Bibliotheca Polyglotta

(د) 2 – فيتّضح ممّا تقدّم أنّه لا بدّ للكاتب المصري من الإلمام التامّ بعلم النفس للوقوف على كنه الطبائع البشرية ،

(d) 2 – fa-yattaḍiḥ^u mimmā taqaddam^a ʔanna-hū lā budd^a lil-kātib al-miṣrī min al-ʔilmām al-tāmm bi-ʕilm al-nafs lil-wuqūf ʕalà kunh al-ṭabāʔiʕ al-bašariyyaẗ,

[p. iv] 2 | On the basis of the preceding it is thus evident that the Egyptian writer definitively must have a comprehensive overview of psychology to acquire a thorough understanding of human nature.

AR: ittaḍaḥa (wuḍūḥ), kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ʕilm al-nafs, ṭabāʔiʕ (ṭabīʕaẗ), bašarī (bašar)
EN: psychology, thorough understanding of human nature

ونرى أنّ الكاتب المصري لم يتنبّه حتّى الآن إلى مراعاة قواعده في كتاباته وفي تكوين شخصية أشخاصه

wa-narà ʔanna ’l-kātib al-miṣrī lam yatanabbah ḥattà ’l-ʔān ʔilà murāʕāẗ qawāʕidi-hī fī kitābāti-hī wa-fī takwīn šaḫṣiyyaẗ ʔašḫāṣi-h

In our opinion, the Egyptian author has not so far taken into account its [sc. psychology’s] principles, neither in writing (styles) nor in the way he forms the personality of his various characters.

AR: kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), qawāʕid, kitābaẗ, takwīn, šaḫṣiyyaẗ, ʔašḫāṣ
EN: psychology

وليس غرضنا أنْ ندرس في هذه المقدّمة الوجيزة عيوب الكاتب المصري وأمراض ذهنيته فقد حاولنا درسها في كتاب سننشره على حِدة .

wa-laysa ġaraḍu-nā ʔan nadrus^a fī hāḏihī ’l-muqaddimaẗⁱ ’l-waǧīzaẗ ʕuyūb al-kātib al-miṣrī wa-ʔamrāḍ ḏihniyyati-h fa-qad ḥāwalnā darsa-hā fī kitāb sa-nanšuru-hū ʕalà ḥidaẗ.

It is not our aim in this brief preface to study what is wrong with the Egyptian writer, or his mental diseases – we have attempted to study all this in a book that we are going to publish separately.¹

1. It is not clear which book ʕUbayd is talking about here – perhaps the same as the one he mentions further below?

AR: darasa (dars / dirāsaẗ), ʕuyūb (ʕayb), kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ʔamrāḍ (maraḍ, maraḍī), ḏihniyyaẗ
EN: …

إنّما أتينا على بعض تلك العيوب ليتعهّدها ويهذّبها مَن وجد في نفسه القدرة على وضع القصص

ʔinnamā ʔataynā ʕalà baʕḍ tilka ’l-ʕuyūb li-yataʕahhada-hā wa-yuhaḏḏiba-hā man waǧada fī nafsi-hī ’l-qudraẗ ʕalà waḍʕⁱ ’l-qiṣaṣ

We are presenting here only a few of these deficiencies so that somebody who finds in himself the talent to create [prose] stories, may become acquainted with them² and [try to] repair/attenuate them, and

2. Lit., ‘get used to them’ (sc. the deficiencies).

AR: ʕuyūb (ʕayb), tahḏīb, waḍʕ
EN: …

حتّى يساعدنا على إدخال هذا النوع الجديد في آدابنا العصرية المصرية .

ḥattà yusāʕida-nā ʕalà ʔidḫāl hāḏā ’l-nawʕ al-ǧadīd fī ʔādābi-nā ’l-ʕaṣriyyaẗ al-miṣriyyaẗ.

[in this way] may help us introduce this new literary genre into Egyptian literature³ of our time.

3. ʔādāb may well mean more than just ‘literature’ here, perhaps ‘culture’, ‘literary culture’, or ‘cultural life’. See also below, passim.

AR: nawʕ, ǧadīd, ʔādāb, ʕaṣrī (ʕaṣriyyaẗ), miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ)
EN: …

ثمّ إن أهمّ تلك العيوب في عرفنا بعد عيوب الخيال وقلّة الملاحظة وعدم التحليل التي نوّهنا عنها ضعف ملكة الوصف والتصوير ،

ṯumma ʔinna ʔahamm^a tilka ’l-ʕuyūb fī ʕurfi-nā baʕd^a ʕuyūb al-ḫayāl wa-qillaẗ al-mulāḥaẓaẗ wa-ʕadam al-taḥlīl allatī nawwahnā ʕan-hā ḍuʕf^u malakaẗⁱ ’l-waṣf wa’l-taṣwīr,

Also, the (to our knowledge) most important defect after those, referred to above, of [excessive] fantasy, lack of observation and absence of [psychological] analysis, is the lack⁴ of talent to describe and present.

4. Lit., ‘weakness’.

AR: ʕuyūb (ʕayb), ḫayāl, mulāḥaẓaẗ, taḥlīl, ḍuʕf, malakaẗ, waṣf, taṣwīr
EN: [excessive] fantasy, observation, [psychological] analysis, describe, present

فإنّ تصوير الأمكنة التي تنشأ فيها الأشخاص من أهمّ مقتضيات هذا الفنّ ، لأنّ لها تأثيراً في تكييف خواطرهم ومشاعرهم ،

fa-ʔinna taṣwīr^a ’l-ʔamkinaẗ allatī tanšaʔ^u fī-hā ’l-ʔašḫāṣ min ʔahammⁱ muqtaḍayāt hāḏā ’l-fann, li-ʔanna la-hā taʔṯīr^an fī takyīfⁱ ḫawāṭiri-him wa-mašāʕiri-him,

Depiction of the places where the characters have grown up is among the most important requirements for this art, precisely because it will affect the way of designing their thoughts and feelings.

