُ ٱمْرَأً لِيَ جَانِبٌ	مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ فِيهِ مُسْتَرَادٌ١ وَمَطْلَبُ
مُلُوكٌ وَإِخْوَانٌ إِذَا مَا أَتَيْتُهُمْ	أُحَكَّمُ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ وأُقَرَّبُ

أما ترى كيف مدحهم؟ ثمّ قال

كَفِعْلِكَ فِي قَوْمٍ أَرَاكَ ٱصْطَنَعْتَهُمْ

فَلَمْ تَرَهُمْ فِي شُكْرِ ذٰلِكَ أَذْنَبُوا

وهذه^٢ أحسن معارضة وأوضح حجّة. يقول لا تَعِبْ شكري لهؤلاء عندك كما أنّك إذا أحسنت إلى قوم فشكروك عند أعدائك فليس ذلك بذنب لهم. ثمّ فضّله عليهم فقال [الطويل]

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللهَ أَعْطَاكَ سُورَةً	تَرَى كُلَّ مَلْكٍ دُونَهَا يَتَذَبْذَبُ
بِأَنَّكَ شَمْسٌ وٱلْمُلُوكُ كَوَاكِبٌ	إِذَا طَلَعَتْ لَمْ يَبْدُ مِنْهُنَّ كَوْكَبُ

١ ا: مستزاد. ٢ كذا في ا.

Al-Nābighah had also expressed the very same thing, and if Abū Tammām is guilty of error, so is al-Nābighah, for he apologized to al-Nuʿmān for going to the Ghassanids and managed to avoid belittling them. He elevated al-Nuʿmān above them and said:

But I was a man who roamed

through the land, following his quest.

When I visit brethren and kings, I am honored

and put in charge of their riches.

Don’t you see how he praised them all? He then said:

As you do with people to whom I see you grant favors,

and do not consider their gratitude a sin.

This is the most beautiful emulation²¹¹ and clearest argument by al-Nābighah. It means, “Do not blame me for expressing gratitude to them in your presence, in the same way as it is not a sin when you grant people favors and they show you gratitude in the presence of your enemies.” Then al-Nābighah elevated al-Nuʿmān above the other kings.

Don’t you see that God gave you a station

below which you see every monarch tremble?

You are a sun, other kings stars:

When the sun rises, the stars cannot be seen.

١٤،٦٩69.14

وهذا مفسّر بأشياء تؤول إلى معنًى واحد وهو فضلك عليهم كفضل الشمس على الكواكب. وقيل أراد أنّك ما صلُحْتَ لي لم أحتج إلى هؤلاء وإن كان فيهم فضل كما أنّ من أضاءت له الشمس لم يحتج إلى انتظار ضوء الكواكب.

All the things al-Nābighah explained hinge on a single motif: your superiority over the kings is like the superiority of the sun over the stars. It was said, “He meant, ‘As long as you are good to me, I don’t need these kings, even if they have a degree of excellence, as someone on whom the sun shines does not need to wait for the light of stars.’”

١٥،٦٩69.15

فحدّثني القاسم بن إسماعيل قال سمعت إبراهيم بن العبّاس يقول

لو أراد كاتب بليغ أن ينثر من هذه المعاني ما نظمه النابغة ما جاء به إلّا في أضعاف كلامه.

وكان يفضّل هذا الشعر على جميع الأشعار. وقد سبق النابغة إلى هذا شعراء كِندةَ فقال رجل^١ يمدح عمرو بن هِنْد من كلمة [الطويل]

تَكَادُ تَمِيدُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِٱلنَّاسِ أَنْ رَأَوْا	لِعَمْرِو بْنِ هِنْدٍ عُصْبَةً وَهْوَ عَاتِبُ
هُوَ ٱلشَّمْسُ وَافَتْ يَوْمَ سَعْدٍ فَأَفْضَلَتْ	عَلَى كُلِّ ضَوْءٍ وَٱلْمُلُوكُ كَوَاكِبُ

أنشدها أبو مُحَلِّم.

١ (رجل) زيادة من ع يقتضيها السياق.

I cite al-Qāsim ibn Ismāʿīl, who heard Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās say:

If an eloquent scribe wanted to rephrase in prose the motifs which al-Nābighah composed, he would need many more words to do so.

