Exclamation of Wonder
التَّعَجُّبُ
Verses 474–484 · chapter 37 of 78
The chapter gives the two fixed patterns for expressing wonder, mā afʿala (mā aḥsana zaydan) and afʿil bi- (aḥsin bi-zaydin), and the conditions a verb must meet before these patterns can be formed from it. When a verb fails those conditions, the construction is made with an auxiliary such as ashadda / ashdid followed by the verb's maṣdar. The chapter ends with word-order rules: the governed noun cannot precede the verb, and separation between them is disputed. AI
Topic:Intensives and the elative
- 474
Metre: not scanned
As vowelled here, this verse does not fit al-rajaz, the metre of the poem; it is left unscanned rather than forced.
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
To express wonder, say afʿala after mā [mā afʿala: mā aḥsana zaydan, 'how good Zayd is!'], or bring afʿil before a noun made genitive by bi- [afʿil bi-: aḥsin bi-zaydin].
AI note on the transcription: أَوْ جِئْ بِأَفْعِلْ قَبْلَ مَجْرُورٍ بِبَا — the transcription drops قَبْلَ ('before'). Without that word the hemistich is short of the rajaz metre and does not say where the genitive noun stands. The rhyme is ببا, spelled with alif like تعجبا, not ببٰاء. The imperative of جاء is جِئْ; the transcription's جيء is a misspelling of it.
- 475
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪∪∪–فَعِلَتُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
Put the noun that follows afʿala in the accusative, as in [mā] awfā khalīlaynā, 'how faithful our two friends are!', and aṣdiq bihimā, 'how truthful they are!' [the kamā of the verse contains the exclamatory mā].
AI note on the transcription: أَوْفَى خَلِيلَيْنَا وَأَصْدِقْ بِهِمَا — the transcription drops the yāʾ of the dual. The dual pronoun in بِهِمَا refers back to the two friends, and the metre needs the extra syllable.
Ibn ʿAqīl on verses 474–475Arabic
للتعجب صيغتان إحداهما ما أفعله والثانية أفعل به وإليهما أشار المصنف بالبيت الأول أي أنطق بأفعل بعد ما للتعجب نحو ما أحسن زيدا وما أوفى خليلينا أو جيء بأفعل قبل مجرور ببا نحو أحسن بالزيدين وأصدق بهما
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5136 · vol. 3, p. 146 ↗فما مبتدأ وهي نكرة تامة عند سيبويه وأحسن فعل ماض فاعله ضمير مستتر عائد على ما وزيدا مفعول أحسن والجملة خبر عن ما والتقدير شيء أحسن زيدا أي جعله حسنا وكذلك ما أوفى خليلينا
وأما أفعل ففعل أمر ومعناه التعجب لا الأمر وفاعله المجرور بالباء والباء زائدة
واستدل على فعلية أفعل بلزوم نون الوقاية له إذا اتصلت به ياء المتكلم نحو ما أفقرني إلى عفو الله وعلى فعلية أفعل بدخول نون التوكيد عليه في قوله
268 ( ومستبدل من بعد غضبي صريمة … فأحر به من طول فقر وأحريا ) . .
أراد وأحرين بنون التوكيد الخفيفة فأبدلها ألفا في الوقف
وأشار بقوله وتلو أفعل إلى أن تالى أفعل ينصب لكونه مفعولا نحو ما أوفى خليلينا
ثم مثل بقوله وأصدق بهما للصيغة الثانية
وما قدمناه من أن ما نكرة تامة هو الصحيح والجملة التي بعدها خبر عنها والتقدير شيء أحسن زيدا أي جعله حسنا وذهب الأخفش إلى أنها موصولة والجملة التي بعدها صلتها والخبر محذوف والتقدير الذي أحسن زيدا شيء عظيم وذهب بعضهم إلى أنها استفهامية والجملة التي بعدها خبر عنها والتقدير أي شيء أحسن زيدا وذهب بعضهم إلى أنها نكرة موصوفة والجملة التي بعدها صفة لها والخبر محذوف والتقدير شيء أحسن زيدا عظيم
- 476
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
You may omit the thing you are wondering at if its meaning is clear when it is omitted [e.g. mā aḥsana, understood as mā aḥsanahu; asmiʿ bihim wa-abṣir, understood as wa-abṣir bihim].