AR: taṣwīr, našaʔa (našʔaẗ, nušūʔ), ʔašḫāṣ, fann, taʔṯīr, takyīf, ḫawāṭir, mašāʕir
EN: depiction

ثمّ إنّ للتصوير الصادق الحيوي الدقيق أثراً عظيماً في نفس القارئ

ṯumma ʔinna lil-taṣwīr al-ṣādiq al-ḥayawī al-daqīq ʔaṯar^an ʕaẓīm^an fī nafs al-qāriʔ

An accurate and vivid description also will have a great mental impact on the reader,

AR: taṣwīr, ṣādiq (ṣidq), ḥayawī (ḥayawiyyaẗ, ḥayāẗ), daqīq (diqqaẗ), ʔaṯar, nafs, qāriʔ
EN: accurate, vivid, description

لأنّه يجعله يشعر بصحّة الرواية المأخوذة عن الحياة ، وبحقيقة وجود الأشخاص المصوّرين عن الطبيعة .

li-ʔanna-hū yaǧʕalu-hū yašʕur^u bi-ṣaḥwaẗ al-riwāyaẗ al-maʔḫūḏaẗ ʕan il-ḥayāẗ, wa-bi-ḥaqīqaẗ wuǧūd al-ʔašḫāṣ al-muṣawwarīn ʕan il-ṭabīʕaẗ.

as it allows the reader to feel the credibility of a story taken from life and the truth of the existence of the people portrayed by nature.⁵

5. Hafez renders this paragraph – the only one he reproduces in full English translation – as follows: »Apart from the lack of creative imagination, inadequate observation and the absence of analysis, there is the weakness of description and illustrative ability. The description of the setting from which the characters emerge is one of the most important requirements of fictional art, because it has a tremendous effect on forming their characteristics and feelings. Furthermore, the vivid narrative and the use of accurate realistic description have a strong impact on the reader, for they convince him of the truthfulness of the story and of its relevance to real life« – S. Hafez, The Genesis of Arabic Narrative Discourse, Saqi Books, 1993: 179.

AR: šaʕara (šuʕūr, mašāʕir), ṣaḥwaẗ, riwāyaẗ, ḥayāẗ, ḥaqīqaẗ, ʔašḫāṣ, taṣwīr, ṭabīʕaẗ
EN: …

أما سبب ضعف الكاتب المصري في مجال التصوير ، فلعدم تدريبه عليه أو لجهله أصول الفنّ الحقيقي ،

ʔammā sabab ḍuʕf al-kātib al-miṣrī fī maǧāl al-taṣwīr, fa-li-ʕadam tadrībi-hī ʕalay-hi ʔaw li-ǧahli-hī ʔuṣūl^a ’l-fann al-ḥaqīqī,

The reason for the Egyptian writer’s weakness in the field of depiction lies in his lack of training in, or ignorance of, the basic principles of real art.

AR: sabab/ʔasbāb, ḍuʕf, kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), taṣwīr, tadrīb, ǧahl, ʔuṣūl, fann, ḥaqīqaẗ / ḥaqīqī
EN: real art

فإنّه إذا وجد مثلاً مكاناً جميلاً فلا يحاول أنْ يصوّره على القرطاس كما شاهده ،

fa-ʔinna-hū ʔiḏā waǧada maṯal^an makān^an ǧamīl^an fa-lā yuḥāwil^u ʔan yuṣawwira-hū ʕalà ’l-qirṭās ka-mā šāhada-hū,

If he, for example, has found a beautiful place, he will not try to draw it on a paper as he sees it;

AR: ǧamīl (ǧamāl), taṣwīr
EN: …

بل يتوهّم أن الطبيعة كما هي ، ليست جميلة (هـ) جمالها الحسّي الفنّي ،

bal yatawahham^u ʔanna ’l-ṭabīʕaẗ ka-mā hiya, laysat ǧamīlaẗ ǧamāla-hā ’l-ḥissī al-fannī,

rather, he will presume that nature cannot be so beautiful [p. v] by its own artistically appealing/tangible beauty;

AR: tawahhama (tawahhum), ṭabīʕaẗ, ka-mā huwa/hiya, ǧamīl / ǧamāl, ḥissī (ḥāssaẗ / hawāss), fannī (fann)
EN: …

فيريد أنْ يزيدها جمالاً فيعتمد طبعاً على خياله

fa-yurīd ʔan yazīda-hā ǧamāl^an fa-yaʕtamidu ṭabʕ^an ʕalà ḫayāli-h

instead, he will want to make it still more beautiful, thereby relying on [too much] fantasy,

AR: ǧamāl, ḫayāl
EN: …

فيأتي لنا بوصف عقيم غامض ركيك ، إذا راجعناه في مخيّلتنا لا يتبقّي منه شيء ، ويخرج ذهننا خالياً كما كان قبل قراءته ،

fa-yaʔtī la-nā bi-waṣf ʕaqīm ġāmiḍ rakīk, ʔiḏā rāǧaʕnā-hu fī muḫayyalati-nā lā yatabaqqà min-hu šayʔ, wa-yaḫruǧ^u ḏihnu-nā ḫāliy^an ka-mā kāna qabla qirāʔati-h,

so that he will produce a sterile, unclear, weak picture of it, a picture of which nothing will remain when we will try to recall it: it will leave no impression on our minds.⁶

6. Lit., our mind will leave [the scene] as empty as it was before reading it.

AR: waṣf, ʕaqīm (ʕuqm), ġāmiḍ (ġumūḍ), rakīk (rakākaẗ)
EN: sterile, unclear, weak