Al-Ṣūlī: Ibrāhīm used to prefer this poem to any other. Al-Nābighah was preceded in this motif by the poets of Kindah. One of them praised ʿAmr ibn Hind in a classic poem:

The earth underneath the people almost shakes

when they see ʿAmr ibn Hind’s troops and he is in a rage.

He is the sun that rises on an auspicious day,

and blinds the light: other kings are dim stars.

Abū Muḥallim recited these verses.

١٦،٦٩69.16

وقد أتى أبو تمّام بمعنى قول النابغة الذي فسّره إبراهيم بن العبّاس نقلًا إلّا أنّه في الغزل [الطويل]

وَقَالَتْ أَتَنْسَى ٱلْبَدْرَ قُلْتُ تَجَلُّدًا

إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ لَمْ تَغْرُبْ فَلَا طَلَعَ ٱلبَدْرُ

فهذا الذي أراده أبو تمّام.

Abū Tammām copied²¹² the motif expressed in al-Nābighah’s words, which Ibrāhīm had explained, except he applied it to the subject of love:

“Will you forget the full moon?” she asked.

“As long as the sun has not set,” I bravely replied, “the moon has not yet risen.”²¹³

This is what Abū Tammām had in mind.²¹⁴

١٧،٦٩69.17

وقال النجاشيّ [بسيط]

نِعْمَ ٱلْفَتَى أَنْتَ إِلَّا أَنَّ بَيْنَكُمَا

كَمَا تَفَاضَلَ ضَوْءُ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَٱلْقَمَرُ

Al-Najāshī said:

What a man you are! But the two of you

differ in excellence like sunlight and moonlight.

١٨،٦٩69.18

وأنشد أبو مُحلِّم لصَفِيّةَ الباهليّة وفيه غناء للغَريض فيما أظنّ [البسيط]

أَخْنَى عَلَى مَالِكٍ رَيْبُ ٱلزَّمَانِ وَهَلْ	يُبْقِي ٱلزَّمَانُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ وَلَا يَذَرُ
كُنَّا كَأَنْجُمِ لَيْلٍ بَيْنَنَا قَمَرٌ١	يَجْلُو ٱلدُّجَى فَهَوَى مِنْ بَيْنِنَا ٱلْقَمَرُ

فهذا كلام أبي تمّام ومعناه بعينه.

١ ع: بينها قمر.

Abū Muḥallim recited the following verses of Ṣafiyyah al-Bāhiliyyah, and al-Gharīḍ, I believe, put them into song:

The uncertainties of time betrayed Mālik;

time lets nothing remain as it is.

We were like the stars of the night with a moon in our midst²¹⁵

that dispelled the darkness, but the moon fell from our midst.²¹⁶

This is the very wording and meaning of Abū Tammām.²¹⁷

١٩،٦٩69.19

وقال جرير يرثي الوليد بن عبد الملك [البسيط]

إِنَّ ٱلْخَلِيفَةَ قَدْ وَارَتْ شَمَائِلَهُ	غَبْرَاءُ مَلْحُودَةٌ فِي جَوْلِهَا زَوَرُ
أَمْسَى بَنُوهُ وَقَدْ جَلَّتْ مُصِيبَتُهُمْ	مِثْلَ ٱلنُّجُومِ هَوَى مِنْ بَيْنِهَا ٱلْقَمَرُ

أفترى جريرًا أراد أن يهجو الوليد أو يقول إنّ بنيه زادوا بموته؟

Jarīr lamented al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik as follows:

A dusty vault with sloping walls

conceals the virtues of a caliph.

So immense was their loss that his sons became

like stars from whose midst the moon had fallen.

Do you think al-Jarīr meant to lampoon al-Walīd, or say that his sons benefited from his death?

٢٠،٦٩69.20

وقال نُصَيْب فأخذ معنى قول النابغة بعينه [الطويل]

هُوَ ٱلْبَدْرُ وَٱلنَّاسُ ٱلْكَوَاكِبُ حَوْلَهُ

وَهَلْ تُشْبِهُ ٱلْبَدْرَ ٱلْمُضِيءَ ٱلْكَوَاكِبُ

Nuṣayb said, taking the very motif expressed in al-Nābighah’s words:

He is the full moon; the people around him are stars.

Do stars resemble the shining moon?