Ibn ʿAqīl on verse 476Arabic
يجوز حذف المتعجب منه وهو المنصوب بعد أفعل والمجرور بالباء بعد أفعل إذا دل عليه دليل فمثال الأول قوله
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5161 · vol. 3, p. 150 ↗269 ( أرى أم عمرو دمعها قد تحدرا … بكاء على عمرو وما كان أصبرا
التقدير وما كان أصبرها فحذف الضمير وهو مفعول أفعل للدلالة عليه بما تقدم ومثال الثاني قوله تعالى ﴿ أسمع بهم وأبصر ﴾ التقدير والله أعلم وأبصر بهم فحذف بهم لدلالة ما قبله عليه وقول الشاعر
270 ( فذلك إن يلق المنية يلقها … حميدا وإن يستغن يوما فأجدر
أي فأجدر به فحذف المتعجب منه بعد أفعل وإن لم يكن معطوفا على أفعل مثله وهو شاذ
- 477
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
In both verbs [afʿala and afʿil], lack of inflection has held from of old as a binding rule. [They are rigid: they have no imperfect, no other imperative, and no participle.]
Ibn ʿAqīl on verse 477Arabic
لا يتصرف فعلا التعجب بل يلزم كل منهما طريقة واحدة فلا يستعمل من أفعل غير الماضي ولا من أفعل غير الأمر قال المصنف وهذا مما لا خلاف فيه
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5173 · vol. 3, p. 152 ↗ - 478
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
Form them from a verb that meets these conditions: it has three radicals; it is fully inflected; it admits of degree; it is complete [not a deficient verb like kāna]; and it is not negated,
- 479
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪∪∪–فَعِلَتُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
its adjective does not resemble ashhal [the afʿal pattern of colours and bodily features, e.g. ashhal 'grey-eyed'], and it does not follow the way of fuʿila [it is not a passive].
Ibn ʿAqīl on verses 478–479Arabic
يشترط في الفعل الذي يصاغ منه فعلا التعجب شروط سبعة
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5177 · vol. 3, p. 153 ↗أحدهما أن يكون ثلاثيا فلا يبنيان مما زاد عليه نحو دحرج وانطلق واستخرج
الثاني أن يكون متصرفا فلا يبنيان من فعل غير متصرف كنعم وبئس وعسى وليس
الثالث أن يكون معناه قابلا للمفاضلة فلا يبنيان من مات وفنى ونحوهما إذ لا مزية فيهما لشيء على شيء
الرابع أن يكون تاما واحترز بذلك من الأفعال الناقصة نحو كان وأخواتها فلا تقول ما أكون زيدا قائما وأجازه الكوفيون
الخامس أن لا يكون منفيا واحترز بذلك من المنفي لزوما نحو ما عاج فلان بالدواء أي ما انتفع به أو جوازا نحو ما ضربت زيدا
السادس أن لا يكون الوصف منه على أفعل واحترز بذلك من الأفعال الدالة على الألوان كسود فهو أسود وحمر فهو أحمر والعيوب كحول فهو أحول وعور فهو أعور فلا تقول ما أسوده ولا ما أحمره ولا ما أحوله ولا ما أعوره ولا أعور به ولا أحول به
السابع أن لا يكون مبنيا للمفعول نحو ضرب زيد فلا تقول ما أضرب زيدا تريد التعجب من ضرب أوقع به لئلا يلتبس بالتعجب من ضرب أوقعه
- 480
Metre: not scanned
As vowelled here, this verse does not fit al-rajaz, the metre of the poem; it is left unscanned rather than forced.
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
When a verb lacks one of these conditions, ashdid [bi-], ashadda, or something like them [e.g. akthir, aʿẓam] takes its place.
- 481
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
The maṣdar of the verb that lacks a condition then follows in the accusative [after mā ashadda: mā ashadda istikhrājahu]. After afʿil it must be made genitive with bi- [ashdid bi-stikhrājihi].
Ibn ʿAqīl on verses 480–481Arabic
يعني أنه يتوصل إلى التعجب من الأفعال التي لم تستكمل الشروط بأشدد ونحوه وبأشد ونحوه وينصب مصدر ذلك الفعل العادم الشروط بعد أفعل مفعولا ويجر بعد أفعل بالباء فتقول ما أشد دحرجته واستخراجه وأشدد بدحرجته واستخراجه وما أقبح عوره وأقبح بعوره وما أشد حمرته وأشدد بحمرته
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5194 · vol. 3, p. 154 ↗ - 482
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ–∪∪–مُفْتَعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
Classify as rare any exclamation formed otherwise than as described, and do not build analogy on whatever of it has been transmitted [e.g. mā akhṣarahu, from the non-triliteral ikhtaṣara].