مع أنّ الفنّ لا يرى فقط إلى تجميل الطبيعة و تكميل النفوس لإظهار الجمال السامي الخالي من النقائص كما يتوهّم البعض ،

maʕa ʔanna ’l-fann lā yarà faqaṭ ʔilà taǧmīl al-ṭabīʕaẗ wa-takmīl al-nufūs li-ʔiẓhār al-ǧamāl al-sāmī al-ḫālī min al-naqāʔiṣ ka-mā yatawahham^u ’l-baʕḍ,

In contrast, [real] art does not simply aim, as some people imagine, at a beautification of nature and a perfection of the souls in order to highlight a sublime beauty, bare of all defects;

AR: fann, taǧmīl (ǧamāl), ṭabīʕaẗ, takmīl (kamāl), nufūs (nafs), ʔiẓhār (ẓāhir), ǧamāl, sāmⁱⁿ, naqāʔiṣ, tawahhama (tawahhum)
EN: [real] art

بل قد يكون أيضاً في تصوير الحقائق العارية المجرّدة ،

bal qad yakūn ʔayḍ^an fī taṣwīr al-ḥaqāʔiq al-ʕāriyaẗ al-muǧarradaẗ,

rather, it may also lie in the depiction of the naked, crude, unembellished facts.

AR: taṣwīr, ḥaqīqaẗ (ḥaqāʔiq), ʕārⁱⁿ, muǧarrad (taǧrīd)
EN: naked, crude, unembellished facts

وتعريفنا للفنّ هذا التعريف الجديد سيوجِد آداباً مبنيّة على الحقائق تختلف كلّ الإختلاف عن آداب الأمس ،

wa-taʕrīfu-nā lil-fann hāḏā ’l-taʕrīf al-ǧadīd sa-yūǧid^u ʔādāb^an mabnīyaẗ^an ʕalà ’l-ḥaqāʔiq taḫtalif^u kull^a ’l-iḫtlāf ʕan ʔādābⁱ ’l-ʔams,

This new way in which we define art will create a literature⁷ based on reality⁸ that will be completely different from yesterday’s literature,

7. ʔādāb – the word means more than just ‘literature’ or ‘writings’ here, it comprises a whole ‘literary culture’ (see above), thereby retaining the general ethic dimension of ‘culture’ inherent in classical ʔadab. 8. Lit., the facts, al-ḥaqāʔiq.

AR: taʕrīf, fann, ǧadīd, ʔādāb, ḥaqīqaẗ (ḥaqāʔiq), ʔams
EN: …

وسينشأ من هنا تعدُّد الأنواع الأدبية والمذاهب الكتابية ممّا يدعو إلى رقي الأدب الحديث،

wa-sa-yanšaʔ^u min hunā taʕaddud al-ʔanwāʕ al-ʔadabiyyaẗ wa’l-maḏāhib al-kitābiyyaẗ mimmā yadʕū ʔilà ruqiyy al-ʔadab al-ḥadīṯ,

and from here a whole variety of literary genres and writing styles⁹ will emerge, which will enhance further development¹⁰ in modern literature,

9. The term used here is maḏāhib, pl. of maḏhab ‘way of doing s.th.; school, trend’. 10. raqy or ruqiyy, vn. of raqiya ‘to ascend, climb, rise, advance’. From the same root r-q-y, the vn. of form V, taraqqī, is the Nahḍa’s standard term used to render the notion of ‘progress, rise, progressive development’.

AR: našaʔa (našʔaẗ, nušūʔ), taʕaddud, ʔanwāʕ (nawʕ), ʔadab / ʔadabī, maḏāhib (maḏhab), kitābaẗ, ruqiyy, ḥadīṯ (ḥadāṯaẗ)
EN: development…

الذي أوقف تطوّرَه تقليدُنا الأعمى الجامد الغبي لأدب العرب القديم ، ومجاراتُنا لهم في الخيال والتشبيه والاستعارة والمحسنات البديعية والعبارات اللغوية .

allaḏī ʔawqafa taṭawwura-hū taqlīdu-nā ’l-ʔaʕmà ’l-ǧāmid al-ġabiyy li-ʔadab al-ʕarab al-qadīm, wa-muǧārātu-nā la-hum fī ’l-ḫayāl wa’l-tašbīh wa’l-istiʕāraẗ wa’l-muḥassināt al-badīʕiyyaẗ wa’l-ʕibārāt al-luġawiyyaẗ.

an advancement that had been stopped by our blind, stiff and stupid imitation of ancient Arabic literature¹¹ and the emulation of the ancient Arabs’ imagery,¹² similes, metaphors, rhetoric embellishments and expressive language.

11. Here, too, ʔadab may mean more than just ‘literature’, cf. above. 12. ḫayāl – could also be ‘imagination’.

AR: taṭawwur, taqlīd, ʔaʕmà (ʕam^an), ǧāmid (ǧumūd), ġabiyy (ġabāʔ), ʔadab, ʕarab, qadīm, ḫayāl
EN: …

وإن ميل الكاتب المصري إلى تهذيب الطبيعة وطلائها برواء الجمال النقي غریزي يتجلّى في كلّ سطر يخطّه ، ويكفينا لتعزيز هذه النظرية أنْ نلقي نظرة واحدة على كتّابنا .

wa-ʔinna mayl al-kātib al-miṣrī ʔilà tahḏīb al-ṭabīʕaẗ wa-ṭalāʔi-hā bi-rawāʔ al-ǧamāl al-naqiyy ġarīzī yataǧallà fī kull saṭr yaḫuṭṭu-hū, wa-yakfī-nā li-taʕzīz hāḏihī ’l-naẓariyyaẗ ʔan nulqiya naẓraẗ^an wāḥidaẗ^an ʕalà kuttābi-nā.

The Egyptian writer’s inclination to make nature more refined¹³ and paint it with pure beauty and prettiness is like an instinct, it permeates every line he writes. In order to support our argument, it will suffice to have just a short look at one of our authors.

13. tahḏīb – the term is often also used in connection with morals: tahḏīb al-ʔaḫlāq ‘refinement of morals, cultivation of character’; therefore, it would perhaps not be too far-fetched to translate tahḏīb al-ṭabīʕaẗ with ‘making nature more civilized’.