٢١،٦٩69.21

ثمّ قالوا فهلّا قال كما قال الخُرَيْميّ [الطويل]

إِذَا قَمَرٌ مِنْهُمْ تَغَوَّرَ أَوْ خَبَا

بَدَا قَمَرٌ فِي جَانِبِ ٱلْأُفْقِ يَلْمَعُ

Next the critics said: “Why didn’t he say something like al-Khuraymī’s verse:²¹⁸

When one of their moons fades or is eclipsed

another moon appears on the horizon, shining.”

٢٢،٦٩69.22

فيجب على هذا أنْ يُقال له هلاّ قال الذي يقول

عَفَتِ ٱلدِّيارُ مَحَلُّها فمُقَامُهَا	... [الوافر]
أَلَا هُبِّي بِصَحَنِكِ فٱصْبَحِينَا	... [الوافر]

وهلاّ قال امرؤ القيس مكان

قِفا نَبْكِ مِنْ ذِكْرَى حَبِيبٍ ومَنْزِلِ	... [الطويل]
لِخَوْلَةَ أطْلَالٌ بِبُرْقَةِ ثَهْمَدِ	... [الطويل]

To this statement one must respond, “Why didn’t he who said:

The stopping places and dwellings of the encampments are effaced. . .²¹⁹

“instead say:

Bring the bowl and pour the morning draught. . .?²²⁰

“And why didn’t Imruʾ al-Qays, instead of saying:

Stop! Let us weep for the memory of a beloved and a dwelling. . .²²¹

“instead say:

Vestiges of Khawla’s camp lie on the sandy hill of Thahmad. . .?”²²²

٢٣،٦٩69.23

لأنّ المعنى الذي أراده أبو تمّام ليس ما أراد الخُرَيْميّ لأنّ أبا تمّام قصد التفضيل في السؤدد والخريميّ أراد التسوية فيه وأبو تمّام يقول مات سيّد وقام سيّد دونه والخريمي يريد مات سيّد وقام سيّد مثله. فكيف يستحسن قوم ذهب هذا عليهم أنْ ينطقوا في الشعر بحرف بعد ما فهموه؟ على أنّهم أعذر عندي ممّن يسمع منهم ويحكي قولهم.

The point is that the motif Abū Tammām intended is not the motif al-Khuraymī intended. Abū Tammām wanted to express superiority in leadership, whereas al-Khuraymī had equality in mind. Abū Tammām said, “A leader died and a lesser leader ascended,” whereas al-Khuraymī meant, “A leader died and his equal arose.” How, once he has finally understood, can anyone who missed the point of this deign to utter a word about poetry? Still, I find this sort more excusable than those who listen to them and mouth their words.

٢٤،٦٩69.24

وإنّما احتذى الخريميّ قول أَوْس بن حَجَر [الطويل]

إِذَا مُقْرَمٌ مِنَّا ذَرَا حَدُّ نَابِهِ

تَخَمَّطَ فِينَا نَابُ آخَرَ مُقْرَمِ

Al-Khuraymī was imitating Aws ibn Ḥajar:

When one of our noble stallions²²³ loses his teeth,

another noble stallion bares his teeth in a roar.²²⁴

٢٥،٦٩69.25

وهذا كما قال أبو الطَّمَحان القَيْنيّ [الطويل]

وَإِنَّي مِنَ ٱلقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمُ هُمُ	إِذَا مَاتَ مِنْهُمْ سَيِّدٌ قَامَ صَاحِبُهْ
كَوَاكِبُ دَجْنٍ كُلَّمَا غَابَ كَوْكَبٌ	بَدَا كَوْكَبٌ تَأْوِي إِلَيْهِ كَوَاكِبُهْ
أَضَاءَتْ لَهُمْ أَحْسَابُهُمْ وَوُجُوهُهُمْ	دُجَى ٱللَّيْلِ حَتَّى نَظَّمَ ٱلْجَزْعَ ثَاقِبُهْ

This is like what Abū l-Ṭamaḥān Ḥanẓalah ibn al-Sharqī l-Qaynī said:

I belong to a people who are what they are;

when one of their chiefs dies, his equal arises.

Stars in the darkness, when one star vanishes

another appears and his fellow stars take refuge there.