Ibn ʿAqīl on verse 482Arabic
يعني أنه إذا ورد بناء فعل التعجب من شيء من الأفعال التي سبق أنه لا يبنى منها حكم بندوره ولا يقاس على ما سمع منه كقولهم ما أخصره من اختصر فبنوا أفعل من فعل زائد على ثلاثة أحرف وهو مبني للمفعول وكقولهم ما أحمقه فبنوا أفعل من فعل الوصف منه على أفعل نحو حمق فهو أحمق وقولهم ما أعساه وأعس به فبنوا أفعل وأفعل به من عسى وهو فعل غير متصرف
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5199 · vol. 3, p. 155 ↗ - 483
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
The governed word of this chapter's verb may never be put before it [so zaydan mā aḥsana is not allowed]. Always keep it directly after the verb.
- 484
الرَّجَزal-rajaz∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ∪–∪–مَفَاعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ––∪–مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ
Ibn Jinnī on al-rajaz, “the trembling”
وهو على ستة أجزاء مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن
It has six feet: mustafʿilun, six times. Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, lines 842–843 (p. 101) ↗
Scanned by rule, not by a model. The vowelled text is read as it is pronounced, as Ibn Jinnī says scansion must be: doubled letters count twice, tanwīn adds an n, long vowels lengthen, the connecting alif drops inside the line, the article's l merges into a sun letter, and the last vowel of a line is drawn out. The syllables, long (–) and short (∪), are then fitted to each metre's feet with the common licences (zihāfāt) and line-endings. A poem has one metre: the one that fits most of its verses. A verse that does not fit it is marked 'not scanned'; nothing is guessed. Vowels scanned: AI vowelling (no vowelled edition is available to us).
Scanned by rule English: AI translation AI
Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002), Kitāb al-ʿArūḍ, ed. Aḥmad Fawzī al-Hayb (Kuwait: Dār al-Qalam, 1407/1987). Digital text: 0392IbnJinniMawsili.Carud.JK000956-ara1 (OpenITI RELEASE v2025.1.9). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (OpenITI digital text); the classical text is public domain, the modern edition is not.
Separating it [from its governed word] by an adverb or by a preposition with its noun is attested in usage [e.g. mā aḥsana bi-r-rajuli an yaṣduqa], and the grammarians' disagreement on this has persisted.
AI note on the transcription: وَفَصْلُهُ بِظَرْفٍ اوْ بِحَرْفِ جَرّْ — the transcription has ض (فضله) where the text requires ص. The topic is faṣl, 'separation' between the verb and its governed word, which continues the rule of the previous bayt.
Ibn ʿAqīl on verses 483–484Arabic
لا يجوز تقديم معمول فعل التعجب عليه فلا تقول زيدا ما أحسن ولا ما زيدا أحسن ولا بزيد أحسن ويجب وصله بعامله فلا يفصل بينهما بأجنبى فلا تقول في ما أحسن معطيك الدرهم ما أحسن الدرهم معطيك ولا فرق في ذلك بين المجرور وغيره فلا تقول ما أحسن بزيد مارا تريد ما أحسن مارا بزيد ولا ما أحسن عندك جالسا تريد ما أحسن جالسا عندك فإن كان الظرف أو المجرور معمولا لفعل التعجب ففي جواز الفصل بكل منهما بين فعل التعجب ومعموله خلاف والمشهور جوازه خلافا للأخفش والمبرد ومن وافقهما ونسب الصيمرى المنع إلى سيبويه ومما ورد فيه الفصل في النثر قول عمرو بن معد يكرب لله در بني سليم ما أحسن في الهيجاء لقاءها وأكرم في اللزبات عطاءها وأثبت في المكرمات بقاءها وقول علي كرم الله وجهه وقد مر بعمار فمسح التراب عن وجهه أعزز على أبا اليقظان أن أراك صريعا مجدلا ومما ورد منه من النظم قول بعض الصحابة رضي الله عنهم
Ibn ʿAqīl, OpenITI line 5206 · vol. 3, p. 155 ↗271 ( وقال نبي المسلمين تقدموا … وأحبب إلينا أن تكون المقدما
وقوله
272 ( خليلي ما أحرى بذي اللب أن يرى … صبورا ولكن لا سبيل إلى الصبر ) . . .
- التَّعَجُّب at-taʿajjub · exclamation of wonder · عجب
- مَا أَفْعَلَهُ mā afʿalahu · the first exclamatory pattern ('how … he is!') · فعل
- التَّصَرُّف at-taṣarruf · inflection; a verb's capacity to take its various forms · صرف
- الْفَضْل al-faḍl · excess, degree (capacity for more and less) · فضل
- الْمَصْدَر al-maṣdar · verbal noun · صدر
- الْمَجْرُور al-majrūr · noun in the genitive · جرر
- النُّدُور an-nudūr · rarity (of a usage) · ندر
- الْقِيَاس al-qiyās · analogy; the productive rule · قيس
- الْمَعْمُول al-maʿmūl · governed word · عمل
- الْفَصْل al-faṣl · separation (between two linked words) · فصل