AR: mayl / muyūl, kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), tahḏīb, ṭabīʕaẗ, ǧamāl, naqiyy (naqāʔ), taʕzīz, naẓariyyaẗ, kātib (kuttāb)
EN: …

ألم يجعل السيّد لطفي المنفلوطي كبير كتّاب اليوم روايته "تحت ظلال الزيزفون" التي حاول تجريدها من "الفونس كار" خيالية شعرية بعد أن قضى بقسوة على شخصية "استیفن" !؟

ʔa-lam yaǧʕal al-sayyid Luṭfī al-Manfalūṭī kabīr kuttāb al-yawm riwāyata-hū “Taḥta ẓilāl al-zayzafūn” allatī ḥāwala taǧrīda-hā min "ʔalfūns kār" ḫayāliyyaẗ^an šiʕriyyaẗ^an baʕda ʔan qaḍà bi-qaswaẗ ʕalà šaḫṣiyyaẗ "ʔistīfan"!?

Has not Mr. Luṭfī al-Manfalūṭī,¹⁴ the greatest of today’s writers, in an attempt to render Alphonse Karr’s¹⁵ novel Sous l’ombre des tilleuls¹⁶ into Arabic, turned it into a romantic fantasy after he had severely butchered “Stéphen”’s character?!

14. Muṣṭafà Luṭfī al-Manfalūṭī (1877-1924), the foremost exponent of the sentimental, emotionalist trend in early twentieth century Egyptian prose. 15. French author, lived 1808-1890. 16. Under the Shadows of the Acacia Tree (1832), rendered into Arabic as Maǧdūlīn, aw Taḥta Ẓilāl al-Zayzafūn (1917) by Muṣṭafà Luṭfī al-Manfalūṭī.

AR: Manfalūṭī, kātib (kuttāb), al-yawm, riwāyaẗ, Taḥta ẓilāl al-zayzafūn, taǧrīd, ʔAlfūns Kār, ḫayāl
EN: Manfalūṭī, romantic, fantasy

إنّنا لا نؤاخذه على ذلك ، فنحن ممّن يحترمون الرجل ولو كان مذهبه في القصص و نزعته إلى التأليف خلاف مذهبنا و نزعتنا ،

ʔinna-nā lā nuʔāḫiḏu-hū ʕalà ḏālika, fa-naḥnu mimman yaḥtarimūn^a ’l-raǧul wa-law kāna maḏhabu-hū fī ’l-qiṣaṣ wa-nazʕatu-hū ʔilà ’l-taʔlīf ḫilāf^a maḏhabi-nā wa-nazʕati-nā,

We do not criticize/reprimand him for this because we count ourselves among those who respect this man even though his style of storytelling and way of composition differs from ours –

AR: maḏhab, nazʕaẗ, taʔlīf
EN: …

لأنّنا ممّن يدعون إلى تعدُّد الأنواع الأدبية والمذاهب الكتابية لإدخال عناصر الحياة في الأدب الحدیث ،

li-ʔanna-nā mimman yadʕūn^a ʔilà taʕaddud al-ʔanwāʕ al-ʔadabiyyaẗ wa’l-maḏāhib al-kitābiyyaẗ li-ʔidḫāl ʕanāṣir al-ḥayāẗ fī ’l-ʔadab al-ḥadīṯ,

[unlike him] we call for a diversity/multitude of literary genres and writing trends/schools to make modern literature more lively.¹⁷

17. Lit., to bring the elements of life to modern literature.

AR: taʕaddud, ʔanwāʕ (nawʕ), ʔadab /ʔadabī, maḏāhib (maḏhab), kitābaẗ, ʕanāṣir, ḥayāẗ, ḥadīṯ (ḥadāṯaẗ)
EN: …

إلا أنّ تعديله شخصية الأشخاص وتحريفه الرواية هذا التحريف - ألا يدلّ على خضوعه لحكم مزاجه الشرقي الذي دفعه إلى تصوير الكمال (و) الإنساني والمثل الأعلى للحبّ الروحاني ،

ʔillā ʔanna taʕdīla-hū šaḫṣiyyaẗ^a ’l-ʔašḫāṣ wa-taḥrīfa-hū ’l-riwāyaẗ hāḏā ’l-taḥrīf^a – ʔa-lā yadull^u ʕalà ḫuḍūʕi-hī li-ḥukmⁱ mazāǧi-hī ’l-šarqī allaḏī dafaʕa-hū ʔilà taṣwīr al-kamāl al-ʔinsānī wa’l-maṯal(muṯul?) al-ʔaʕlà lil-ḥubb al-rūḥānī,

But isn’t the fact that he modifies the personality of the characters¹⁸ and makes heavy changes to the plot an indication of his submission to the regime of his oriental temperament which urges him to depict [nothing but] human [p. vi] perfection and the highest ideals of spiritual love?

18. Or: the main character? – šaḫṣiyyat al-ʔašḫāṣ, lit. the character of the characters.

AR: taʕdīlʔadab, šaḫṣiyyaẗ, ʔašḫāṣ, taḥrīf, riwāyaẗ, dalla (dalāl), ḫuḍūʕ, ḥukm, mazāǧ, šarqī, taṣwīr, kamāl
EN: oriental temperament

ثمّ إنّ مجرّد اختیار المنفلوطي تلخيص رواية "سيرانو دی برجراك" تلك الرواية الخيالية الوجدانية ، ألا يعدّ دليلاً كافياً على وجود نزعة كامنة في الكاتب المصري تجنح به إلى تصوير الجمال النقيّ والكمال السامي البعيدين عن الحقيقة بُعد السماء عن الأرض؟

ṯumma ʔinna muǧarrad^a ’ḫtiyār al-Manfalūṭī talḫīṣ riwāyaẗ "Sīrānū dī Birǧirāk" tilka ’l-riwāyaẗ al-ḫayāliyyaẗ al-wiǧdāniyyaẗ, ʔa-lā yuʕadd^u dalīl^an kāfiy^an ʕalà wuǧūd nazʕaẗ kāminaẗ fī ’l-kātib al-miṣrī taǧnaḥ^u/tuǧniḥ^u bihī ʔilà taṣwīr al-ǧamāl al-naqiyy wa’l-kamāl al-sāmī al-baʕīdayn ʕan il-ḥaqīqaẗ buʕd^a ’l-samāʔ ʕan il-ʔarḍ?