Their faces and their deeds brighten up the dark night,

so that one can thread gems on a string by their light.²²⁵

٢٦،٦٩69.26

وقال آخر [الطويل]

خِلَافَةُ أَهْلِ ٱلْأَرْضِ فِينَا وِرَاثَةٌ

إِذَا مَاتَ مِنَّا سَيِّدٌ قَامَ سَيِّدُ

Another poet said:

The caliphate is passed down among the inhabitants of the earth;

when one of our leaders dies another one rises.

٢٧،٦٩69.27

وقال طُفَيْل الغَنَويّ [الطويل]

كَوَاكَبُ دَجْنٍ كُلَّمَا ٱنْقَضَّ كَوْكَبٌ

بَدَا وَٱنْجَلَتْ عَنْهُ ٱلدُّجُنَّةُ كَوْكَبُ

Ṭufayl al-Ghanawī said:

Stars in the darkness: when one falls

another appears and drives the dark away.²²⁶

٢٨،٦٩69.28

وقال آخر [الطويل]

إِذَا سَيِّدٌ مِنَّا مَضَى لِسَبِيلِهِ

أَقَامَ عَمُودَ ٱلْمَجْدِ آخَرُ سَيِّدُ

فهذا الذي أراد الخريميّ.

Another poet said:

When one of our leaders passes away,

another leader raises the pillar of glory.

This is what al-Khuraymī meant.

١،٧٠70.1

ولولا الثقة بأنّ أشباه هذا تمرّ بهم فلا يعرفونها فإن تكلّفوها تكلّموا فيها بالجهل لصعب عليّ أن يفهم هذا غير أهله ومن يستحقّ سماع مثله. وهذه كتب جماعتهم ممّن مضى وغبر. هل نطقوا فيها بحرف من هذا قطّ أو ادّعوه أو ادّعاه مدّعٍ لهم أو تعرّضوا له؟ وفي هذا كفاية لمن خلع ثوب العصبيّة وأنصف من نفسه ونظر بعين عقله وتأمّل ما قلت بفكره فإنّ القلب بذكره وتخيّله أنظر من العين لما فقدتْه ورأتْه.

If it were not certain that such things²²⁷ do happen to the critics without them noticing it, and that they speak gibberish if they overstretch themselves, it would be difficult for me to make those who are not experts and are not privy to it understand this. We have the books left by the members of the group who have passed away. Did they utter a single word of this criticism at all? Or did they claim it? Or did anyone else claim it on their behalf? Or did they practice it? Their silence is enough for anyone who has renounced²²⁸ partisanship, found it within himself to be just, considers with the mind’s eye, and ponders my words. For the memory and imagination of the heart see better than the eye, once it no longer has something in its sight.

٢،٧٠70.2

وقد أحسن ابن قَنْبَر في قوله [البسيط]

إِنْ كُنْتَ لَسْتَ مَعِي فَٱلذِّكْرُ مِنْكَ مَعِي	يَرَاكَ قَلْبِي وَإِنْ غُيِّبْتَ عَنْ بَصَرِي
وَٱلْعَيْنُ تُبْصِرُ مَنْ تَهْوَى وتَفْقِدُهُ	وَنَاظِرُ ٱلْقَلْبِ لَا يَخْلُو مِنَ ٱلنَّظَرِ

Ibn Qanbar put this excellently in the following verses:

Even if you are not with me, my memory of you is.

My heart sees you, even though you are absent from my sight.

The eye sees, then no longer sees the one it loves,

but the heart’s eye never fails to see.

٣،٧٠70.3

وكأنّ هذا من قول بشّار [المنسرح]

قَالُوا بِسَلْمَى تَهْذِي وَلَمْ تَرَهَا	يَا بُعْدَ مَا غَاوَلَتْ بِكَ ٱلْفِكَرُ
فَقُلْتُ بَعْضُ ٱلْحَدِيثِ يَشْغَفُنِي١	وَٱلْقَلْبُ رَاءٍ مَا لَا يَرَى ٱلْبَصَرُ

١ ا: يشعفني.

This appears to derive from Bashshār’s words:

They say, “You rave about Salmā, without having seen her—

how far your thoughts have run away with you!”

