Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology

A Few Lines from The Thousand-liner by Ibn Mālik

96 96 96 96 Verse III. A Few Lines from The Thousand-liner by Ibn Mālik ْ ‫م‬ �ِ ‫ل‬ ��� َ ‫ك‬ � � �‫ل‬�� ‫ا‬ ٌ‫ف‬ � � �‫ر‬‫ح‬ � ‫م‬ � ‫ث‬ � ٌ ‫ل‬�‫�ع‬ �‫ف‬ � � �‫و‬�� ٌ ‫م‬ � ‫س‬��‫ا‬‫و‬�� ْ ‫م‬ � ‫�ق‬�‫ت‬ �‫�س‬�‫�ا‬‫ك‬ � ��ٌ ‫�د‬‫ي‬ � ‫�ف‬�ُ ‫م‬� ٌ ‫�ظ‬ �� �‫�ف‬�‫ل‬� � ‫�ا‬‫ن‬ � ُ ‫م‬�‫ا‬� ‫ل‬�‫ك‬ � �� ‫م‬ � َ ‫�ؤ‬� ُ ‫ي‬ �� ‫�د‬ ‫ق‬ � � � ٌ ‫م‬ �‫ا‬� ‫ل‬�‫ك‬ � ��‫�ا‬‫ه‬ �‫�ب‬� ٌ ‫ة‬ ��‫م‬� ْ ‫ل‬��ِ ‫ك‬ � �� ‫و‬�� ّ ‫م‬ � َ ‫ع‬ � ُ ‫ل‬� � ‫و‬� ‫�ق‬�‫ل‬� � ‫ا‬‫و‬�� ٌ ‫ة‬ ��‫م‬�ِ ‫ل‬�� َ ‫ك‬ � ��‫ه‬ ُ ‫د‬��‫ح‬ �‫ا‬‫و‬�� kalāmunā lafẓun mufīdun ka-“staqim” wa-smun wa-fiʿlun thumma ḥarfuni l-kalim wāḥiduhū kalimatun wal-qawlu ʿamm wa-kilmatun bihā kalāmun qad yuʾamm301 Jamāl al-Dīn Ibn Mālik (ca. 600/1203–672/1274) was a grammarian famous especially for his versification of Arabic syntax, in about one thousand (alf) lines. The poem was meant to be memorized, often before understanding it: that could come later with the help of teachers and commentaries, of which there are a great number. The fragment given here presents ll. 8–10, the beginning of the discussion of syntax. In the last couplet, al is the Arabic definite article; “nunation” is the Arabo-Latin technical term (Arabic: tanwīn) for the ending n, a mark of indefiniteness. Again, a rhyming archaic diction has been used. “Teach” is used for the sake of the rhyme; the meaning of -staqim is “be upright!” Meaningful Utterance is Speech, like “Teach!” And Noun, Verb, Particle: the Parts of Speech. The Unit: Word; Discourse: the whole Extent, Although at times with “Word” a Speech is meant. A Noun is known by al or by Nunation, Vocative, Genitive, or Predication. ...