Moreover, should not al-Manfalūṭī’s deliberate choice to [considerably] shorten the plot of Cyrano de Bergerac¹⁹ – this [highly] idealistic imaginative/romantic story – be regarded as sufficient proof of the presence, in Egyptian authors,²⁰ of a hidden inclination to show [nothing but] impeccable beauty and sublime perfection, both of which are as remote from reality as heaven is from earth?

19. Originally a five-act play (publ. 1897) by the French writer Edmond Rostand (1868-1918), ‘Arabized’ by al-Manfalūṭī as al-Šāʕir, aw Sīrānū dī Birǧirāk (al-Qahiraẗ 1921; various later editions). 20. al-kātib al-miṣrī is not preceded by a demonstrative pronoun like hāḏā here. Therefore, we assume that ʕUbayd refers to ‘the Egyptian writer’ in general, not specifically al-Manfalūṭī.

AR: Manfalūṭī, talḫīṣ, riwāyaẗ, Sīrānū dī Birǧirāk, ḫayāl, wiǧdānī (wiǧdāniyyaẗ), dalīl, nazʕaẗ, kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), taṣwīr, ǧamāl, naqiyy (naqāʔ), kamāl, sāmⁱⁿ, ḥaqīqaẗ
EN: …

فهذه النزعة النفسية ستدفع بالكاتب المصري إلى مذهب الوجدانيات "الأديالسم" وستعرقل سير الأدب العصري في تطويره الجديد ،

fa-hāḏihī ’l-nazʕaẗ al-nafsiyyaẗ sa-tadfaʕ^u bi’l-kātib al-miṣrī ʔilà maḏhab al-wiǧdāniyyāt "al-ʔidyālsm" wa-sa-tuʕarqil sayr al-ʔadab al-ʕaṣrī fī taṭwīri-hī ’l-ǧadīd,

This psychological inclination will push Egyptian writers in the direction of the emotionalist/sentimentalist approach, [i.e.] idealism,²¹ and it will obstruct new developments in modern literature.

21. ʕUbayd gives both an Arabic term (maḏhab al-wiǧdāniyyāt) and the foreign word, ‘al-ʔidyālism’.

AR: nazʕaẗ, nafsiyyaẗ, kātib, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), maḏhab al-wiǧdāniyyāt / ʔidyālsm, ʔadab, ʕaṣrī, taṭwīr, ǧadīd
EN: emotionalist/sentimentalist approach, idealism, modern

فأدب الغد سيُقام في عرفنا على دعامة الملاحظة والتحليل النفسي الرامِيانِ إلى تصوير الحياة كما هي بلا مبالغة أو تقصير ،

fa-ʔadab al-ġad sa-yuqām fī ʕurfi-nā ʕalà daʕāmaẗ al-mulāḥaẓaẗ wa’l-taḥlīl al-nafsī al-rāmyānⁱ ʔilà taṣwīr al-ḥayāẗ ka-mā hiya bi-lā mubālaġaẗ ʔaw taqṣīr,

For, in our opinion, tomorrow’s literature will be erected on the pillars of observation and psychological analysis,²² both of which aim to portray life as it is, without exaggeration or reduction,

22. Perhaps, al-taḥlīl al-nafsī should even be rendered as ‘psychoanalysis’ here. Given ʕUbayd’s positivist-scientistic approach, the term may not only mean the study of a person’s character but already an established scientific discipline. Sabry Hafez, however, would not think so: »The emphasis on psychology and psychoanalysis can be understood only in their literary sense and not as a specialized knowledge of the subject. They are meant as an interest in the character’s psyche through artistic and intuitive insight into the personality and its motivation for the action action« – S. Hafez, The Genesis of Arabic Narrative Discourse, Saqi Books, 1993: 293 (n. 86).

AR: ʔadab, ġad^an, mulāḥaẓaẗ, taḥlīl, nafsī, taṣwīr, ḥayāẗ, ka-mā huwa/hiya
EN: observation, psychological, analysis, portray life as it is, without exaggeration or reduction

أيْ الحياة العارية المجرّدة وهو ما يسمّونه مذهب الحقائق "الريالسيم" .

ʔay al-ḥayāẗ al-ʕāriyaẗ al-muǧarradaẗ wa-huwa mā yusammūna-hū maḏhab al-ḥaqāʔiq "al-riyālism".

i.e., life pure and naked, and that is what is called the factualist approach, or realism.²³

23. ʕUbayd gives both the foreign term, al-riyālism, and his rendering of the concept as maḏhab al-ḥaqāʔiq.

AR: ḥayāẗ, ʕārⁱⁿ, muǧarrad (taǧrīd), maḏhab al-ḥaqīqaẗ / riyālism
EN: pure and naked, factualist approach, realism

وعلى ذلك فسينشب قتال عنيف بين أصحاب المذهب القديم مذهب الوجدانيات وهم الأكثرية ،

wa-ʕalà ḏālika fa-sa-yanšub^u qitāl ʕanīf bayna ʔaṣḥāb al-maḏhab al-qadīm maḏhab al-wiǧdāniyyāt wa-hum al-ʔakṯariyyaẗ,

Therefore, [we expect that] a tough battle will break out between the followers of the old school, Emotionalism/Sentimentalism, who are the majority,

AR: maḏhab, qadīm, maḏhab al-wiǧdāniyyāt
EN: Emotionalism/Senti¬ment¬alism

وبين أنصار مذهب الحقائق وهم قلائل تسرّبت إلى نفوسهم عوامل جديدة من أثر وقوفهم على فنون الغرب المتعدّدة الحيّة ،

wa-bayna ʔanṣār maḏhab al-ḥaqāʔiq wa-hum qalāʔil tasarrabat ʔilà nufūsi-him ʕawāmil ǧadīdaẗ min ʔaṯar wuqūfi-him ʕalà funūn al-ġarb al-mutaʕaddidaẗ al-ḥayawiyyaẗ,

and the supporters of Factualism, who are [still only] a few in whose hearts/souls new driving forces/incentives have found their way as a result of their acquaintance with the manifold and lively varieties of art in the West.