I said, “A few words can make me besotted,

because the heart sees what the eye does not.”²²⁹

١،٧١71.1

وشبيه بهذا في الشناعة عيبُهم قولَه [البسيط]

لَوْ خَرَّ سَيْفٌ مِنَ ٱلْعَيُّوقِ مُنْصَلِتًا

مَا كَانَ إِلَّا عَلَى هَامَاتِهِمْ يَقَعُ

وقد رواه قوم مَا كَانَ إِلَّا عَلَى أَيْمَانِهِمْ يَقَعُ ولكنّا نبيّن صوابه وخطأ عائبه على الرواية الأولى وهي عندي التي قال.

إنّما أراد أبو تمّام كلّ حرب عليهم ومعهم وأنّ كلّ سيف يقاتلهم ليسلبهم عزّهم.

Equally detestable is when the critics blame Abū Tammām’s words:

If a drawn sword fell from Capella²³⁰

it would land on their heads.

People have also transmitted, “it would land on their right hands,” but I will clarify the verse’s correctness and the error of its detractors according to the former version, which, to my mind, is what Abū Tammām had said.

Abū Tammām meant that every war is either fought alongside them or against them, and that every sword attempts to rob them of their power.

٢،٧١71.2

وفي مثل ذلك يقول رجل من بني أبي بكر بن كِلاب. أنشدناه محمّد بن يزيد النحويّ [البسيط]

تَرْضَى ٱلْمُلُوكُ إِذَا نَالَتْ مَقَاتِلَنَا	وَيَأْخُذُونَ بِأَعْلَى غَايَةِ ٱلْحَسَبِ
وَكُلُّ حَيٍّ مِنَ ٱلْأَحْيَاءِ يَطْلُبُنَا	وَكُلُّ حَيٍّ لَهُ فِي قَتْلِنَا أَرَبُ
وَٱلْقَتْلُ مَيْتَتُنَا وَٱلصَّبْرُ شِيمَتُنَا	وَلَا نُرَاعُ إِذَا مَا ٱحْمَرَّتِ ٱلشُّهُبُ

وأراد مع ذلك أنّهم لا يموتون على الفُرُش والعرب تعيّر بذلك وأنّ السيوف تقع في وجوههم ورءوسهم لإقبالهم ولا تقع في أقفائهم وظهورهم لأنّهم ينهزمون^١.

١ كذا في ا.

On such a theme, a man from the Banū Abī Bakr ibn Kilāb uttered the following verses, which al-Mubarrad the Grammarian recited to me:

Kings rejoice when they strike us dead,

and seize the pinnacle of merit.

Every clan is after us,

makes killing us its goal.

Violent is our death, endurance is our mark.

We are not frightened when warriors²³¹ are red with blood.

By this he meant that the Banū Abī Bakr will not die in their beds—the Arabs reviled this—and that swords strike their faces and hands as they advance, rather than their backs and the backs of their heads as they retreat.

٣،٧١71.3

ولذلك قال كَعْبُ بن زُهَيْر في قصيدته التي امتدح بها النبيّ صلّى الله عليه وآله فآمنه بها بعد أن كان نذر دمه وأوّلها [البسيط]

بَانَتْ سُعَادُ فقَلْبِي ٱليَوْمَ مَتْبُولُ

مُتَيَّمٌ إِثْرَهَا لَمْ يُفْدَ مَكْبُولُ

فقال فيها يمدح قريشًا

لَا يَقَعُ ٱلطَّعْنُ إِلَّا فِي نُحُورِهِمِ

لَيْسَ لَهُمْ عَنْ حِيَاضِ ٱلْمَوْتِ تَهْلِيلُ

فلِم لم يعيبوا هذا الشعر على كَعْب وقد سمعه النبيّ عليه السلام وأثاب عليه؟

This is why Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr said something similar in his poem in praise of the Emissary (God bless him and his kin), who then granted Kaʿb protection after he had pronounced a death sentence upon him. It begins:

Suʿād is gone and my heart today is distraught,

left enslaved by her, shackled beyond redemption.

In this poem he praises the Quraysh:

Spear thrusts to their chests not their backs;

they do not shun the pools of death.

Why do the critics of Abū Tammām not blame Kaʿb for his poetry, which the Emissary (eternal peace be his) listened to and rewarded?