AR: maḏhab al-ḥaqāʔiq, nufūs (nafs), ʕawāmil (ʕāmil), ǧadīd, ʔaṯar, funūn (fann), ġarb, taʕaddud, ḥayawī (ḥayawiyyaẗ, ḥayāẗ)
EN: art in the West

فعزّ عليهم أنْ يروا جمود آدابهم المحتضرة ، فأحبّوا أنْ ينفخوا فيها روحاً جديدة قوية تحطّم القيود العاتية والأوضاع السقيمة التي رسمتها لنا أجدادنا .

fa-ʕazz^a ʕalay-him ʔan yaraw ǧumūd ʔādāb-him al-muḥtaḍiraẗ, fa-ʔaḥabbū ʔan yanfuḫū fī-hā rūḥ^an ǧadīdaẗ qawiyyaẗ tuḥaṭṭim^u ’l-quyūd al-ʕatiyyaẗ wa’l-ʔawḍāʕ al-saqīmaẗ allatī rasamat-hā la-nā ʔaǧdādu-nā.

This is why it was painful for them to see that their [own] literature was lying in agony and stagnating, and this is why they wanted to breathe new life into it, so strong as to destroy the thick bonds and the boring conditions that our ancestors had designed for us.

AR: ǧumūd, ʔādāb, rūḥ, ǧadīd, quyūd (qayd), saqīm, al-ʔaǧdād
EN: agony, stagnating

فلأيّ الفريقين يكون الانتصار ؟

fa-li-ʔayyⁱ ’l-farīqaynⁱ yakūn^u ’l-intiṣār?

Which of the two groups will possibly be victorious?

AR:…

أما نحن فموقنون بأنّ أنصار الحقائق سينجحون رغماً عن قلّة عددهم وينتصرون على خصومهم الأقوياء ، ولكنْ بعد عناء شديد ومضى مدة طويلة ؛

ʔammā naḥnu fa-mūqinūn^a bi-ʔanna ʔanṣār al-ḥaqāʔiq sa-yanǧaḥūn^a raġm^an ʕan qillaẗ ʕadadi-him wa-yantaṣirūn^a ʕalà ḫuṣūmi-him al-ʔaqwiyāʔ, wa-lākin baʕda ʕanāʔⁱⁿ šadīd wa-maḍiyy muddaẗ ṭawīlaẗ;

As for us, we are convinced that the Factualists/Realists²⁴ will succeed although they are so few in number and that they will defeat their powerful opponents, but only after severe suffering and a long time,

24. ʔanṣār al-ḥaqāʔiq – lit., ‘the supporters/followers of the facts’.

AR: ḥaqīqaẗ (ḥaqāʔiq)
EN: …

لأنّ الشعب المصري شعب محافظ أخلاقي قبل كلّ شيء ،

li-ʔanna ’l-šaʕb al-miṣrī šaʕb muḥāfiẓ ʔaḫlāqī qabla kull šayʔ,

for the Egyptian people is, first and foremost, a conservative people, attached to tradition.²⁵

25. The translation of ʔaḫlāqī, a nisba formation from ʔaḫlāq, pl. of ḫulq, is doubtful.

AR: šaʕb, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), muḥāfiẓ (muḥafaẓaẗ), ʔaḫlāq
EN: conservative, attached to tradition

يعبد قديمه ويقدّس ما صنعه الآباء متوهّماً أنّ ما وضعته أجداده العرب هو الحدّ النهائي للكمال الإنشائي الفنّي الذي يجب أنْ نترسّمه باحترام و إجلال .

yaʕbud^u qadīma-hū wa-yuqaddis^u mā ṣanaʕa-hū ’l-ʔābāʔ mutawahhim^an ʔanna mā waḍaʕat-hu ʔaǧdādu-hū ’l-ʕarab huwa ’l-ḥadd al-nihāʔī lil-kamāl al-ʔinšāʔī al-fannī allaḏī yaǧib^u ʔan natarassama-hū bi-’ḥtirām wa-ʔiǧlāl.

They adore their past and venerate/sanctify what the forefathers have created, in the erroneous assumption that what their Arab ancestors have produced is the optimum of creative perfection that one cannot but take as an example to follow with respect and deference.

AR: qadīm, qaddasa (taqdīs), al-ʔābāʔ, tawahhum, al-ʔaǧdād, ʕarab, kamāl, ʔinšāʔ (našʔaẗ, nušūʔ), fannī (fann)
EN: …

ولمّا كان الشعب المصري متفائلاً أخلاقياً يعتقد في طهارة (ز) أخلاقه ومتانة تقاليده الموروثة المقدّسة ؛

wa-lammā kāna ’l-šaʕb al-miṣrī mutafāʔil^an ʔaḫlāqiyy^an yaʕtaqid^u fī ṭahāraẗ ʔaḫlāqi-h wa-matānaẗ taqālīdi-hī ’l-mawrūṯaẗ al-muqaddasaẗ;

Since the Egyptian people have such an optimistic opinion about their habits and customs,²⁶ they believe in the purity [p. vii] of these and the solidity of their holy/venerable inherited tradition.

26. The phrase ‘habits and customs’ renders the same word as above, ʔaḫlāq.

AR: šaʕb, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ṭahāraẗ, ʔaḫlāq, matānaẗ, taqālīd (taqlīd), taqdīs
EN: …

فستؤلمه الحقيقة المرّة الجافّة القاسية ، ويهبّ في وجه مَن يتصدّى إلى تصويرها محتجّاً مستنكراً محاولاً تكذيبها ليستبقى أحلامه اللذيذة .

fa-sa-tuʔlimu-hū ’l-ḥaqīqaẗ al-murraẗ al-ǧāffaẗ al-qāsiyaẗ, wa-yahubbu fī waǧhⁱ man yataṣaddà ʔilà taṣwīri-hā muḥtaǧǧ^an mustankir^an muḥāwil^an takḏība-hā li-yastabqiya ʔaḥlāma-hū ’l-laḏīḏaẗ.

Therefore, the brutal, dry and bitter truth will cause them pain, and they will rise in protest against anyone who dares to portray it [as it is], refusing this and trying to show that it is a lie, [just] in order to keep their sweet dreams.

AR: ḥaqīqaẗ, murr (marāraẗ), ǧāff (ǧafāf), qāsⁱⁿ (qaswaẗ), taṣwīr
EN: …

على أنّنا في إبّان نهضة كبيرة أوجدتها حركتنا الوطنية ،

ʕalà ʔanna-nā fī ʔibbānⁱ nahḍaẗⁱⁿ kabīraẗ ʔawǧadat-hā ḥarakatu-nā ’l-waṭaniyyaẗ,

However, we are living [now] through an era of a big awakening, induced by our national movement.

AR: nahḍaẗ, ḥarakaẗ, waṭaniyyaẗ
EN: era of a big awakening, national movement

ومن شأن النهضة أنْ تحدث عادة انقلاباً في العادات والتقاليد وتغيراً في الميول والأفكار ،

wa-min šaʔnⁱ ’l-nahḍaẗ ʔan tuḥdiṯ^a ʕādaẗ^an inqilāb^an fī ’l-ʕādāt wa’l-taqālīd wa-taġayyur^an fī ’l-muyūl wa’l-ʔafkār,

It is common for such an awakening that it brings about a reversal of customs and tradition and a change in orientations and thinking.

AR: nahḍaẗ, inqilab, taqālīd (taqlīd), taġayyur, mayl
EN: …

وقد ظهر أثر ذلك في كتابة كثيرٍ من كتّاب الناشئة الجديدة فقد تجلّوا لنا أنّهم من أنصار الجديد ،

wa-qad ẓahara ʔaṯar^u ḏālika fī kitābaẗ kaṯīrⁱⁿ min kuttāb al-nāšiʔaẗ al-ǧadīdaẗ fa-qad taǧallaw la-nā ʔanna-hum min ʔanṣār al-ǧadīd,

Such an influence has [already] appeared clearly in the writing of many of the writers of the new emerging generation: they’ve made it clear to us that they are followers of the new.

AR: ʔaṯar, kitābaẗ, kātib (kuttāb), nāšiʔaẗ (našʔaẗ, nušūʔ), ǧadīd
EN: …

وهم متّفقون معنا على ضئولة آدابنا الحالية وجمودها ومتطلّعون إلى آداب جديدة تضارع الآداب الغربية بالصفة العلمية والطريقة التحليلية والمرامي الفنّية ،

wa-hum muttafiqūn^a maʕa-nā ʕalà ḍuʔūlaẗ ʔādābi-nā ’l-ḥāliyyaẗ wa-ǧumūdi-hā wa-mutaṭalliʕūn^a ʔilà ʔādāb ǧadīdaẗ tuḍāriʕ^u ’l-ʔādāb al-ġarbiyyaẗ bi’l-ṣifaẗ al-ʕilmiyyaẗ wa’l-ṭarīqaẗ al-taḥlīliyyaẗ wa’l-marāmī al-fanniyyaẗ,

Like us, they are convinced that our current literature is weak and stagnating, and they are very much looking forward to seeing [the emergence of] a new literature that will be a [real] contemporary of Western literature – science-based, [psycho-] analytical, and with high aesthetic ambition.²⁷

27. bi’l-ṣifaẗ al-ʕilmiyyaẗ wa’l-ṭarīqaẗ al-taḥlīliyyaẗ wa’l-marāmī al-fanniyyaẗ. In the last adjective, the original meaning of fann as ‘technique’ is still very prominent. ʕUbayd is convinced that mastering storytelling technique has to play a key role when modern Egyptian fiction should succeed as an art.

AR: ḍuʔūlaẗ, ʔādāb, ǧumūd, ǧadīd, muḍāraʕaẗ, ġarbī (ġarb), ʕilmī (ʕilm, ʕilmiyyaẗ), taḥlīl, fannī (fann)
EN: a [real] contemporary of Western literature, science-based, [psycho-], analytical, aesthetic ambition

وهذا ممّا يثلّج صدورنا ويفعم نفوسنا بالأمل الكبير من نجاح قصصنا ورواياتنا العصرية المصرية ؛

wa-hāḏā mimmā yuṯliǧu ṣudūra-nā wa-yufʕimu nufūsa-nā bi’l-ʔamal al-kabīr min naǧāḥ qiṣaṣi-nā wa-riwāyāti-nā ’l-ʕaṣriyyaẗ al-miṣriyyaẗ;

This is something that cools our hearts a bit and fills our souls with great hope that our modern Egyptian stories and novels will be successful.

AR: nufūs (nafs), ʔamalqiṣaṣriwāyaẗ, ʕaṣrī (ʕaṣriyyaẗ), miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ),
EN: …

لأنّ غايتنا منها إيجاد أدب مصري موسوم بطابع شخصيتنا المصرية ويمثّل حياتنا الاجتماعية والنفسية والوطنية .

li-ʔanna ġāyata-nā min-hā ʔīǧād ʔadab miṣrī mawsūm bi-ṭābiʕ šaḫṣiyyati-nā ’l-miṣriyyaẗ wa-yumaṯṯil^u ḥayāta-nā ’l-iǧtimāʕiyyaẗ wa’l-nafsiyyaẗ wa’l-waṭaniyyaẗ.