٤،٧١71.4

حدّثني محمّد بن العبّاس قال حدّثنا أبو حاتِم عن أبي عُبَيدة قال

فخر رجل من ولد حبيب بن عبد الله بن الزُّبَيْر فقال أنا أعرق الناس في القتل. قُتل لي خمسة آباء متّصلين.

I cite Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās, who cites Abū Ḥātim, who cites as his authority Abū ʿUbaydah as follows:

One of the descendants of Ḥabīb ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr²³² boasted: I have the longest history of violent death;²³³ five of my forefathers in a row have been killed.

٥،٧١71.5

وقال آخر [الكامل]

قَوْمٌ إِذَا خَطَرَ ٱلْقَنَا	جَعَلُوا ٱلصُّدُورَ لَهَا مَسَالِكْ
لَبِسُوا ٱلْقُلُوبَ عَلَى ٱلدُّرُو	عِ مُظَاهِرِينَ لِدَفْعِ ذٰلِكْ

Another poet said:

People who, when spears fly,

bare their hearts to receive them:

They wear their hearts

over their armor to shield it.

٦،٧١71.6

حدّثني أبو عمر بن الرِّياشيّ قال حدّثنا أبي عن الأصمعيّ عن أبي عمرو قال

لمّا بلغ عبد الله بن الزبيْر قتلُ أخيه مُصعَب وصبره في الحرب قال إنّا والله لا نموت حَبَجًا كما تموت بنو أميّة إنّما نموت قَعْصًا بالرماح وتحت ظلال السيوف. فلو كان هذا عارًا ما فخر به.

I cite Abū ʿUmar ibn al-Riyāshī, who cites his father, who cites al-Aṣmaʿī as his authority, who in turn cites Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ as his authority for the following:

When ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr learned of the killing of his brother Muṣʿab and of his steadfastness in battle, he said, “By God, we do not die from gluttony like the Umayyads,²³⁴ but we die a quick death among spears in the shadow of swords.” ʿAbd Allāh would not have boasted about it if it were something to be ashamed of.

٧،٧١71.7

وممّن عيّر بالموت على الفراش سَهْمُ بن حَنْظَلَة قال يعيّر طُفَيلَ بن عَوْف [الوافر]

بِحَمْدٍ مِنْ سِنَانِكَ غَيْرِ ذَمٍّ

أَبَا قُرَّانَ مُتَّ عَلَى مِثَالِ

Among those who reviled dying in bed was Sahm ibn Ḥanẓalah, who said, chastising Ṭufayl ibn ʿAwf:

Praising, not blaming, the point of your spear,

Abū Qurrān, you died in bed all the same.²³⁵

٨،٧١71.8

وممّا يروى للسَّمَوْءَل وهو للحارثيّ [الطويل]

تَسِيلُ عَلَى حَدِّ ٱلسُّيُوفِ نُفُوسُنَا	وَلَيْسَتْ عَلَى غَيْرِ ٱلْحَدِيدِ تَسِيلُ
يُقَرِّبُ حُبُّ ٱلْمَوْتِ آجَالَنَا لَنَا	وتَكْرَهُهُ آجَالُهُمْ فَتَطُولُ
وَمَا مَاتَ مِنَّا سَيِّدٌ فِي فِرَاشِهِ	وَلَا طُلَّ مِنَّا حَيْثُ كَانَ قَتِيلُ

The following verses are attributed to al-Samawʾal, but belong to al-Ḥārithī:

Our souls flow forth on the blades of swords.

Only iron can make them do this.

Love of death brings us close to our allotted spans

but the allotted spans of others loathe death and remain at bay.

None of our chiefs has died in his bed,

nor did his death, wherever it occurred, go unavenged.²³⁶

٩،٧١71.9

وجعل آخرُ نُفوسَهُمْ غِذاءً للمنايا فقال [الطويل]

وَإِنَّا لَتَسْتَحْلِي ٱلْمَنَايَا نُفُوسَنَا	وَتَتْرُكُ أُخْرَى مُرَّةً مَا تَذُوقُهَا
لَنَا نَبْعَةٌ تَهْوَى ٱلْمَنِيَّةُ رَعْيَهَا	فَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا عُرُوقُهَا

Another poet made the souls of his tribe the food of death. He said:

Death finds our souls sweet

but finds others bitter, and will not taste them.

We are made of a hard wood²³⁷ death loves to chew on:

All but a few of its roots have vanished.