For what we aim at with them is the creation of an Egyptian literature that carries the traits of our Egyptian [national] character and will be representative of our social, emotional and national life.

AR: ġāyaẗ, ʔīǧād, ʔadab, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ṭābiʕ, šaḫṣiyyaẗ, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ḥayāẗ, iǧtimāʕī (muǧtamaʕ), nafsī (nafs), waṭaniyyaẗ
EN: Egyptian, Egyptian [national] character, social, emotional and national life

وقد جاء الدكتور أحمد ضيف أستاذ الآداب العربية بالجامعة المصرية في كتابه "مقدّمة في بلاغة العرب" مؤيداً لنا في نظريتنا

wa-qad ǧāʔa ’l-duktūr ʔAḥmad Ḍayf ʔustāḏ al-ʔādāb al-ʕarabiyyaẗ bi’l-ǧāmiʕaẗ al-miṣriyyaẗ fī kitābi-hī "Muqaddimaẗ fī balāġaẗ al-ʕarab" muʔayyid^an la-nā fī naẓariyyati-nā

In his book Introduction to the Rhetoric of the Arabs,²⁸ Dr Aḥmad Ḍayf,²⁹ Professor of Arabic Literature at the Egyptian University,³⁰ has shown to be a supporter of our theory

28. The title is given as Muqaddimaẗ fī Balāġaẗ al-ʕArab here. The correct form, however, was Muqaddimaẗ li-[Dirāsaẗ] Balāġaẗ al-ʕArab (published al-Qahiraẗ, Maṭbaʕaẗ al-Sufūr, 1921). 29. Egyptian literary critic, 1880-1945. »Ḍayf was one of the first theorists of the so-called adab qawmī, which aimed to create a new literature marked by realism, local colour and a Western style« – Ed C.M. De Moor, art. »Ḍayf, Aḥmad (1880-1945)«, in EAL, i: 185. 30. The first secular university in Egypt, founded in 1908.

AR: ʔAḥmad Ḍayf, ʔādāb, ʕarabī, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), balāġaẗ, ʕarab, naẓariyyaẗ
EN: …

إذ قال بوجوب إيجاد آداب عربية مصبوغة بصبغة مصرية ،

ʔiḏ qāl bi-wuǧūb ʔīǧād ʔādāb ʕarabiyyaẗ maṣbūġaẗ bi-ṣibġaẗ miṣriyyaẗ,

when he talked about the necessity of creating an Arabic literature coloured in [specifically] Egyptian colours.

AR: ʔīǧād, ʔādāb, ʕarabī, maṣbūġ / ṣibġaẗ, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ)
EN: [specifically] Egyptian colours

ولا شكّ أنّ كتابه هذا سيخلق عهداً جديداً في عالم الأدب المصري الحديث ، ويخطّ طريقاً جديداً للأدباء .

wa-lā šakk^a ʔanna kitāba-hū hāḏā sa-yaḫluq^u ʕahd^an ǧadīd^an fī ʕālam al-ʔadab al-miṣrī al-ḥadīṯ, wa-yaḫuṭṭ^a ṭarīq^an ǧadīd^an lil-ʔudabāʔ.

There is no doubt that this book will create a new era for modern Egyptian literature and that it will sketch a new path for creative writers³¹ to follow.

31. al-ʔudabāʔ – could also be rendered, more generally, as ‘the literati’.

AR: ǧadīd, ʔadab, miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), ḥadīṯ (ḥadāṯaẗ), ǧadīd, ʔudabāʔ (ʔadab)
EN: …

وإنّنا لنشكر الأستاذ على إظهاره هذا الكتاب ، ونرجو منه ألّا يضنّ علينا بطبع محاضراته القيّمة ،

wa-ʔinna-nā la-naškur^u ’l-ʔustāḏ ʕalà ʔiẓhāri-hī hāḏā ’l-kitāb, wa-narǧū min-hu ʔallā yaḍinn^a ʕalay-nā bi-ṭabʕⁱ muḥāḍarāti-hī ’l-qayyimaẗ,

We thank the Professor for coming out with this book, and we hope he’s not sparse and will commit to print [also] his valuable lectures.

AR: muḥāḍaraẗ, qayyim (qīmaẗ)
EN: …

كما أنّ رجاءنا هذا موجّه أيضاً إلى سائر أساتذة الجامعة المصرية لا سيّما الأستاذ حسين افندي رمزي لِما سيكون لمحاضراته العلمية النفسية من التأثير على الأدب الحديث .

ka-mā ʔanna raǧāʔa-nā hāḏā muwaǧǧah^un ʔayḍ^an ʔilà sāʔir ʔasātiḏaẗ al-ǧāmiʕaẗ al-miṣriyyaẗ lā siyya-mā ’l-ʔustāḏ Ḥusayn ʔafandī Ramzī li-mā sa-yakūn^u li-muḥāḍarāti-hī ’l-ʕilmiyyaẗ al-nafsiyyaẗ min al-taʔṯīr ʕalà ’l-ʔadab al-ḥadīṯ.

Our request is likewise directed at all other professors at the Egyptian University, especially Professor Ḥusayn Efendi Ramzī;³² his lectures on psychology could have a [similar deep] impact on modern literature.

32. I was unable to identify this scholar in the reference works at my disposal.

AR: miṣrī (Miṣr / Miṣriyyaẗ), Ḥusayn Ramzī, muḥāḍaraẗ, ʕilmī (ʕilm, ʕilmiyyaẗ), nafsī, taʔṯīr, ʔadab, ḥadīṯ (ḥadāṯaẗ)
EN: …

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